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Van Helsing (DVD, 2004)
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- Buy It NowVan Helsing (DVD, 2004, Widescreen, English/French/Spanish) - very good
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*CONTAINS SPOILERS* When I first saw this movie I wasn't too thrilled with it. However, I recently saw it again with my boyfriend and have discovered that I enjoy it. The storyline, although not as in-depth as some, is not as terrible as everyone seems to be saying about it. It is a simple plot of the Archangel Gabriel-who does not remember who he is, hence the name Van Helsing-going around the world ridding it of the evil creatures/beings/monsters that inhabit it. Some of the monsters include Frankenstein, Count Dracula, the Brides of Dracula, the Children of Dracula, 2 Wolfmen, evil little creatures with pointed teeth and a nasty grave digger. Along the way,with the help of a friar-not a monk-named Carl, to kill Count Dracula(again!?)he falls in love with a young woman named Anna, the last descendant in Count Dracula's line who has been trying to kill him herself. For if Count Dracula is not dead before she dies, then 11 generations of her family will not enter the gates to Heaven. After a lot of enjoyable fight scenes and great special effects-especially the one where Hugh Jackman does the circus act at the Counts summer palace(my personal favorite)-they of course kill Count Dracula. Sadly, young Anna loses her life. But Gabriel is heartened by the knowledge that Anna, her brother and the rest of her family have now entered Heaven. I rented this movie at first but I am now an owner. For anyone who loves Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Dracula, wolfmen, monsters,etc. this is the movie for you. If you don't like those things, this movie isn't for you. I hope I was able to help you.Read full review
Van Helsing has Tons of Monsters, Tons of FX but Little Story If you're looking for the next great American movie, turn away immediately. However, if you're a monster movie fan and you're looking for an action/adventure film full of cool monsters and great special effects, Van Helsing delivers. Although Van Helsing is a little short on story, the action sequences and the monsters more than make up for that. I love monster movies, and Van Helsing fits as many monsters as it can into the 2 hour time limit. Van Helsing can be summed up by the following statement - Wall to Wall action scenes and monster battles. Final Verdict: 3/5 Rent or Buy?: Nothing spectacular, and unless you're a huge monster movie fan, you can get away with a rental. IF YOU FIND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE. Thank you.Read full review
This movie has good character development. The lines are not favorable to the cast, however. The storyline is quite easy to follow and the suprise ending (I won't give it away) is something that is not expected. This is not a warm and fuzzy movie. It does resemble Bram Stoker's Dracula in its special effects characteristics and "Extraordinary Gentleman" in its ability to combine characters very well. This is a movie that is original and yet comforting with characters we've become familiar with in past stories and movies. The only drawback that I shall mention is the villain. He resembles McFly and lacks the ability to overcome his appearance to persuade us to believe that he is this dangerously evil mastermind. Someone more suitable for this role would have been Adrian Paul (Highlander Series) or Antonio Banderas (remember him in Interview with the Vampire?) Thanks for reading my review... Happy Hunting!Read full review
The first time I saw Van Helsing, I had high expectations. After seeing the Mummy 1 and 2, I was looking foreward to a fun romp with classic Universal Monsters. While Van Helsing is fun, and has some great characters, including the comedy of the monk/ sidekick, I found that the movie was brought down by the character Kate Beckinsale plays. SPOILER PARAGRAPH: I knew this was a problem when she died and nobdy watching cared. Whent eh major love interest in a movie gets killed, the audience should be upset or at least feel some loss, instead, her character is so paper thin and bland that her loss is actually more of a relief than anything else. I'm not sure if it was bad writing or bad acting that made her character so lackluster, though after seeing her in Underworld and Serendipity, I'm leaning more towards her acting skills. That being said, there are some fun things in this movie. Jackman does a good job playing Van Helsing, a monster hunter reluctantly working for the vatican, and the vampires are portrayed well by the rest of the cast, slightly overacting in the grand way that classic movie monsters are supposed to overact, with big speeches and the like. The action is fun, and it actually plays better on the little screen than at the cinema. The werewolf/vampire battle and the aerial assault on the town, with teh vamp ladies vs Van Helsing's gatling crossbow are both fun and action packed. (While the crossbow is extremely far-fetched, the director handles it well.) Basically, if you like Hugh Jackman and fantasy monster hunting, you will probably like Van Helsing. Just don't expect a great plot or great acting and you wll have fun.Read full review
I purchased Van Helsing because it is a feast for the eyes. The SPFX and art direction are amazing. The entire cast is fun to watch and the story is completely over the top. But it took me a couple of years to finally decide to buy it because the story is completely over the top. My first time at the theater with this movie was,to put it kindly,a disapointment.I was enfuriated. The legacy of the Universal Monster Movies in the 30s and 40s,and their resurection by Hammer in the 60s, had one thing in common. They treated the subject matter with the same sence of literacy and drama as they would with any other kind of story. The cast and director set the tone for the story. Then created this impossible place to take us through. The special effects were the story teller's tool to help create this world. Not the other way round. When we go see The Incredibles or Toy Story or even Stewart Little, we know we are going to see a cartoon. Cardboard charectors, snappy dialog, and lots and lots of completely impossible action. Hugh Jackson is a very tallented man.But this film gave him even less chance to shine than the Xmen. Sadly, all the actors were reduced to props filling in dialog setting up the next FX shot. Sadly,as spectacular as the FX were, they were not believable. Gothic horror and Matrix action make a poor blend....sorry,no blend at all. We went to see a horror movie and we were given some good start off plot elements. Van Helsing is a monster killing James Bond for the Vatican and Dracula has employed Dr Frankenstien to create a monster for him to use for neferious reasons.A Transelvanian Royal family's last survivers are battling a werewolf curse and the constant threat of the local vampires.But not only to survive.These last few are the hope of eternal salvation for generations of their entire clan suspended in Purgatory for hundreds of years by a sworn oath to destroy Dracula. Great ideas! Unfortunately they were not used in a dramatic script of any kind. They simply became the thin struts to suspend a roller coaster of chase scenes, battle scenes, and uncountable transformations, and gravity defieing SPFX of all manner in a story paced like a Road Runner Cartoon. This was eyeball Candy, which is why I bought it. It's a comic book brought to life...almost. With less charector study than Spiderman or The Fantastic Four, this no classic on any level.It mistreated the source material worse than Abbot and Costello Meets Frankenstien. Want good contemperary Gothic? Get Fright Night.Read full review
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