Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Entertaining

Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. However, it has to be said: his richly designed romantic vampire tale has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, including one shot that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Vampire-Hunting Priest

Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. This is a part he seemed destined to play.

The Narrative: A Tale of Love and Loss

The story is this: the count has been restlessly roaming the world in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has sought relentlessly for a lady who might be the reincarnation of his lost love. Unfortunately, the chosen woman turns out to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to discuss his property portfolio and the small picture of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch

Besson organizes Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he is not above providing humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, along with farcical scenes that occur when Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.