Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable
Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it has to be said: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, such as a scene that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. So does the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the globe in anguish over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for some woman who would be the rebirth of his lost love. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to review his real estate holdings and the small picture of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he is not above giving us humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to absurd moments that result after Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
