Caleb Landry Jones takes a big bite of the title role in "Dracula," director Luc Besson's altogether unserious telling of the extremely familiar bloodsucker tale.

The adaptation offers a few wrinkles on the oft-told story, so clearly sending it into the realm of camp that it's mostly worth sitting back and enjoying the ride.

Jones, styled almost exactly like Gary Oldman's Drac in Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 take on the story, finds the right balance of hamming-it-up and playing it straight, as his lonely Prince/feared creature of the night searches for centuries for his lost love. He's aided by a magic perfume, the scent of which is irresistible to women, which makes this story part-"Nosferatu," part-"Love Potion No. 9."

Besson, the stylish French filmmaker who gave the world "La Femme Nikita" and "The Fifth Element" (as well as "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets"), moves the story's action to Paris, his favorite city, because why not. Drac is seeking to reunite with his eternal love, Elisabeta (Zoë Bleu), whom he lost in battle hundreds of years prior. He's hunted by an unnamed priest, played by Christoph Waltz, who approaches his quest with near-indifference. If he finds him, cool; if not, that's fine, too.

Besson takes on the material with an eye for lavish production design that is almost totally undone by the presence of a group of CGI gargoyles who act as Dracula's personal army; the clay gremlins are distracting at best, and look like they should be characters in a cheesy, "Ghoulies"-style late '80s horror romp.

But that kind of fits the mood of this oddball telling, which takes the form of a cracked costume drama, anchored by Jones, who not only chews the scenery, he ingests it. "Dracula" has taken all forms over the years, and now it has its own supremely silly version. Drink up.

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'DRACULA'

Grade: C+

MPA rating: R (for violence, some gore and sexuality)

Running time: 2:09

How to watch: Now in theaters

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