Van Helsing (2004)

     Universal Pictures has done an amazing job bringing literature horror to life either it be in the form of Frankenstein or Dracula. These two films scared you as kids and amazes you as adults today among other favorites such as The Wolfman, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man. Though these are just five of the most classical monsters in film, all can agree that their creation on the silver screen had now taken part of 21st century culture. Monsters have plagued our minds since our evolutionary birth and have evolved alongside us with the help of imagination. Back then, "monsters" were real, predatory animals while today they're just entities of fantasy. Unlike popular superheroes like Batman or Spider-man, my heroes were always the monsters like the Gill-man, or the Mole People. If you haven't already guessed it, I'm a monster fan (even if the monster themselves are cheesy looking). Any monster has potential but, it all depends on what makes them monsters and their main purpose? Usually alongside the monsters, there is always those whom are against them: monster hunters. The most famous hunter of all appeared in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and his name was Abraham Van Helsing. The '04 film Van Helsing was a homage toward Abraham but, with a different twist to the story. Focusing around mystery, Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) must team-up with unlikely allies (including Frankenstein's Monster) to defeat the villainous Count Vladislaus Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), and stop his plans to bring his undead children to life.

   I like the casting in this film. You have "Wolverine" (Hugh Jackman as a Van Helsing) alongside his friar sidekick Carl (David Wenham). They team-up with a sexy Transylvanian vampire hunter, Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), and even Frankenstein's creation (Shuler Hensley). These three hunters and one monster were truly amazing as their roles. Though Wenham made most of the laughs as Carl, Jackman and Beckinsale beautifully played as the true heroes of the film. I personally though enjoyed Hensley's Frankenstein's Monster more than most of the actors who played the Monster's legendary role (Karloff is still the best out of all of them). On the other side though, the "monsters" did an excellent performance as well. I for one really enjoyed Roxburgh's take on Dracula. Evil yet charming, this Dracula had a great personality as being the true Prince of Darkness. Dracula's brides (portrayed by Elena Anaya, Silvia Colloca, and Josie Maran) brought both sexiness and fear back into these three Furies. Alongside these four, Will Kemp (as Anna's brother Velkan) did an outstanding job as his character especially when he transformed into his werewolf form. To add to this list, I have to also congratulate both Kevin J. O'Connor (Igor), Tom Fisher (Top Hat) and Robbie Coltrane/Stephen Fisher (Hyde and Jekyll) in their minor but, amazing performances as secondary characters.

   The monster roster was very big in Van Helsing; ranging from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to the Count himself. It was pretty upsetting that neither Imhotep or the Gill-man didn't made an appearance in the film. Probably wouldn't make sense if the Gill-man suddenly appeared in Dracula's frozen castle but, still would have been awesome to see. The acting in the film was alright in some parts while amazing in others but, the action was truly the focus point. Action mixed with horror, mystery, and adventure with a few sprinkles of comedy made this film truly great. From Hyde's arm being sawed off to Dracula's demise, most of the death scenes were truly brutal while others had emotion behind them (i.e. the deaths of the last two Valerious' or even Igor's death). I found the individualism between the three werewolves in the film pretty interesting since you had the first nameless one gray; Velkan being brown, and Van Helsing as black. Alongside that, I did enjoy the design of the Brides' winged forms as well as how they kept Dracula's form a secret till the final showdown. The only thing I have to complain was that Frankenstein's creation isn't named after his creator's last name. He never had a name in the novel, and that small mistake made me somewhat paranoid about accuracy.

     The fighting scenes were pretty cool but, after being bitten by werewolf Velken; Jackman's transforming steps to turn into a werewolf made things even better. Why have an action-packed monster movie without having the main character turn into a monster himself? Though most of the ridiculous scenes were computer generated, I have to say that they did an excellent job with the environments especially with Castle Dracula. If I had to choose a favorite scene though, I would have to go with the final showdown between werewolf Van Helsing and Dracula. That was the main memorable scene in the movie, and it showed that werewolves are a lot stronger than vampires (I like werewolves more than vampires; thanks Twilight for ruining vampires). I would like to also add the transformations into werewolves were also pretty admiring to watch since it took a somewhat different route in becoming the howling Wolfman. I may as well add the scene with the animated picture with the original werewolf poem read by Carl (I do not know about the vampire side of the poem, and it isn't in the original Dracula) "Even a man pure of heart and says his prays by night; may become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." Best reference to the original Wolfman.

    My rating for Van Helsing is a tough one but, I have to go with a 4 out of 5. I enjoyed the monsters and the new twist to the legacy of Abraham Van Helsing  but, the film didn't have a true homage to the original vampire hunter himself. The film felt somewhat empty without his presence. I enjoyed Hugh Jackman as Gabriel Van Helsing but, he isn't Abraham Van Helsing. I feel that not having at least a homage to Abraham other than the last name was pretty pointless in the film. Other than that, I enjoyed the cast (mainly Roxburgh) and the action in the film. I do have to also mention that I'm glad they haven't tried to reboot or make a sequel for this film since the time it was released (unless you count the animated film which basically told you about Van Helsing chasing Mr. Hyde throughout Europe). If you haven't seen this film (or the animated prequel), watch it because its worth the time. If you already watched it before then view it again with a new understanding for the film.

"Vampires, gargoyles, warlocks, they're all the same - best when cooked well."