Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Watchable
Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. However, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role suits him perfectly.
The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the world in torment for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his faithless sorrow after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to negotiate his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style
Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as comical sequences that result after Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
