Dracula Review – The French Director’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Engaging
It’s possible interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. Still, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Vampire-Hunting Priest
Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak
Here’s the premise: the count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his irreligious grief after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has sought relentlessly for some woman who might be the rebirth of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes providing some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to comical sequences that occur when Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula can be streamed online beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
