Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Passionate Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Entertaining

Perhaps interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. And yet, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance displays creativity and style – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role he seemed destined to play.

The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the globe in sorrow for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a female who might be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.

Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style

Besson organizes Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to absurd moments that follow Dracula applies to himself with a specific fragrance during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and for physical purchase starting the twenty-second of December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.