Dracula Review: Luc Besson’s Turgid Adaptation Re-Imagines Nosferatu As A Lovesick Loser

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As a fan, it’s really hard to enjoy a Luc Besson film knowing about the serious accusations made against him. While he was cleared in 2023, seeing a movie where a man spends so much time taking blood from women just feels… unsettling, given everything. But honestly, even if you didn’t know about his past, this adaptation of Dracula is just a really dull and strangely paced movie. It doesn’t bring anything new to the story at all, and it’s a bit of a slog to get through.

The recent release of Robert Eggers’ film, The Northman (also known as Sinners), is still fresh in viewers’ minds, and while it wasn’t a masterpiece, it was far more captivating than Luc Besson’s lackluster new effort. While Christoph Waltz delivers his usual reliably charismatic performance, even he can’t save a film lacking a clear and compelling vision from the director.

Dracula Should’ve Remained in the Coffin

In Besson’s take on the Dracula story, the titular character (played by Caleb Landry Jones) is a 14th-century prince. His wife, Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu Sidel), is killed during a war against a group Besson refers to as “the Muslims.” The film hints Dracula may have played a role in her death. Consumed by fury, he kills the priest who couldn’t save her, then blasphemes against God, and is ultimately taken away while taunting Jesus.

Four centuries have passed, and Dracula is now a frail, aged figure hiding in his castle in Walachia, surrounded by computer-generated gargoyles. Meanwhile, Christoph Waltz plays a priest – though not Van Helsing – who is called upon by a hidden branch of the Church that handles disturbing issues beyond the scope of both religion and science. Waltz initially makes a grand, humorous entrance – sitting in a church with an enormous spread of meats, cheeses, and wine – but quickly becomes more serious once his mission begins.

The hospital needs his help with Maria (Matilda De Angelis), a captivating and alluring young noblewoman who is causing significant trouble. This discovery is fortunate for the Priest, as he and the church have been searching for Dracula for a long time. Meanwhile, Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid) is dispatched by his law firm to investigate a property in Paris owned by Dracula, but he’s quickly attacked, subdued, and left suspended from the ceiling.

Dracula grants Harker one last request, and surprisingly, Harker asks to hear Dracula’s life story. The film then flashes back to show Dracula concocting a potion that removes a woman’s willpower, effectively making her subservient to him. It’s a bizarre turn of events.

While Dracula’s main goal appears to be building a vampire army to find his wife’s reincarnation, the underlying issues remain troubling. Other filmmakers have explored the seductive and aggressive sides of vampires and Dracula himself, but it feels particularly uncomfortable coming from this director.

Landry Jones does a good job as Dracula, balancing charm, humor, and genuine creepiness. However, the film itself feels disjointed and doesn’t quite work. It tries to be both a serious love story and a comedy, but fails at both. The romance between Dracula and Elisabeta is primal and immature, and it’s hard to root for them because they weren’t very likable people even before becoming vampires. It lacks the cleverness of Mel Brooks’ Dracula: Dead and Loving It, and ultimately feels unsatisfying.

Despite Besson’s intention for us to connect with the characters and their connection across time and distance, the emotional impact falls flat. While there are a few amusing moments, the film doesn’t commit to comedy enough for it to be noticeable. Ultimately, the biggest problem is how it looks – the overly bright colors and lighting are visually jarring, almost painfully so.

The 1931 film Dracula remains a classic, but the 1992 adaptation feels unnecessary and actually suggests the story might be better left untouched. Without a strong core to build on, Besson’s version loses its impact long before the credits roll.

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2026-02-05 23:00