Featured Film Review
"Van Helsing"© 2004 Universal Pictures
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburg and Robbie Coltrane
Written by: Stephen Sommers
Directed by: Stephen Sommers
Runtime: 132 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for non-stop creature action violence and frightening images, and for sensuality
Tagline: The One Name They All Fear
Website: http://www.vanhelsing.net/
Renowned monster fighter Dr. Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) is sent to Transylvania to battle the infamous Count Dracula (Richard Roxburg), the Wolf Man (Will Kemp) and Frankenstein's Monster (Shuler Hensley) with the beautiful Anna Valerius (Kate Beckinsale), who is a member of a family committed to rid the world of evil by his side.
If the film would live up to its tagline, it would have been wonderful to watch. However it is a film filled with eye-candy (Jackman and Beckinsale in tight outfits), interesting special effects and that about sums it up. The dialogue is absurd and funny in a way, probably unintentionally done so. Not to mention Beckinsale's incredibly wrong Eastern European accent which would not even do a carnival gypsy justice. You half expect her to whip out her crystal ball throughout the film.
Roxburg's theatrical approach of Count Dracula is laughable – Dracula is a dramatic creature by nature, yet Roxburg's interpretation was way over the top. The female vampires are a cross between screaming banshees and gargoyles; their complete white appearance wasn't appealing to me at all.
As for the story line, I must have missed it completely. Though the mixing of various fictional characters works for a film like "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" Sommers really was beside the wide of the mark in this film mixing Transylvanian fiction with Frankenstein, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Wolf Man.
If you don't mind the no-brainer genre with awesome special effects, this is a film you might enjoy. However I must say that if this is Sommers' idea of the Horror/Thriller genre, I'd rather watch Disney's Snowwhite.
One star out of ten for the special effects.
Reviewer: Branwynn Annwn
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