Dracula Review – The French Director’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Engaging

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale 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, such as a scene that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who arrives in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the count has been restlessly roaming the globe in torment for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for a lady who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he willingly includes giving us funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.