Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Love-Struck Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Engaging

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the globe in torment for hundreds of years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who would be the reincarnation of his lost love. By cruel fate, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his property portfolio and the small picture of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he willingly includes providing humorous scenes reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as farcical scenes that occur when Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.