Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Watchable
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for polished extravagance. However, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, including one shot that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role that he too was born to take on.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has traveled ceaselessly the globe in sorrow for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who could be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. Unfortunately, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to Dracula’s fortress to review his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he willingly includes offering humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
