Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Romantic Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Ridiculous but Entertaining

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for polished extravagance. However, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable over Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Story: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the count has wandered endlessly the earth in torment over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the rebirth of his lost love. By cruel fate, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his real estate holdings and the small picture of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from offering humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to farcical scenes that occur when Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.

Dracula is available digitally beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.