'Dracula' Review: This Unexpected Take on Everybody’s Favorite Vampire Will Have You Rooting for the (Body) Count

Few fictional monsters can claim to have the cultural footprint of Count Dracula. Ever since Bram Stoker created the character with a pen and ink and Bela Lugosi brought the infamous villain to life in the classic Universal monster film, the most famous vampire of all time has seen countless adaptations in movies, television, and beyond. Some are fearlessly faithful to Stoker's original villain, like Gary Oldman's conniving, creepy take in the fittingly titled Bram Stoker's Dracula. Others take full advantage of the absurd concept, as Nicolas Cage did in Renfield. Chuck in anti-hero incarnations like Dracula: Untold and scenery-chewing Marvel-esque bad guys like Van Helsing, and the character has been adapted in more ways than one can count.

With a character so prolific that he could have his own IMDb page, future incarnations of Dracula are met with the unenviable task of finding a place to take the character where he's never delved before. At first glance from the trailer alone, Luc Besson's simply titled Dracula appears to be following in Francis Ford Coppola's footsteps, opting for a straightforward and traditional take on the famed Bram Stoker novel. In actuality, this new Dracula takes some big swings with its source material, including a riveting take on the notorious count that makes up for some of the film's other more curious deviations.

Caleb Landry Jones Plays Cinema's Most Sympathetic Version of Dracula Yet

In a tale as old as time, the story of Vlad Dracula (Caleb Landry Jones) begins with the soon-to-be prince of darkness forsaking his God after his deity fails to protect his loved one from harm. As penance for his transgression, the prince is cursed to become an immortal, blood-feasting vampire called Count Dracula, who roams the Earth for 400 years, hoping to reunite with his resurrected lost love. Just as Dracula is ready to spend the rest of his days wasting away in his castle, a faint glimmer of hope appears when the Count discovers Mina (Zoë Bleu) — a woman who bears a striking, almost supernatural resemblance to his late wife. Now, the love-obsessed vampire pursues his relentless obsession to reunite with his lost darling, even as a vampire-hunting priest (Christoph Waltz) is hot on his trail.

From that synopsis alone, it's not exactly new territory for the blood-sucking Count of Romania, but Luc Besson's take on the character has a sharp secret weapon — Caleb Landry Jones. Many actors over the years have donned Dracula's fangs, but Landry Jones not only effectively bares his teeth with gleeful villainous charm, but he also does so while making this version of Dracula perhaps the most sympathetic version of the character ever put to screen. He's not just a villain or an antagonist here, even though he certainly relishes being a force of objective evil, but he is the true main character of this story. His actions may not be permissible, and the film never quite makes him the fully redeemable anti-hero it seems to want us to think he is, but Landry Jones's performance and Dracula's characterization are the biggest highlights of the movie, and ones that are surprisingly easy to root for.

'Dracula' Leaves Its Human Characters in the Dust

Dracula really does get off to a strong start with a fresh, likable take on a character who has starred on the big screen well over a dozen times. The added characterization successfully pulls the movie through many hurdles, but one it can't quite overcome is leaving this story's human characters in the dust. Christoph Waltz is his usual, eccentric, well-spoken self as the movie's clear stand-in for Abraham Van Helsing, but the other key roles, like Mina and Jonathan (Ewens Abid), all slip into standard, bare-bones territory. It's a shame that a story with a supporting cast as famous as Dracula's isn't given more depth, especially when Robert Eggers' Nosferatu (which, yes, is technically a Dracula adaptation) proved what's possible with a well-written cast of players. Whenever they're on-screen, the movie almost feels beholden to the original Bram Stoker story, and its attempts to appease that tale almost feel like a hindrance to the more unique take on Dracula that it so clearly wants to be.

It's a shame that the more by-the-numbers elements overshadow some of the more unique takes on the Dracula mythos. A prime example is how the film fills the void left by Renfield, who does not appear in this incarnation, by replacing him with a very fun character played to great charismatic effect by Matilda De Angelis, who is just having a blast chewing up the scenery. Other changes to the original story of Dracula don't fare as well, such as the Count's curious minions who roam his castle and an explanation for Dracula's charming ways with the opposite sex that is, at best, unnecessary and, at worst, inconsistent.

Speaking of those latter changes, Luc Besson's Dracula also has some pretty glaring plot holes and inconsistencies, with the term "glaring" being more literal than one may think. An early scene in the movie quickly shows off vampires' famous phobia of sunlight on a particular character... before seemingly completely forgetting about that altogether when every vampire in the movie (including the character it was tested on) is suddenly unaffected by it. One of the most perplexing decisions, though, has to be Dracula's minions, who, without giving too much away, go from confusing to downright baffling in the film's grand finale.

'Dracula' Has Its Flaws, but It's Still a Fun Journey To Sink One's Teeth Into

Image via Vertical

With some underdeveloped supporting characters and some questionable inconsistencies, Dracula has its problems, and comparisons to other incarnations don't do it many favors. However, Dracula never feels like it's trying to take itself too seriously, like Nosferatu or Bram Stoker's Dracula. Instead, it seems to be going for a more crowd-pleasing angle, and with an absolutely stellar performance from Caleb Landry Jones and a surprisingly solid sense of humor, it succeeds overall.

Luc Besson's Dracula is weird. Really weird, borderline nonsensical at certain points. That being said, its great take on its title character is enough to call this one of the Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element filmmaker's strongest in recent years. It takes a lot of swings, and while not all of them hit, it nails the stake in the heart of what makes this story so timeless and special.

Dracula sinks its teeth into theaters on February 6.

Release Date February 6, 2026

Runtime 129 minutes

Director Luc Besson

Writers Luc Besson, Bram Stoker

Producers Virginie Besson-Silla

Pros & Cons

• Caleb Landry Jones successfully enters the lexicon of great movie Draculas.
• Easily the most sympathetic version of the Count ever put to screen.
• Surprisingly effective humor that doesn't feel too out of place.

• The supporting cast of characters lack depth and development.
• Not all the changes to the source material justify their existance.
• Some huge plot holes and lore/logic inconsistencies.