--- title: "Dracula" year: 2025 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dracula-2025" fi1m_score: 55 critics_score: 54 critics_reviews: 12 published: "2026-09-19T08:24:33.529316+00:00" updated: "2026-09-19T08:48:13.658913+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dracula (2025) Directed by Luc Besson · 2h 10m · MPA R · Horror, Fantasy, Romance **Fi1m score: 55** · Critics 54 from 12 reviews *In a sentence:* Dracula has lost his wife, renounced God and launched a fragrance, in roughly that order > Luc Besson’s Dracula is a lovesick widower in a handsome, silly and almost bloodless romance that never once frightens. Caleb Landry Jones and Christoph Waltz are worth the evening on their own; the script around them is not. ## Synopsis Vlad (Caleb Landry Jones) loses his wife Elisabeta (Zoe Sidel), renounces his faith and is made immortal for it. Centuries later, in nineteenth-century Paris, he is still in mourning when he sees Mina, a young woman with Elisabeta’s face, and decides she is his wife returned. Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid) stands in his way. Vlad courts her with wealth, patience and a perfume of his own devising, and leaves bodies behind him as he does. A priest (Christoph Waltz) who has spent his life studying such creatures recognises the signs and begins to hunt him through the city. Maria (Matilda De Angelis), Dumont (Guillaume de Tonquédec) and Henry Spencer (David Shields) are drawn in as the search widens. ## Review Luc Besson has been circling Bram Stoker’s novel for most of his career without naming it: nearly every film he has made is about a strange, isolated person who loves one other person too much. So it is no surprise that his *Dracula* is a romance first and a horror film a distant second. Besson writes and directs, and his script keeps the shape of the old story while turning its villain into its widower. Vlad (Caleb Landry Jones) loses his wife Elisabeta (Zoe Sidel), renounces his faith and is made immortal for it; centuries later, in Paris, he finds a woman with her face. Francis Ford Coppola built his 1992 version on the same idea. Besson takes it further and with a straighter face. Jones is the reason the film holds together for as long as it does. He plays Vlad as a man who has been grieving for centuries and has stopped pretending it looks dignified: he pouts, he swoons, he weeps in public, and he means every bit of it. It is a mannered, slightly fey performance, and it would be unbearable if it were winking. It is not. We were touched by him more than once, to our surprise, and the reason is that Jones never treats the love story as a joke even when the film around him does. Christoph Waltz plays the priest who takes the Van Helsing role, and he plays it as if he has read the book and found it a little vulgar. He underplays everything, which is a relief, and the film is at its best when he and Jones share a room. Sidel does what she can with a part that is mostly a face. Ewens Abid’s Jonathan Harker and Guillaume de Tonquédec’s Dumont are given scenes rather than characters, and Matilda De Angelis, as Maria, appears to be having the most fun of anyone in the cast. The money is on the screen, at least where the money went on things you can touch. Hugues Tissandier’s Paris interiors and Corinne Bruand’s costumes are handsome and plentiful, and Colin Wandersman shoots them in a warmer, brighter light than vampire films usually allow, so the whole thing looks more like an opera set than a crypt. Danny Elfman’s score sighs along underneath and rises when asked. The best passage is a late attack by an army, staged at real scale and cut by Lucas Fabiani so that you can follow who is where, and it is the one stretch in which Besson the action director takes over from Besson the romantic. The computer-generated work elsewhere is another matter: the more Vlad does, the less he seems to weigh. Then there is the perfume. Besson has Dracula concoct a scent and describe it to camera in the manner of an advertisement, and for a stretch the hunt for him turns on tracing it. We laughed out loud, then spent a moment unsure whether we had been meant to, and decided Besson probably did not mind either way. It is the most memorable thing in the film and also the moment it stops being possible to take the horror seriously, if it ever was. We were never frightened, not once in 130 minutes, and the 15 certificate is barely troubled. The script is the trouble underneath all of this. It keeps leaving the present for Vlad’s past in flashbacks that interrupt the one story we care about, and it hands the supporting cast exposition where it should hand them motives. Things happen because the plot needs them to happen. Besson’s best films, [*The Fifth Element*](https://film.one/film/the-fifth-element) among them, are every bit as silly as this one, but they move; this one is sincere, handsome and oddly still. The reviews so far have split much as we have, most of them somewhere between fond and exasperated, and we think that is about right. If a vampire love story with the lights up and the fangs mostly sheathed sounds like your evening, Jones and Waltz will see you through it. If you want to be frightened, look elsewhere; this Dracula would rather be forgiven. *Fi1m score 55, published 19 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics land in the middle on Luc Besson’s Dracula, finding it silly, knowing it is silly, and largely forgiving it for that. The praise clusters on Caleb Landry Jones, whose committed, faintly camp performance as the lovesick count is the one thing nearly every review singles out, with Christoph Waltz’s priest a close second. Several also admire the costumes and set design, and a late battle sequence draws approval from more than one quarter. The reservations are about the script and the tone. Reviewers agree Besson has chosen romance over horror, and the mixed majority are split on whether that is charming or stodgy; complaints recur about repeated flashbacks, thin supporting characters and plot holes. The spread is wide for a film so few love outright: Variety and Slant call it dull and inert respectively, while Radio Times stands alone in finding the leads weak, against the general view that Jones is the reason to watch. ### Reviews we read (12) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Jordan Mintzer (70/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as a kitschy, surprisingly tame bodice-ripper that emphasizes romance over gore in its century-spanning story. Caleb Landry Jones earns praise for his earnest, committed performance as the lovestruck vampire amid the film's silly and ludicrous elements. