Dracula Review – The French Director’s Romantic Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Ridiculous but Engaging
Maybe audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. However, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This is a part that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the globe in sorrow over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has sought relentlessly for some woman who would be the rebirth of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he is not above giving us humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with comical sequences that follow Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It plays in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
