Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining
Maybe interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. Still, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is 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 of the Despicable Me series. This character suits him perfectly.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
The story is this: the count has traveled ceaselessly the earth in sorrow for 400 years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a lady who could be the rebirth of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his land assets and the small picture of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style
Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to comical sequences that result after Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
