Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Classic Horror Story is Ridiculous but Engaging

Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, it could be preferable to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character suits him perfectly.

The Narrative: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the earth in torment over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a penalty due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has sought relentlessly for some woman who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the lucky lady is revealed as Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the count’s castle to negotiate his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair

Besson structures Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he willingly includes providing funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula can be streamed online from 1 December and in disc format from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.