Dracula Film Analysis – Besson’s Passionate Revamp of the Classic Horror Story is Absurd but Engaging
Maybe interest is limited for a fresh take of Dracula from Luc Besson, the celebrated French director for glossiness and bloat. And yet, it’s worth noting: his richly designed vampire romance displays creativity and style – and amid its theatrical camp, I might just favor over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that seems to depict a land border between France and Romania.
Waltz as a Humorously Exhausted Priest Tracking the Undead
Christoph Waltz portrays a humorous yet burdened cleric fighting vampires – it’s surprising he never took on such a part earlier – who arrives in Paris in 1889 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. So does the evil Count Dracula, played by the expert in grotesque roles Caleb Landry Jones speaking in a twisted regional dialect evoking the voice of Gru by Steve Carell from the Despicable Me comedies. This character he seemed destined to play.
The Plot: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the globe in sorrow for hundreds of years following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment due to his blasphemous mourning over the death of his beloved Elisabeta (a movie debut role for Zoë Bleu, the offspring of Rosanna Arquette). Dracula has been searching, searching, searching for a lady who would be the rebirth of his deceased partner. By cruel fate, the lucky lady proves to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (enacted by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to review his property portfolio and the small picture of the charming Mina drew the vampire’s attention.
The Filmmaker’s Approach and Comic Flair
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of global roaming in various outrageous costumes with a sure hand, and he willingly includes offering humorous scenes with a distinctly Mel Brooks flavour – like the count’s repeated and futile attempts to end his own life following Elisabeta’s passing, as well as farcical scenes that follow Dracula sprays himself in a certain perfume during the 1700s in Florence, which makes him irresistible to women. Ridiculous and watchable.
Dracula is available digitally from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.