Dracula: A Love Tale

Really enjoyed Luc Besson's Dracula. It's dark and stylish without trying too hard. Christopher Waltz was amazing, this could be expected. And honestly, the whole cast was just beautiful to look at. The visuals, the costumes, the mood... all of it was gorgeous. Definitely worth a watch if you're into gothic stories with a fantasy touch.

This film is one of the worst adaptations of Bram Stoker's novel to ever see the light of day (pun intended). The dialogues are a terrible combination of failed attempts at being profound about subjects like religion and love, and lots of stupid jokes and situations. The characters are just poorly written, they feel superficial and it's hard to empathize with any of them. The film is outright disrespectful of Stoker's work and of vampire folklore in general. It feels more like a caricature or a mockery of Coppola's version than an honest take on Stoker's book. There's even a dancing montage and CGI gargoyles reminiscent of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The ambiance is just confusing, trying to be serious at times, but then cutting the tension with a stupid joke or goofy action. This confusion is clearly noticeable in Christoph Waltz's performance, who doesn't seem to be sure what to do and falls back at reenacting Dr. King Shultz. The protagonist has some decent moments, but spends half the time crying and mumbling like a mental patient, and half acting like a Parisian pimp. Nothing even remotely close to give presence and substance needed for such a heavy character. Don't waste your money on the theatre, wait until it comes out on a streaming platform, probably very soon, considering the quality.

Dracula: A Love Tale is a new fantasy romance film directed, partially written, and produced by Luc Besson, known for The Fifth Element and Léon.

After the death of his wife, Prince Vlad (Caleb Landry Jones) turns against the church and humanity. He transforms into the vampire Dracula, retreating to his castle.

When Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid) visits, Dracula learns about his wife Mina (Zoë Bleu), who bears a striking resemblance to the woman he once lost. He becomes obsessed with her and tries to win her over. This leads to an inner conflict: can the monstrous side of him make way for the more human Vlad so that he can experience love again?

Luc Besson based this adaptation on Bram Stoker's Dracula, which has been filmed several times before. One of the most famous versions is Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) by Francis Ford Coppola. Last year, a new version of Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, was also released. All these films essentially tell the same story of Dracula but emphasize different elements.

While Bram Stoker's Dracula is mainly a gothic-romantic story with horror elements, Nosferatu focuses more on the horror aspect. Besson also opts for the romantic angle, but takes a lot of time with it. As a result, you follow a lost, aimless Dracula who only regains direction when he meets Mina. Until then, the film feels empty and slow, much like the character himself. This emptiness is filled with familiar scenes and elements from Stoker's book, but due to their repetition, they can seem meaningless and shallow.

Though Besson places the romantic aspect at the center, he adds little new. At times, it even seems like he has removed or adjusted elements, possibly to make the film more suitable for a younger or teenage audience.

The makeup effects are fitting and effective, but with other visual effects, the CGI is clearly noticeable.

The cast delivers a solid performance but remains in the shadow of previous iconic portrayals of characters from the Dracula story, such as Gary Oldman, Bill Skarsgård, Anthony Hopkins, or Willem Dafoe.

Dracula A Love Tale, is Luc Besson copying Coppola's homework, then trying (and failing) to change enough of it to avoid accusations of plagiarism.

The two romantic leads have chemistry, and the visuals are okay, but this movie still falls flat. Uneven pacing, superficial motivations from the supporting characters, and artistic choices that are just thrown in because, why not.

Besson refuses to commit to any real artistic choices in this film. The script might as well be written by chatGPT.

This reimagining of Dracula is an excellent addition to the classic story. The performances by the main actors, Zoë Bleu and Caleb Landry Jones, are excellent. Especially newcomer Zoë Bleu is outstanding, delivering an excellent performance and looking stunning on screen. The romance and chemistry between the two in the film's opening act are portrayed in a great and kind of sweet manner. By contrast, the relationship between Jonathan Harker and Mina is left completely unexplored and lacks any real development. Overall, Jonathan's character feels shallow and underdeveloped. Mina's friend Maria, on the other hand, comes across as oddly overacted and doesn't fit the film's historical setting.

The movie boasts impressive visuals. The set design, costumes, and cinematography are beautiful. Only the gargoyles/goblins feel oddly out of place and not particularly well executed for a big-budget 2025 production.

There are a few minor errors-such as modern toy balloons appearing at a 19th-century funfair-that are unfortunate and should have been avoided. Still, these are small criticisms of an otherwise highly enjoyable and well-crafted film that delivers a fresh, visually striking take on the Dracula legend. Recommended!