Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Engaging
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. And yet, it has to be said: his richly designed romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable over 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.
Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, 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. This is a part he seemed destined to play.
The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss
The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the world in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for some woman who could be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to review his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he willingly includes offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to absurd moments that result after Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.