It’s possible interest is limited for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for polished extravagance. However, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted love story with vampires displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer to it to the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. A few strange elements appear, like a particular moment that seems to depict a geographic divide between France and Romania.
Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on this role before – who arrives 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 using a distorted Eastern European tone similar to Steve Carell’s Gru in the Despicable Me films. It’s a role suits him perfectly.
Here’s the premise: the vampire lord has been restlessly roaming the earth in sorrow for hundreds of years since he became undead, a consequence for his irreligious grief after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). the vampire has been searching, searching, searching for a female who could be the return of his lost love. By cruel fate, the chosen woman is revealed as Mina (again played by Bleu), the demure fiancee of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who just traveled to the vampire’s estate to discuss his property portfolio and the small picture of the winsome Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of worldwide travels wearing flamboyant outfits confidently, and he is not above giving us humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to commit suicide following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that result after Dracula sprays himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which makes him unavoidably attractive to females. Outlandish but entertaining.
Dracula is on digital platforms starting December 1st and on DVD and Blu-ray from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.
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