Dracula - L'amore perduto

Luc Besson's *Dracula* tries to be bold and artistic but ends up as an over-stylized, slow-moving mess. While the visuals are striking, they can't hide the film's self-indulgent pacing and lack of real scares. The story drags, weighed down by pretentious themes and melodramatic performances. Dracula himself is more mopey than menacing, and the supposed emotional depth feels forced. Strangely, the film borrows heavily in tone and aesthetic from Patrick Süskind's *Perfume*-the same obsessive atmosphere, the same brooding romanticism-but without the narrative clarity or psychological sharpness. Besson's ambition to "reimagine" the legend results in a film that's more style than substance. Despite its glossy presentation, this version of *Dracula* is cold, derivative, and ultimately forgettable.

Director Luc Besson's take on the legendary vampire myth, Dracula: A Love Tale, is a visually magnificent, if occasionally overwrought, gothic romance that succeeds largely on the strength of its lead performance. The film is, first and foremost, a feast for the eyes. The costume and production design are lavish, transporting the audience with an authenticity and opulence that is breathtakingly gothic. This visual splendor is matched by an intensely committed performance from (Caleb Landry Jones) as the titular Prince Vlad/Dracula. Jones delivers a portrayal of a 400-year-old soul consumed by grief and undying love that is both unsettling and deeply human. His 'old' Dracula is eerie and composed, while the anguish of his younger self is palpable. The film leans heavily into the love tale aspect, providing a compelling, passionate, and tragic core that successfully recaptures the sweeping melodrama of a classic Hammer horror or a Coppola adaptation. The chemistry between Jones and co-star (Zoë Bleu) is electric, providing the emotional fuel for the entire production. While the passion is there, the film often stumbles with its pacing. It rockets through centuries of lore and character development with a speed that sometimes feels jarring. We are given tantalizing glimpses into the lives of key supporting characters, including (Christoph Waltz's) Priest, but they feel underdeveloped, serving more as plot devices than fully fleshed-out individuals. The script, at times, struggles to balance the high romantic drama with the classic horror elements, occasionally defaulting to dialogue that feels a touch too cheesy or theatrical for its own good. It's a film that desperately needed a little more room to breathe in its middle acts to allow the audience to fully settle into its narrative rhythm. Dracula: A Love Tale is an undeniable guilty pleasure for fans of the gothic-romantic vampire genre. It's a gorgeous, over-the-top spectacle carried by a magnetic central performance that grounds the more fantastical elements. It lacks the cohesive polish or thematic depth to be a masterpiece, but its sheer visual flair and raw emotional intensity make it a truly captivating, if imperfect, cinematic experience. Go for the style, stay for Caleb Landry Jones' unforgettable Count!

It feels more like a moody fanfic than a fresh take. Visually, it's stunning. The castles, the costumes, the lighting - pure eye candy. But that's where the magic ends.

The script? Thin. The romance? Forced. Caleb Landry Jones tries hard, but the chemistry is dead on arrival. Even Christoph Waltz felt like he was sleepwalking through his scenes.

I get what Besson was aiming for-a tragic love story wrapped in gothic horror-but it never quite lands. The pacing drags, and the emotional beats feel hollow.

Is it worth watching? Maybe, if you're into atmospheric visuals. Otherwise, it's a stylish shell with not much soul.

This movie could have been a masterpiece, the story, while well known, is solid, great actors, seasoned director ... however it felt pretty flat. Some bits are extremely good, while some feel almost goofy, you ask yourself Why ???? But why ????

Quite disappointing because a few logic changes, this movie would have been epic.

It will be probably until the end of time - new Dracula features, year after year. This time (and I cannot really say I remember a lot others) it is focusing of Vlad's romantic character. He is not the Vampire born out of thin air - he has a beef with God almighty and he would rather die, then live countless lives without his beloved wife.

This is the base to the story and yes...Vlad carries new weapon: perfume. This one makes his surroundings to go wild and deliver him whatever he wants from them. His main goal is to retrieve his wife, and he doesn't perceive as a hedonistic person but as a man with great suffer.

The other characters are decorative and the most conspicuous from all other characters, that surrounds him is off course the Priest that we all missed lately on both types of screens: Christoph Waltz. This movie is pretty simple and doesn't try to re-invent the myth about Vampire Vlad but take another and more human direction.

Caleb Landry Jones is always a brilliant casting to main role and he is, off course, does his job fantastically. At the end of all things, it is a great version, which personally I will have difficulty to remember, due to overflowing versions over the years. And yet, it is pretty nice to see that Luc Besson is still got it.