Cast finds life in flawed Dracula
Estimates as to how many times Dracula has appeared on film range from approximately 200 to 500. The low number is tabulated by purists who only count productions that feature a version of Bram Stoker’s character while the latter figure included parodies or knock-offs of the seminal vampire. He’s also been the subject of operas, ballets, stage plays, television shows, musicals, radio plays, cartoons and comic books. And, I would be remiss not to mention the chocolate cereal inspired by the character.
As such, it seems a foolhardy endeavor to take on this pop culture mainstay and his origin story once more, unless there was some fresh angle to explore. Director Luc Besson adds a couple new elements in his Dracula, a sumptuous production that vacillates from reverence to post-modernism at the drop of a hat. This allows the director to inject some much-needed ironic humor into the proceedings, conscious to never segue into parody, but poking just enough fun so that we don’t take any of this too seriously.
That’s not to say the film is without its drama, as it focuses more on the vampire’s tragic love story with his beloved Elisabeta, as well as his Vlad the Impaler-inspired origin story, both of which were first explored in the Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And while there is copious bloodletting, Besson eschews the more horrific elements of the story to concentrate on the doomed romance and the events that led Dracula from being a noble prince to Lord of the Undead.
The Catholic Church is engaged in a holy war with the Muslims in 1480, many battles being waged in Eastern Europe. And while Prince Vlad (Caleb Landry Jones) has no problem fighting for this cause, his reason for being is his lovely Elisabeta (Zoe Bleu). His world is torn asunder when she is killed while he’s away at battle, leading him to renounce his faith and curse God, an act that dooms him to wander the Earth for the rest of eternity, as a member of the undead.
The action shifts to Paris of 1880, where a priest (Christoph Waltz) has been summoned to a church-run hospital for an unusual case. Seems a young bride, Maria (Matilda De Angelis), had an extreme reaction to the priest overseeing her wedding, displaying superhuman strength, very unladylike behavior and an insatiable desire for blood. Taken into custody, the man-of-the-cloth determines she is a vampire, a creature he’s been studying for years but had never laid his eyes on before now. He hopes that by examining and questioning her he may be able to track down the source of her affliction, a patient zero who, when dispatched, will free all he’s infected.
The story then plays out much like a police procedural, the priest hunting down clues and delving into history books in an effort to track down the titular character. His efforts are crosscut with scenes of the now-ancient vampire meeting solicitor Jonathan Harker (Ewens Abid), realizing his fiancée is the reincarnation of his beloved Elisabeta, and setting out to reclaim her.
Among the additions Besson brings to the story is a flashback that sees the count developing a perfume that causes anyone who smells it to be drawn to him. Used over 400 years in various high courts in Europe, we see him fail again and again to find his reincarnated love. While this is an intriguing element, it only slows down the story, delaying the inevitable. More damaging is the addition of stone gargoyles that act as Dracula’s castle servants and warriors. Cheaply rendered and inexplicably used for comic relief, they’re a distraction that breaks the film’s spell whenever they appear, a blunder that nearly sinks the entire production.
However, the work of the three principals salvages the film, though barely. Bleu is properly haughty and sensuous as Elisabeta, as well as confused and passionate as her modern incarnation, Mina. Through the actress’ efforts we understand why the Count would pine over her for four centuries. Meanwhile, Waltz vacillates from serious vampire hunter to sarcastic cynic with ease, bringing a sense of subversive humor that adds life to a traditionally stuffy role. His taunting interactions early on with Maria alone is worth the price of admission.
Most surprising is Landry Jones, who manages to give a distinctive performance in a role that one would think has been bled dry. The sense of melancholy he brings to Dracula proves poignant, the actor mining the character’s sense of loss to great effect. In his hands, this is not a character driven by bloodlust but rather heartbreak. His vampirism is treated as a sidenote, the focus here being his insatiable appetite for genuine love. As such, he is a far more tragic figure than in any of the other adaptations, Landry Jones’ doleful eyes, measured movements and sad, rueful line readings capturing the character’s despair beautifully.
The work of these three is so good, had Besson fashioned a more streamline screenplay and excluded those ill-conceived gargoyles, his Dracula may have been one for the ages. As is, this version is a character-driven exercise, brought low by superfluous distractions, narrowly saved by its capable cast. In Theaters.
Whistle familiar yet entertaining
A standard horror film from start to finish, Corin Hardy’s Whistle benefits from a game cast, dynamic cinematography and a third-act that contains some clever narrative switchbacks. Despite taking its cue from the Final Destination franchise and numerous other teen-centric shockers, the film still manages to maintain our interest, thanks in large part to Hardy’s inventive visual approach and a pace that doesn’t allow the viewer to catch its breath, let alone question the logic of all that’s occurring.
