I experienced boredom despite several interesting moments. My eyes were dry, my thoughts were wandering, and this movie kept failing to captivate me. Written and directed by Luc Besson, this is Dracula, a film where revival is such a strong focus. The layout felt promising, but then sadly relied too much on terror to suffice for the rest of the film. Dracula is a dry adventure that left me feeling blurred because of the way science and reality were co-mingled in the picture. Overall, I just was not sold.

The setting is 15th century Romania. The main character is Prince Vladimir/Dracula, played by Caleb Landry Jones, who is a king of power with lust for his young wife. He also fights for his glory with the swordsmanship, so much so that his characterization appears unstoppable. But then a tragedy takes his wife, Princess Elisabeta/Mina, away from him. She is played by Zoe Bleu. It all comes down to believing in God, and that is where Priest comes in. Priest is played by Christoph Waltz. Mina is his experiment. The study of vampires goes way back, but then Vladimir/Dracula comes back from the dead to redeem what is lost. In the end, the power of faith combats everything.

The film just felt like it was pushing too many boundaries. The context was out of place. However, I give much credit to the performance of Waltz. His character is detail-oriented with keenknowledge which allows him to take many risks in the face of uncertainty. When it comes to vampires, the battle just does not work. Dracula relies upon its historical context to explore evil, greed, and lust, but the execution is severely lacking and fails to make the current film exhilarating. 

I went to the movie anticipating much excitement due to the exorcism, but overall, it just never delivered. The crumbling of a dynasty seems to have become the sole focus. So much of the action surrounding the characterizations of Prince Vladimir/Dracula and Elisabeta/Mina just never really clicked. With Elizabeta/Mina being studied by the Priest, that storylinesimply did not add much value. Again, there appeared to be a strong start, but then transitioned to evil spirits lingering which went off in directions that did not speak to me at all. This is one of Besson’s most lacking projects which is unfortunate.

With all the theories and the fantasy vibes, this film is a beauty of a mess. Dracula is presented like the writing was still going on during the process of making the movie. I felt like there werepage-breaks between the scenes. Some were monstrous and medieval, and then scientific later. Then there would inexplicably be a hypothesis or a blank slate.

Despite my frustration, Dracula may have value for some fans, especially those who go deep into backstories of monsters during this era. Overall, the story appears to be presented to make those who believe in hierarchy worship evil. It could havebeen done so much better, instead of being rushed. Two out of four stars for Dracula.