Dracula Movie Critique – Besson’s Passionate Reimagining of the Timeless Gothic Tale is Outlandish but Watchable
Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the French maestro for stylish excess. And yet, it has to be said: his lavishly upholstered love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, such as a scene that seems to depict a territorial boundary between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Witty Yet Careworn Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played such a part earlier – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 for the French Revolution centenary celebrations. The same goes for the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to Carell’s Gru character from the Despicable Me comedies. This character he seemed destined to play.
The Narrative: A Chronicle of Longing
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a consequence for his irreligious grief after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has sought relentlessly for some woman who could be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the chosen woman proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the demure fiancee of Dracula’s feeble property handler, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the count’s castle to discuss his land assets and the small picture of the charming Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.
Besson’s Handling and Lighthearted Touch
Besson organizes Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels in various outrageous costumes skillfully, and he is not above providing funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to kill himself following Elisabeta’s passing, in addition to comical sequences that follow Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, that renders him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula can be streamed online starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
