Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Engaging
It’s possible audiences aren’t clamoring for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, it could be preferable to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, brought to life by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of the voice of Gru by Steve Carell 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 count has traveled ceaselessly the globe in torment over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence for his faithless sorrow over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a female who could be the rebirth of his lost love. By cruel fate, the fortunate female is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more 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 land assets and the small picture of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch
Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as comical sequences that follow Dracula douses himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
