Dracula Review – Luc Besson’s Romantic Revamp of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Absurd but Entertaining

Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for polished extravagance. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz plays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, enacted by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This is a part suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

The plot unfolds as follows: Dracula has wandered endlessly the earth in sorrow for 400 years since he became undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a female who could be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the reserved future wife of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to discuss his land assets and the tiny painting of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch

Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to kill himself after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to comical sequences that follow Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.