A "Dracula" Without Any Bite

Luc Besson's re-telling of Dracula looks spectacular, but lacks any bite.

It's a tale as old as time. Bram Stoker's immortal literary classing, Dracula. It's been told and re-told dozens of times, most recently in the remake of Nosferatu. While Besson's Dracula isn't as visually stunning as Egger's vision of the undead count, Besson's telling is quite pretty to look at it.

But that's where it ends.

The adaption features the count in Paris, wearing a perfume that makes him irresistible, and CGI gargoyles that do the count's bidding.

The film features a prologue similar to Coppola's superior version, where we see the count as Vlad, going to battle with the Muslims, only to return to a dead princess. Again, the count spends 400 years looking for his lost love, who happens to be Mina Murray.

The cast is fine. They act as well as they can, but the film lacks chemistry. There's no sexual tension that makes Dracula a draw. There is no tension or suspense, and the film never produces a gothic scare we come to Dracula for.

I didn't have high hopes for the film after the trailer, but I went in with an open mind. It's a great background movie—put it on and do something else. You won't miss anything if you're remotely familiar with the story.

The only standout, aside from the visuals, is Danny Elfman's score.

I only hope in the next telling, the count is unmuzzled.

For my own take on the immortal legend, check out dracula.exe.