Dracula Movie Critique – The French Director’s Passionate Reimagining of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Entertaining
Perhaps interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, it could be preferable to it to Robert Eggers’s recent, solemnly classy version of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz plays a witty yet careworn vampire-hunting priest – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who ends up in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent similar to Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. It’s a role suits him perfectly.
The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the earth in anguish for 400 years since he became undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a female who might be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and the small picture of the winsome Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair
Besson structures Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he is not above providing some comedy moments in the style of Mel Brooks – like the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, as well as farcical scenes that follow Dracula douses himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula can be streamed online beginning on the first of December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It screens in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
