Dracula Film Analysis – Besson’s Love-Struck Revamp of the Gothic Classic is Absurd but Engaging
Perhaps there is no great enthusiasm for an updated adaptation of Dracula from Luc Besson, the filmmaker known for stylish excess. Still, one must admit: his lavishly upholstered romantic vampire tale boasts bold vision and flair – and in all its Hammer-y cheesiness, I might just favor over the recent, stately interpretation by Robert Eggers of Nosferatu. Odd details emerge, including one shot that appears to show a land border between France and Romania.
The Veteran Actor as a Humorously Exhausted Clergyman Hunting Vampires
Christoph Waltz portrays a clever but beleaguered man of the church pursuing the undead – it feels natural for him to tackle this role before – who finds himself in Paris in 1889 during the centennial of the French Revolution. So does the malevolent vampire count, enacted by the seasoned horror actor Caleb Landry Jones with a mangled central European accent reminiscent of Steve Carell’s Gru of the Despicable Me series. This character he seemed destined to play.
The Narrative: A Tale of Love and Loss
The plot unfolds as follows: the count has wandered endlessly the earth in sorrow over four centuries following his rise as one of the undead, a punishment for his faithless sorrow over the death of his spouse Elisabeta (an inaugural screen appearance for Zoë Bleu, Rosanna Arquette’s child). Dracula has looked tirelessly for some woman who might be the rebirth of his departed beloved. As ill fortune would have it, the fortunate female turns out to be Mina (also Bleu, of course), the reserved future wife of the count’s timid estate manager, Jonathan Harker (played by Ewens Abid), who has recently been to the vampire’s estate to discuss his real estate holdings and the tiny painting of the lovely Mina attracted Dracula’s gaze.
Besson’s Direction and Humorous Style
Besson arranges Dracula’s second-act backstory of international journeys sporting extravagant attire skillfully, and he is not above giving us funny bits in the style of Mel Brooks – such as Dracula’s ongoing failed efforts to kill himself post-Elisabeta’s demise, in addition to comical sequences that follow 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 on digital platforms from 1 December and on DVD and Blu-ray from December 22nd. It plays in Australian cinemas from 5 February 2026.
