A Terrific, Underrated Gem

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2014)

For more than a decade I have been reading the professional critics assessment of movies, and, compared those views to those of movie goers and my own. My conclusion, there is no rhyme nor reason to the critics reviews. Take a look at the aggregated critical assessment for this movie on RT.
'A hollow creature feature that suffers from CGI overload'. Only 23% of the critics liked the movie and gave is an unenthusiastic rating of 4.2'
Yet Pacific Rim, which is more overloaded with CGI and all the 'ills' of Van Helsing, gets this report:
'It may sport more style than substance, but Pacific Rim is a solid modern creature feature bolstered by fantastical imagery and an irresistible sense of fun'. 72% liked the movie blessed it with with a rating of 6.7'
What a load of rubbish. Moreover, this farce repeats endlessly throughout reviews by critics.
This incomprehensible inconsistency has lead me to one definitive conclusion. The critics have nothing of value to contribute to my assessment of a movie.
Instead, I use the comments (aggregated) by movie goers (found here on IMDb) and box office sales to provide a preliminary evaluation of a movie. This method is not always accurate, but, it is pretty good running a 75% - 85% success ratio.
Now for Van Helsing. A previous reviewer tagged his comment with 'Big Dumb Fun'. In my opinion, that is a perfect three word summary. The director assembled a talented cast, wove together several story lines from the horror movies of the 1930's, added a dash of James Bond gadgetry, enriched it with some good CGI, and, with the skill of a practised storyteller, created a high enjoyable experience for you and me.
It does depart from the same-old, same-old versions of the story told so many times before. If you want a movie that hews closer to the originals of the 30's, take a look at the excellent 'Bram Stocker's Dracula' (1992). However, if you are in the mood for a fun, big tub of popcorn version, this is the one for you.
My only regret is that the producer decided not to follow up with a sequel. If he had, I would have been first in line at the theater.