Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Romantic Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Watchable

Maybe interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, one must admit: his richly designed love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened 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. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This character suits him perfectly.

The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the count has traveled ceaselessly the world in sorrow for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for a female who could be the rebirth of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his property portfolio and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to farcical scenes that result after Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula can be streamed online beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray starting the twenty-second of December. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.