Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Engaging

Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for glossiness and bloat. However, one must admit: his opulently crafted love story with vampires has ambition and panache – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

Christoph Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires

Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – 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, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role that he too was born to take on.

The Story: A Chronicle of Longing

The plot unfolds as follows: the count has traveled ceaselessly the earth in anguish over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a punishment for his irreligious grief following the loss of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). The count has been searching, searching, searching for a female who might be the return of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the lucky lady turns out to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to review his property portfolio and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from giving us humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in historic Florence, which causes him to be irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is on digital platforms beginning on the first of December and in disc format from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.