Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Passionate Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Engaging
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. However, one must admit: his richly designed love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, such as a scene that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Clever but Weary Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Likewise present is the malevolent vampire count, played by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Narrative: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief over the death of his wife, Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has sought relentlessly for some woman who would be the return of his departed beloved. By cruel fate, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to discuss his property portfolio and the tiny painting of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Direction and Lighthearted Touch
Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of global roaming wearing flamboyant outfits skillfully, and he willingly includes giving us humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, as well as absurd moments that follow Dracula sprays himself with a specific fragrance in 18th-century Florence, that renders him irresistible to women. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
