Dracula Film Analysis – Luc Besson’s Romantic Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Outlandish but Watchable

Perhaps audiences aren’t clamoring for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his opulently crafted romantic vampire tale displays creativity and style – and with its B-movie charm, I might just favor over Eggers’s dignified recent take of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that looks like it presents a geographic divide between France and Romania.

Waltz as a Witty Yet Careworn Priest Tracking the Undead

Christoph Waltz plays a clever but beleaguered vampire-hunting priest – I can’t believe he hasn’t played this character previously – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. The same goes for the evil Count Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect similar to the voice of Gru by Steve Carell of the Despicable Me series. It’s a role suits him perfectly.

The Plot: A Saga of Heartbreak

Here’s the premise: Dracula has wandered endlessly the earth in torment for 400 years after his transformation into a vampire, a penalty for his irreligious grief after the passing of his spouse Elisabeta (a first film part for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). The count has been searching, searching, searching for some woman who might be the reincarnation of his deceased partner. Unfortunately, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the modest betrothed of Dracula’s wimpish land agent, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the count’s castle to discuss his real estate holdings and whose miniature portrait of the lovely Mina caught the count’s hooded eye.

Besson’s Direction and Comic Flair

Besson structures Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys sporting extravagant attire with a sure hand, and he doesn’t shy away from offering funny bits with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – for example the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life post-Elisabeta’s demise, along with farcical scenes that occur when Dracula applies to himself using a particular scent in 18th-century Florence, which causes him to be unavoidably attractive to females. Absurd yet engaging.

Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and for physical purchase from 22 December. It will be shown in Australian cinemas starting February 5, 2026.