Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Romantic Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Engaging
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for stylish excess. Still, it’s worth noting: his richly designed romantic vampire tale has ambition and panache – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, like a particular moment that appears to show a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz embodies a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – it feels natural for him to tackle this character previously – who ends up in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the sinister Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Carell’s Gru character in the Despicable Me films. This is a part suits him perfectly.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the count has been restlessly roaming the world in torment for hundreds of years since he became undead, a penalty for his faithless sorrow following the loss of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, daughter of Rosanna Arquette). The count has looked tirelessly for a lady who would be the return of his deceased partner. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to Dracula’s fortress to negotiate his land assets and whose miniature portrait of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys wearing flamboyant outfits with a sure hand, and he is not above giving us humorous scenes in the style of Mel Brooks – for example the vampire’s constant unsuccessful tries to end his own life after Elisabeta’s death, in addition to absurd moments that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent during the 1700s in Florence, that renders him compelling to the opposite sex. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.