Since Bram Stoker’s novel was released in 1897, people have been fascinated by the story of Dracula. And we’ve seen that story told countless times on the big screen since the 1920s. Some of those versions have been transcendent, while others have been regrettable. We got the former in 2024 with Robert Eggers dark vision in Nosferatu.

Now, we’re getting the latter version with the latest film from Luc Besson. It’s Dracula and subtitled A Love Story. That title proves more ironic the longer you watch the film, but that’s only the beginning of my issues with the film.

We begin in 1480 in Eastern Europe. We’re introduced to Vlad (Caleb Landry Jones) and his bride, Elisabeta (Zoe Bleu). They are madly in love, bordering on obsession. But war comes calling, and as the Prince and the best warrior, Vlad is called to the front of a Holy War. His one request of the priest is a prayer that his bride be sparred.

Vlad wages war, slaughtering countless invaders. But God doesn’t hold up his end of the bargain—at least according to Vlad. Elisabeta is killed, and her husband doesn’t take it well. He defiles the alter, kills the priest, and challenges God. Things go downhill from there.

Flash-forward 400 years, and a Priest (Christoph Waltz) is called in by a doctor (Guillaume de Tonquédec) in Paris because he’s come across a strangely afflicted woman (Matilda De Angelis). The Priest recognizes her as a vampire and is able to coax out enough information to know that her master is on his way.

Turns out Vlad, also known as Count Dracula, is still hanging around. He’s been on a search for the innocent soul of his wife, now reborn, and he’s closing in on her quickly.

Besson is problematic as a filmmaker. He’s got a dubious past that is filled with many unsettling accusations and some questionable content decisions. He’s crafted some films—Leon and The Fifth Element—that still have fans, but recent work has been spottier. Those problematic issues have continued into the content here.

This is a unique take on the Dracula story. He wants it to be a tragic love story, but there’s not much about the film itself that suggests it understands love. The tone is also all over the place. There are times, particularly when Waltz shows up, that it feels more like a comedy. If it had steered into that it wouldn’t have been good but might have worked better. But this film is far too earnest in its third act for that to work.

It also purports to be about faith, redemption, and salvation, particularly in the closing sequence. That, too, appears to be something Besson knows nothing about. Those sequences are confusing and hit with a thud, especially in a film that seems to go out of its way to be blasphemous for a good deal of its run.

The film also falls into the classic trap of modern horror films in trying to provide context and justification for its monster. In this case, it paints Dracula as a man done wrong because of his lost love. It also paints him as generally a good guy—you know if you set aside his mass slaughter, his challenging God, and centuries of drinking blood, which apparently, he doesn’t want to do. Dracula isn’t a villain, he’s just a misunderstood widower… yeah, that was my reaction too.

Look, it’s not all bad. I actually enjoyed Waltz, who seems to have tried to will himself into a different kind of film. He was, by far, my favorite part of the film. While the character is over-the-top, I also thought Jones gave a nice performance in some moments. But it’s hard to get past a messy story that just doesn’t work and runs way too long.

If you’re a hardcore Dracula completist, this might be a film you feel a need to see. Otherwise, this is a disastrous take, a disastrous film, and the worst wide release of the year so far. In short, you can skip this one.

Dracula opens nationwide on Friday, February 6.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.