Dracula Review – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Classic Horror Story is Outlandish but Engaging

Perhaps interest is limited for a new version of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for polished extravagance. And yet, one must admit: his opulently crafted vampire romance boasts bold vision and flair – and with its B-movie charm, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that looks like it presents a land border between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Clever but Weary Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, played by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This character that he too was born to take on.

The Story: A Chronicle of Longing

The story is this: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow over four centuries after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his irreligious grief after the passing of his beloved Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a female who would be the reincarnation of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (again played by Bleu), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to review his property portfolio and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.

The Filmmaker’s Approach and Lighthearted Touch

Besson arranges Dracula’s flashback sequence of international journeys sporting extravagant attire confidently, and he is not above giving us some comedy moments with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide post-Elisabeta’s demise, as well as farcical scenes that follow Dracula douses himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It will be shown in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.