31-05-2004, 05:06 PM
I've been looking forward to seeing this movie for sometime, and last night it finally happened.
Van Helsing (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=1) is clearly a movie that will only appeal to a certain audience with it's entire story based around folklore and fictitious horror characters. In fact one of the reasons I was so interested in seeing this movie was that it included such classic figures as Dracula (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=6), Frankenstein's Monster (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=5), Igor, The Wolfman (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=4) and Mr Hyde. And of course there was Kate Beckinsale to consider as well ;)
I thought the story began quite well and even brought a new perspective to the Frankenstein Monster portraying him as an intelligent creature who was the tragic victim of circumstance rather than the typical mindless rampaging brute we're accustomed to.
Van Helsing (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=2) (Hugh Jackman) is an agent of the church charged with the holy duty of hunting down and destroying evil in all it's forms. However he is by no means a holyman, simply the guy who get's the job done when no one else can. This he does with the aid of special weaponry developed by a department of monks reminiscent of Q from James Bond. Unfortunatley the outside world doesn't understand his vocation and has branded him a murderer and wanted man. So why does this man of action bow to the will of the church when all he receives in return is notoriety? In steps his mysterious past of which he has no memory except glympses of events which would predate a man of his age by hundreds of years. In return for his services the church has promised to aid him in unveiling that of which he has no memory.
I quite enjoyed the fight scenes where cgi animation and real actors were blended very well allowing Van Helsing to unleash his arsenal (my fave was the machinegun crossbow) upon a variety of monsters with passable realism. Unfortunately this film fell into the trap that seems to be catching many movies at the moment, which is relying too heavily on cgi. What I mean by this is that inhuman characters can be brilliantly made using this technology but human movement is yet to be mastered. What was formally done using wire-work or stuntmen is now being done using cgi, and the technology just isn't ready. Human characters simply look too fake when done with cgi and I would advise any director to avoid using it in this fashion like the plague. Van Helsing was definately guilty of using cgi where it should not have.
At the beginning of this review I stated the story began well, unfortunatley I can't say this for the ending. After sitting through a thoroughly enjoyable movie I was presented with an ending which to me seemed rushed...like they'd run out of ideas and just wanted it over with. Without giving the story away all I can say is that way too many of the finishing events were based on chance. Now I know most movies involve the good guys being saved from peril by chance, but this was rediculously reliant on blind bloody luck of the most obscene kind. One good thing I can say about the ending though is that the final showdown between Dracula and Van Helsing was worth it with a good old fashioned make or break brawl erupting between the two.
Overall i'm glad I went to see it, but they could have made so much more out of this movie.
7/10
The Official Van Helsing movie site (http://www.vanhelsingmovie.com/)
Van Helsing (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=1) is clearly a movie that will only appeal to a certain audience with it's entire story based around folklore and fictitious horror characters. In fact one of the reasons I was so interested in seeing this movie was that it included such classic figures as Dracula (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=6), Frankenstein's Monster (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=5), Igor, The Wolfman (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=4) and Mr Hyde. And of course there was Kate Beckinsale to consider as well ;)
I thought the story began quite well and even brought a new perspective to the Frankenstein Monster portraying him as an intelligent creature who was the tragic victim of circumstance rather than the typical mindless rampaging brute we're accustomed to.
Van Helsing (http://www.moviemaze.de/media/poster/751.html?counter=2) (Hugh Jackman) is an agent of the church charged with the holy duty of hunting down and destroying evil in all it's forms. However he is by no means a holyman, simply the guy who get's the job done when no one else can. This he does with the aid of special weaponry developed by a department of monks reminiscent of Q from James Bond. Unfortunatley the outside world doesn't understand his vocation and has branded him a murderer and wanted man. So why does this man of action bow to the will of the church when all he receives in return is notoriety? In steps his mysterious past of which he has no memory except glympses of events which would predate a man of his age by hundreds of years. In return for his services the church has promised to aid him in unveiling that of which he has no memory.
I quite enjoyed the fight scenes where cgi animation and real actors were blended very well allowing Van Helsing to unleash his arsenal (my fave was the machinegun crossbow) upon a variety of monsters with passable realism. Unfortunately this film fell into the trap that seems to be catching many movies at the moment, which is relying too heavily on cgi. What I mean by this is that inhuman characters can be brilliantly made using this technology but human movement is yet to be mastered. What was formally done using wire-work or stuntmen is now being done using cgi, and the technology just isn't ready. Human characters simply look too fake when done with cgi and I would advise any director to avoid using it in this fashion like the plague. Van Helsing was definately guilty of using cgi where it should not have.
At the beginning of this review I stated the story began well, unfortunatley I can't say this for the ending. After sitting through a thoroughly enjoyable movie I was presented with an ending which to me seemed rushed...like they'd run out of ideas and just wanted it over with. Without giving the story away all I can say is that way too many of the finishing events were based on chance. Now I know most movies involve the good guys being saved from peril by chance, but this was rediculously reliant on blind bloody luck of the most obscene kind. One good thing I can say about the ending though is that the final showdown between Dracula and Van Helsing was worth it with a good old fashioned make or break brawl erupting between the two.
Overall i'm glad I went to see it, but they could have made so much more out of this movie.
7/10
The Official Van Helsing movie site (http://www.vanhelsingmovie.com/)