Dracula Review – The French Director’s Romantic Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Engaging

It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed vampire romance displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part that he too was born to take on.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the count has wandered endlessly the earth in anguish for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has looked tirelessly for a female who could be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to discuss his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes providing some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, along with absurd moments that result after Dracula applies to himself in a certain perfume in historic Florence, which makes him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.