Dracula Review – The French Director’s Romantic Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Entertaining

It’s possible there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. Still, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale has ambition and panache – 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. Odd details emerge, including one shot that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. This character he seemed destined to play.

The Story: A Saga of Heartbreak

The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the earth in sorrow for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who could be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to review his real estate holdings and the small picture of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Humorous Style

Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as comical sequences that follow Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance in historic Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.