Werewolves, vampires, the hunchback of Notre Dame and Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. Quite an ensemble of characters, and you'll find them all in "Van Helsing". Add a little action, throw in some history between the villain and the hero. Finally, put some romance on top. A recipe for a good film, right? Well, maybe, but "Van Helsing" disappoints on almost all accounts. The only thing that can be said positive about it is some of the special effects are quite outstanding. Mr Hyde is incredible and very well done. However, doubling him as the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" seems odd at best. Still, I liked that scene.
The story begins with Dracula and Dr Frankenstein hanging out together. Dracula's financing Frankenstein's operation for reasons that we find out later. Frankenstein dies, although his monster falls along with his 'father', he plays a significant role later in the film.
Van Helsing, played by Hugh Jackman, is an assassin/bounty hunter for the Catholic Church. He is charged with removing demons and their like from the world. After he dispatches of Mr Hyde, he is sent to take care of Dracula, his toughest assignment yet. He is also told that he has a history in Transylvania. He teams up with a woman, whose family has been trying to rid the world of Dracula for generations. Her brother and she are the last of the family.
A friar joins Van Helsing on this trip to kill Dracula. As an odd sideline, the friar ends up seducing a young lady whom wonders that 'he can't do that', but he simply replies that he's only a friar so he can. A twinkle in her eye later and they're in bed.
This film tries too hard to mix too many myths and legends together. It just doesn't work on any level. Some of the special effects eye candy is really spectacular, but 'Van Helsing' is proof that it takes a lot more than special effects and an interesting idea to make even a good movie. I can't say how disappointed I was with it.
Th acting, writing, direction are all below average. the cinematography is average. If there's nothing else to watch and it's on one of your free movie channels and you enjoy vampire and werewolf movies, it might be worth watching, otherwise find something else to do.
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