Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Romantic Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Entertaining

Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. And yet, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – 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. So does the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. This character suits him perfectly.

The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the earth in torment for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who might be the rebirth of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to discuss his land assets and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming in various outrageous costumes confidently, and he is not above providing funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as comical sequences that result after Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and in disc format from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.