A Monstrosity

Rating: 1/10 (18 August 2005)

With a plot that is pieced together much like Dr. Frankenstein's monster, this movie almost singlehandedly destroys the romance of the classic horror films which precede it. It's not the actors' fault. They can hardly be faulted for dialog that lacks the charm of "Plan 9 From Outer Space". On the contrary, Jackman, Beckinsale, Roxburgh, Wenham and Hensley give good performances within the limits of the material they are given to work with. The special effects are passable--at times even engaging; the direction and cinematography, tolerable if somewhat derivative.
It is the script itself which is the problem. It fails as horror, a genre which requires at least some minimal degree of psychological involvement. It fails as thriller for, when Van Helsing finally confronts the moment of truth, this viewer simply did not care. It fails in clarity because it is not possible to parse whether our Van Helsing is a force for good or whether he is simply an amoral 007 on a mission from God. In his own words, he is something of a murderer and something of a destroyer of evil. However, the script never allows him to reveal any conflict between the two.
In summary, this is an adventure without conflict, more monstrous than of monsters, more horrible than of horror.