Van Helsing  (2004)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh
Director: Stephen Sommers

Rating: PG-13

Studio: Universal

Release Date: 05.07.04

Review Posted: 05.07.04

Spoilers: None

By Christopher T. Bryan

"Van Helsing" a Fun Summer Ride

Wolverine meets Count Dracula in the first big-budget popcorn movie of the summer, Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers, the man who brought us The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.

In this update and re-imagination, Sommers toys with some of movie culture’s most beloved characters, namely: Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, Count Dracula, and Jekyll and Hyde. Unlike last summer’s pitiful The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing manages to put well-known creatures together without letting the plot get bogged down by them. Sommers does this by reducing the monsters to the traits that has made them endure the test of time. Dracula is suave, and constantly surrounded by voluptuous beauties; the Wolf Man is unrefined and tough; Frankenstein is the misunderstood monster with a heart of gold.

One exemplary scene has Dracula asking Igor why he torments the monsters, to which Igor simply responds, “Because that’s what I do.” This statement sums up a lot of what drives the narrative forward. The audience doesn’t always know what motivates the characters besides the fact that they are doing what they are the best at. Dracula isn’t Dracula if he doesn’t suck blood, and Igor isn’t Igor if he doesn’t torture the innocent, and we delight in seeing them do just that.

Van Helsing respects its roots. It opens in black and white and adheres closely in style and camera technique to the original Frankenstein film. The opening sequence offers some background information before diving into color and the character of Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) who works for a secret organization based out of the Vatican. The organization’s latest mission for Van Helsing is to go to Transylvania to hunt down and kill Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) before he sinks his fangs into Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), the last in a royal family that will be doomed to Purgatory if she dies before Dracula is killed.

One aspect that makes this film work is its cheese factor. It doesn’t take itself seriously. There are tons of computer generated monsters and fight scenes intermingled with sexual innuendos and romance. The audience groaned during points in the film, but it was good natured because the ride in between the required gooey moments is worthwhile. At the screening I attended, Sommers indicated his hope for the audience to have as much fun watching Van Helsing as he did making it.  We did. The action scenes are fast and fun, while the less exciting stuff, thankfully, just goes by fast.

The characters are not much of a stretch for the actors. Jackman, best known as Wolverine in the X-Men movies, returns to slaying the bad guys. Beckinsale has previous experience in the world of vampires and werewolves from last year’s Underworld where she was on the other side of the coin as a vampire. Roxburgh is slick and villainous much like his character in Moulin Rouge. Unfortunately, all the actors slipped occasionally in their dialect; but this is the first of this summer’s blockbusters, what can we expect?

Go see Van Helsing even if it is only to celebrate the arrival of summer, Hollywood’s time to shine with its high concept star vehicles. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy what has made these characters endure in the movies for over seventy years. It’s a fun ride and you shouldn’t have long to wait if you find yourself leaving the theatre wanting more, as there is already a spin-off planned in the form of a television show on NBC called Transylvania.

Film Rating: êêê  (out of 5)

Home | Back to Top