It’s obvious Chrys Willet (Dafne Keen) is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders as she walks into her new high school. Her stark appearance and steely demeanor makes her a prime target for bullies, arrogant football star Dean (Jhaleil Swaby) picking at her from the start. That she’s been assigned the locker that belonged to his former teammate, Horse (Stephen Kalyn), who died under mysterious circumstances, doesn’t help. Compounding her troubles is the discovery of an odd totem in the locker, which is ultimately identified as an Aztec Death Whistle by her history teacher, Mr. Craven (Nick Frost).
Together for a pool party, Grace (Ali Skovbye), on impulse, blows the whistle in the presence of Chrys, Dean, Ellie (Sophie Nelisse), Rel (Sky Yang) and Tanner (Mika Amonsen). Little do they know, they’ve activated a curse, the sound from the talisman serving as a guide for Death, which then sets out to find you long before you’re supposed to take the big sleep. When found, you transform into the person you will be at the time of your death, as Grace does when she goes from being 18 to a wizened 80-year-old woman in an instant.
As in the Destination films, the grim fates that await the disposable teens from central casting are shocking, elaborate and gruesome. Credit screenwriter Owen Egerton for adding an intriguing wrinkle as each victim gets a vision of their death, prompting them to go out of their way to avoid these circumstances. Of course, by doing so, they unwittingly set in motion a series of events that leads to their demise. The ironic incidents that result make for some inspired, darkly humorous moments.
The young cast does a fine job, enlivening the typical teen histrionics with a bit of humor along the way, while Keen and Nelisse prove to be the movie’s secret weapons. Once their characters find a loophole that may save them, the actresses kick things into high gear, bringing an urgency to their roles that, at least during the last 20 minutes, elevates the film, making it far better than it has a right to be.
Two inspired, last-minute twists end things on a high note, setting things up for a sequel that, if it comes to be, would push the premise to interesting extremes. For now, Whistle serves as a competent genre entry that will hopefully be used as a jumping off point for a potentially entertaining franchise. In Theaters.
Help can’t stick the landing
I rarely get excited by any upcoming releases but after seeing the trailer for Sam Raimi’s Send Help, my interest was piqued. Sporting an intriguing premise, featuring two of our finest screen actors, and brimming with the director’s dark sense of humor, this seemed like the anecdote for the bloated Hollywood blockbuster. And for a while, it is, the film living up to my expectations during its first 90 minutes. However, it stumbles, badly, with a third act that reeks of desperation. The story’s shift in tone and with the behavior of a key character provide a discordant note that provides an easy out for all involved.
There’s not a more loyal or hard-working employee than Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams). A tenacious problem solver, she takes on tasks others shirk at the investment firm where she works. Her passion beyond her job, is the outdoors. “Survivor,” which she auditioned for, is her favorite television show, and while she may not have many friends, well, so be it. Granted, she’s a bit of an oddball. Living alone with only her parakeet for company, she’s not concerned so much with her attire or appearance and her social graces are lacking.
The one thing she’s counting on is a promotion that’s been promised her. However, when her boss dies and his vacuous son, Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien) takes over, he gives one of his former frat boy buddies the job. Despite this, Preston recognizes Liddle’s worth and asks her to accompany him and some other execs on a trip to Bangkok where they are working on a merger. Unfortunately, the plane goes down in the Pacific, Liddle and Preston being the only survivors, having washed ashore on a remote, deserted island.
This premise is set up economically and with flair. The comically horrific deaths the director and writers Damien Shannon and Mark Swift put Preston’s obnoxious cohorts through are a hoot, each getting battered about in the suddenly breached airplane in cringe-worthy, diabolical ways. This serves as a precursor to some of the grislier moments to come as the mismatched pair attempt to survive in a hostile environment.
While Preston initially thinks the boss-employee dynamic will remain on the island, he’s in for a rude awakening. Injured, he learns the hard way that he’s suddenly dependent on Liddle, at least until his battered leg heals. And while he despairs, she’s in her element, reveling in the fact that her survival skills can now be put to use. More importantly, living where she is no longer an object of scorn brings her a sense of confidence and security to allow her to blossom into the capable woman she was always meant to be. If she were never to leave the island, she’d be content.
This doesn’t sit well with Preston, who’s desperate to leave. The shifting relationship between them provides the movie with its best moments, McAdams and O’Brien having great fun with their characters’ changing attitudes. The film relies on the antagonistic chemistry these two generate, their back-and-forth charged with sincere anger and distress that keeps the story from floundering.
That is, until the end. Though they continue to do good work, the twist Shannon and Swift provide is initially off-putting and ultimately insincere. Equally troubling, and inexplicable are the changes Liddle goes through, which come out of nowhere and only emerge as a result of their desperate narrative shift. Your mileage may vary where the conclusion is concerned but I couldn’t help but feel stranded by Help’s denouement, a disparate part that locks up the machinery of what was initially, a fine, clever thriller. In Theaters.
This article appears in February 5-11, 2026.
