Dracula Movie Critique – Luc Besson’s Love-Struck Reinterpretation of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Watchable
Maybe there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. And yet, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. There are some very bizarre touches, like a particular moment that looks like it presents a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz embodies a humorous yet burdened man of the church pursuing the undead – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who arrives in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the sinister Dracula, brought to life by the body-horror veteran Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru from the Despicable Me comedies. This character that he too was born to take on.
The Story: A Chronicle of Longing
The story is this: the vampire lord has wandered endlessly the world in torment over four centuries since he became undead, a punishment for his irreligious grief after the passing of his wife, Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has looked tirelessly for a lady who would be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the fortunate female proves to be Mina (portrayed once more by Bleu), the modest betrothed of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who lately visited to the vampire’s estate to discuss his real estate holdings and the small picture of the charming Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Handling and Comic Flair
Besson organizes Dracula’s middle-section history of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he willingly includes giving us funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, along with absurd moments that occur when Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Absurd yet engaging.
Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It screens in Australian cinemas beginning on the fifth of February, 2026.
