When a 15th-century prince denounces God after the devastating loss of his wife, he inherits an eternal curse and becomes Dracula. Condemned to wander the centuries, he defies fate and death, guided by the hope to be reunited with his lost love.
Director: Luc Besson
Cast: Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu, Matilda De Angelis, Ewens Abid
Release Date: February 6, 2026
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Romance
Rated R for violence, some gore and sexuality
Runtime: 2h 9m
Review:
Luc Besson’s Dracula is a visually impressive production that leans heavier into the gothic romance aspect of the story, ala Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker's Dracula, powered by a solid turn from Caleb Landry Jones in the titular role and Christoph Waltz as a Van Helsing inspired priest. Besson’s direction displays a sense of confidence behind the camera which gives his film a palatable sense of energy that instantly pops off the screen even if it all feels terribly familiar. His visuals pop as usual which keeps the film from lagging more than you’d expect from a well-worn tale like this. The basics of the story should be familiar to everyone by this point with minor superficial changes having little bearing in the overall story such as changing the locale from London to Paris and characters names adjustments. Purists are sure to be annoyed by some of the more glaring omissions such as the Demeter being excised entirely or Dracula’s personal servant being an army of living gargoyles who also serve as his personal guardians. There’s also a rather odd choice to remove his telepathy and replace it with a perfume elixir to control women’s minds which does have a rather fascinating musical montage that covers the centuries of Dracula’s search for his reincarnated love and a wonderfully choregraphed sequence in a nunnery. It’s a perfect example of the film’s particular tone which makes it one of the funnier adaptations of Dracula in recent memory which may be disorienting for those looking for more vampiric horror. It’s all incredibly garish but rarely boring thanks to everyone being fully onboard with Besson’s vision. Caleb Landry Jones isn’t the most obvious choice as Dracula but he does bring a different sort of energy to the role which makes his turn incredibly watchable. Jones has always had a very specific sort of energy, and it works in his favor here as there’s a sense of ferocity and longing in his performance but missing the ominous, malevolence that the character is usually ingrained in the role. It makes the character less menacing by a few degrees although he’s given a few scenes to display his prowess as a ferocious warrior when push comes to shove. Christoph Waltz gets the other meaty role as a priest investigating the vampire phenomenon who plays more like a 19th century Columbo than the standard iteration of Van Helsing. Waltz is clearly having fun with the character whose quick wit is just as sharp as his metal stakes. Waltz and Jones only share one scene together, but they make the most of their time together with both working well off each other. Matilda de Angelis and Zoë Bleu are both solid in supporting roles with the latter leaning into a manic energy for Mina’s best friend and vampire, Maria. Blue makes for a strong Mina however she’s given precious little time to establish the character before falling hopeless for her long-lost love. This version of Dracula is an interesting curiosity of an adaptation since it’s familiar for large stretches of time while taking some interesting chances at the same time.
B-
