Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Entertaining

Maybe interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered vampire romance displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer compared with the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz embodies a witty yet careworn man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this role before – who ends up in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. Likewise present is the evil Count Dracula, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Carell’s Gru character of the Despicable Me series. This character suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Chronicle of Longing

Here’s the premise: Dracula has wandered endlessly the globe in torment for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a consequence due to his blasphemous mourning following the loss of his wife, Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has sought relentlessly for a lady who would be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to negotiate his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

Besson’s Handling and Humorous Style

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he is not above giving us some comedy moments reminiscent of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.