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dracula-a-love-tale-review-luc-besson-caleb-landry-jones-1236490638/) - **The Guardian** (65/100, inferred): The critic finds Besson’s romantic reimagining ridiculous but watchable overall, with ambition and panache that make it preferable to more solemn recent vampire films. The perfectly cast performances of Caleb Landry Jones as Dracula and Christoph Waltz as the priest are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/nov/25/dracula-a-love-tale-review-luc-besson-caleb-landry-jones-christoph-waltz) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (60/100, inferred): Besson’s highly stylized ‘Dracula’ is over the top and CGI-heavy, taking the side of the monster as a lovesick romantic martyr. The critic praises the actors matching the campy operatic tone but notes script distractions and multiple flashbacks. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-02-06/dracula-review-caleb-landry-jones-christoph-waltz-luc-besson-zoe-bleu) - **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (3/5): The critic finds the adaptation visually stunning with gorgeous costumes and set design, and praises a bravura battle scene, but criticizes the stodgy script, emphasis on romance over horror, and weak performances from the leads. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bm920f/dracula-a-love-tale/) - **Time Out**, Eurico de Barros (3/5): The critic notes Besson's focus on Dracula as a tragic romantic anti-hero in 19th-century Paris, highlighting good ideas like the final army attack alongside weaker ones like the perfume search, and a comic-book ambiance, with Waltz as a priest version of Van Helsing and an original ending. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/pt/filmes/dracula-uma-historia-de-amor-2025) - **IndieWire**, Alison Foreman (50/100, inferred): The review highlights Caleb Landry Jones having fun in this mixed-bag Gothic adaptation by the director of The Fifth Element, with Christoph Waltz also starring in the take on the 1897 horror novel. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/dracula-review-caleb-landry-jones-christoph-waltz-1235178015/) - **The New York Times**, Chris Azzopardi (45/100, inferred): Luc Besson’s extravagantly silly twist on the timeless monster is deliciously operatic but ultimately a letdown. The critic singles out the campy scenes of Dracula narrating his signature fragrance like a perfume commercial. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/movies/dracula-review-jones-waltz.html) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (35/100, inferred): Luc Besson’s take is a wan, derivative potboiler that fails to add much new to the vampire legend. The critic singles out Caleb Landry Jones’ stylish, fey performance as the main point of interest amid otherwise dull romance and schlock. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/dracula-review-caleb-landry-jones-luc-besson-1236654534/) - **Slant Magazine** (30/100, inferred): Besson's adaptation is called frustratingly inert, leaning into tragic romance but failing to enliven the proceedings despite Christoph Waltz's efforts; the only notable addition is a visual departure from genre norms. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/dracula-review-luc-besson-caleb-landry-jones/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (65/100, inferred): The critic views Besson's Dracula as a visually sumptuous Gothic romance that prioritizes aesthetics, music, and central chemistry over horror or narrative logic. She singles out the lead performance for expanding into conventional territory rather than offering something more distinctive. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dracula-2025-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) - **Collider**, Aidan Kelley (6/10): The critic praises Caleb Landry Jones's sympathetic and charming portrayal of Dracula as the film's highlight, making viewers root for the character despite flaws. They complain about underdeveloped supporting characters, plot holes, and inconsistencies in the story. [Read](https://collider.com/dracula-2026-movie-review-caleb-landry-jones-vampire-horror-luc-besson-christoph-waltz/) - **Polygon**, Jesse Hassenger (50/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a silly, sincere Gothic romance that embraces dumb fun over elevation, highlighting its ridiculous yet enjoyable take on the monster love story and Jones's performance. They single out the daft, adolescent vibe and lack of coherent thematic depth as both complaint and charm. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/luc-besson-dracula-review-caleb-landry-jones/) ## Details - **Director:** Luc Besson - **Director:** Luc Besson - **Screenplay:** Luc Besson - **Novel:** Bram Stoker - **Cinematography:** Colin Wandersman - **Editor:** Lucas Fabiani - **Music:** Danny Elfman - **Production design:** Hugues Tissandier - **Costume design:** Corinne Bruand - **Producer:** Virginie Silla, Luc Besson - **Cast:** Caleb Landry Jones as Vlad / Dracula; Zoe Sidel as Elisabeta / Mina; Christoph Waltz as Priest; Matilda De Angelis as Maria; Ewens Abid as Jonathan Harker; Guillaume de Tonquédec as Dumont; David Shields as Henry Spencer; Bertrand-Xavier Corbi as Captain Targol - **Runtime:** 2h 10m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 6 February 2026 - **Genres:** Horror, Fantasy, Romance - **Budget:** $52 million - **Box office:** $42 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hverb7siYJ8 ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $5.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $7.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-19.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IN, IT, MX, NO, NZ, PA, PL, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Bram Stoker's Dracula* (1992), Fi1m 79: Coppola’s version of the same lovesick count, louder, redder and stranger in every way. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bram-stokers-dracula.md) - *Dracula* (1958): Hammer’s Christopher Lee makes the count frightening again in under ninety minutes. - *Thirst* (2009): Park Chan-wook’s priest becomes a vampire; the romance actually bites. - *Only Lovers Left Alive* (2013), Fi1m 81: Jarmusch’s centuries-old couple mope elegantly through Detroit and Tangier. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/only-lovers-left-alive.md) - *The Fifth Element* (1997), Fi1m 73: Besson at his silliest and his most alive, which this film could have used. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-fifth-element.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/dracula-2025