Dracula: A Love Tale (2025) Review: Luc Besson’s Operatic Return to Gothic Romance
Directed by: Luc Besson1
Cast: Caleb Landry Jones, Christoph Waltz, Zoë Bleu, Matilda De Angelis2
Genre: Gothic Horror / Romance / Fantasy3
Runtime: 129 Minutes4
Release Date: July 30, 2025 (France) / February 6, 2026 (USA/International)5
French auteur Luc Besson (The Fifth Element, Léon: The Professional) returns to the director’s chair with Dracula: A Love Tale, a visually sweeping and emotionally charged reimagining of Bram Stoker’s legendary novel.6 Rather than focusing on the predatory monster of classic horror, Besson leans heavily into the subtitle, crafting a baroque tragedy about grief, eternal damnation, and a love that refuses to die.7
Anchored by a hypnotic performance from Caleb Landry Jones and the gravitas of Christoph Waltz, this adaptation offers a fresh, if occasionally uneven, take on the vampire mythos. It trades jump scares for operatic melodrama, resulting in a film that is as visually intoxicating as it is narratively ambitious.8
Plot Synopsis: A Prince’s Eternal Curse
The film opens in 15th-century Wallachia.9 Prince Vladimir (Caleb Landry Jones) is a fierce warrior devoted to two things: his kingdom and his beloved wife, Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu). During a brutal campaign against the Ottoman Empire, Vladimir secures a victory, but at a terrible cost. Upon his return, he discovers that Elisabeta, believing him dead, has taken her own life.
Consumed by grief and enraged by the Church’s refusal to bury a suicide in consecrated ground, Vladimir renounces God in a moment of blasphemous fury.10 He drinks the blood from the chalice on the altar, sealing his fate. He is cursed to walk the earth forever—undead, blood-starved, and separated from the woman he loves.11
The narrative jumps forward 400 years to the late 19th century.12 In a significant departure from Stoker’s novel, the setting shifts from the foggy streets of London to the vibrant, chaotic beauty of Belle Époque Paris.13 Here, Dracula is a shadow lurking in high society, a melancholic figure weary of his immortality.
His existence is upended when he encounters Mina (also played by Zoë Bleu), a young woman who is the spitting image of his lost Elisabeta.14 Convinced she is the reincarnation of his wife, Dracula begins a seductive and dangerous pursuit to reclaim her.15 However, standing in his way is a resolute priest and vampire hunter (Christoph Waltz), who is determined to drive a stake through the heart of the “monster” before he can damn Mina’s soul forever.16
Film Analysis and Critique
Themes: Love as Salvation and Damnation
Besson’s script strips away much of the creature-feature elements to focus on the philosophical weight of immortality. This is not a film about a monster who wants to rule the world; it is about a man who wants to end his loneliness.
The film explores the thin line between romantic devotion and toxic obsession.17 Dracula’s love is all-consuming, literally and metaphorically. The narrative poses a central question: Is it an act of love to turn someone into a monster so you can be together, or is it the ultimate selfishness? This thematic depth gives the film a somber, poetic tone that distinguishes it from more action-heavy vampire flicks.18
Performance: The Caleb Landry Jones Factor
Caleb Landry Jones is the film’s beating heart. Known for his intense character work in Nitram and Get Out, Jones plays Dracula not as a suave seducer, but as a wounded animal.19 His Dracula is physically contorted by centuries of pain, his voice a whisper of ancient sorrow. It is a risky, eccentric performance that pays off, making the character feel genuinely alien yet deeply human.
Opposite him, Christoph Waltz brings his signature precision to the role of the priest.20 Waltz avoids the trap of playing a cartoonish action hero; instead, he plays a man of faith who views Dracula with a mix of disgust and pity.21 The dynamic between Jones’s chaotic emotionalism and Waltz’s rigid moral certainty drives the film’s conflict.
Visuals and Direction: The “Cinéma du Look”
True to Besson’s roots in the Cinéma du look movement, Dracula: A Love Tale is a feast for the eyes. The cinematography utilizes heavy chiaroscuro lighting, reminiscent of Caravaggio paintings, to create a world of deep shadows and piercing lights.
The production design is particularly noteworthy. The shift to Paris allows for a different aesthetic palette than the usual Victorian London gloom. We see opulent opera houses, grimy catacombs, and misty riverbanks, all rendered with a mix of practical sets and stylized VFX. The costume design—featuring nearly 550 custom pieces—is lavish, tracking Dracula’s transformation from medieval armor to dandyish 19th-century suits.
Screenplay and Pacing
If the film falters, it is in the screenplay. At over two hours, the pacing can feel indulgent. The middle act, focused on the courtship of Mina, drags slightly, repeating emotional beats that were already established. Additionally, purists may take issue with the liberties taken with Stoker’s lore—particularly the removal of key characters or the gender-swapping of others to fit the new Parisian setting.
Strengths and Weaknesses
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Visual Splendor: Stunning cinematography and practical set design capture the Gothic atmosphere perfectly. | Pacing: The 129-minute runtime feels bloated in the second act. |
| Lead Performance: Caleb Landry Jones delivers a unique, vulnerable, and terrifying portrayal of the Count. | Melodrama: The “love story” aspect sometimes veers into overly sentimental territory. |
| Score: A haunting musical accompaniment that elevates the emotional stakes. | Narrative Deviations: Die-hard fans of the novel may dislike the shift to Paris and character changes. |
| Costume Design: Award-worthy wardrobe that tells a story of its own. | Uneven Tone: Struggles occasionally to balance horror violence with tragic romance. |
Final Verdict
Score: 7.5/10
Dracula: A Love Tale is a flawed but fascinating return to form for Luc Besson. It is a film that wears its heart on its bloody sleeve, prioritizing emotion and atmosphere over scares.22 While it may test the patience of audiences looking for a high-octane action movie, those who appreciate Gothic romance and stylized cinema will find much to admire.
It is less a horror movie and more a dark fairy tale—a grand, tragic opera about the things we do for love, and the price we pay for defying death. Caleb Landry Jones confirms his status as one of his generation’s most fearless actors, and Besson proves he still has the eye of a painter.
Would you like me to generate a comparative article analyzing Caleb Landry Jones’s Dracula against Gary Oldman’s portrayal in Coppola’s 1992 adaptation?