Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining
It’s possible interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. However, it has to be said: his richly designed romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.
The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the earth in torment for 400 years since he became undead, a penalty for his irreligious grief over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a female who might be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his real estate holdings and the small picture of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he willingly includes offering funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be 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 starting February 5, 2026.
