The Moose Hole - Review of Van Helsing

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2004)

Another summer season has come upon us at the box office with many major releases opening within its first few weeks all in an effort to gather as much coinage as they possibly can before Spider-Man 2 steamrolls its way into theaters. Anything after that film better be pretty damn good to compete with it but that is another topic for another day. Prior to 1999 the summer season kicked off around Memorial Day weekend as children began to slowly be released from schools across the country but that was before The Mummy opened to $43 million the weekend of May 7th, 1999, which, in effect, changed the way studios dealt with the summer heat. In the two years that followed, both Gladiator (2000) and The Mummy Returns (2001) opened on the first weekend of May to fantastic numbers but that never became the official kick-off point for the summer until Spider-Man sealed the deal in 2002, opening to $115 million its opening weekend. Universal studios doesn't expect that much with the opening of Van Helsing but they do expect a decent return as it is not often that they shell out $160 million (and then some) for one film especially in the current situation they are in with their new parent company. But considering Stephen Sommers, the same man who directed The Mummy and its sequel, is at that reins, there's a sure bet the cult followers will be out in droves once again.
The story follows the adventures a man sent by a secret society to go out into the world to vanquish evil creatures such as the Wolfman, Frankenstein's monster, and Dracula and stop their reins of terror on humanity. Van Helsing is known throughout most of Europe, either as a holy man or as a murderer, but the man behind God's work has no memory of who he is or where he comes from. All he knows is that he is in the service of the Catholic Church sent to different parts of the world to stop evil in the form of monsters and demons. There's nothing in the job description about being well liked by the people he is trying to protect. His latest assignment is to travel to Transylvania to destroy the powerful Count Dracula while at the same time protect Anna Valerious, the last of her family's lineage who had sworn to do anything in their power to destroy Dracula and end his rein of terror. But Dracula has a plan of his own  he devises a course of action in using Frankenstein's monster as well as the Wolfman in his efforts to raise up a force of bat-like children to rule over humanity with fear and terror. There's only one man who stands in his way, who has the force of God on his side: Van Helsing. The story for Van Helsing is hard to really grasp but not in the sense you would think. The film isn't a real puzzler or anything of that nature (Good vs. Evil  not much to figure out here) but one does have to have a tolerance for campy action flicks or else this will be a complete waste of time. Though the film is clichéd at moments, surprisingly it wasn't so much as was to be expected, if that helps at all to those who disliked The Mummy films.
No one may actually be going into this film for the sole purpose of seeing any particular star within it, which is probably the reason why there are only two (one if you want to get into specifics) big names in the cast, but none the less the cast of Van Helsing offers some decent performances, nothing Oscar caliber by any means, while at the same presenting several prominent disappointments. Hugh Jackman, who is best known for his performance of Wolverine in the X-Men film series, gives an engaging performance as Abraham Van Helsing, though no where near the one given by Sir Anthony Hopkins in Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was to be expected. The only problem lies with the character itself as the script starts off with many questions and yet answers very few of the them by the end, which could or could not point to a possible sequel in the works. Kate Beckinsale, who hasn't been able to make a name for her self in the sense of truly carrying a film on her name alone just yet, works with what is given to her as best she can but there really isn't much emotional attachment with the character to be really all that concerned for what happens to her within the course of the film. Though it was Sommer's intent on resurrecting (in a sense) interest in Dracula, the vision seems to be lost with Richard Roxburgh's go around as he is way too over-the-top in a way that's laughable at times and, at times, confusing. The same would have to go for Dracula's Brides played Elena Anaya, Silvia Colloca and Josie Maran, who become so irritating in their performances that the audience will be applauding at their demises, and not for the reasons they should be doing so.
Overall, Van Helsing kicks off the 2004 summer box office with more of a whimper then a driving force and only shatters the hopes of those who were awaiting an enthusiastic kick-off as had always been accustomed in the past. As with Hellboy, Van Helsing falls into the category of films that doesn't leave you clamoring to see it again nor is it a feature that you would detest repeating, if it were presented to you again. The first third of the film (dividing the film into three parts) was quite exciting, mysterious, and filled with wall-to-wall action, which makes the other two thirds of the film all the more disappointing. There is nothing as bad as a film that sets you up for quality entertainment only to knock you down with a weak follow-through. The problem lies with the script itself which becomes too bogged down with numerous plot lines and character aspects and quickly deteriorates into a mundane and repetitive camp film. There's nothing wrong with camp films as long as they are done right, which isn't the case with Van Helsing. Another issue that was clearly prominent throughout the film was the blatant over-use of CGI effects, which often looked fake, no more so then in the scene where the Wolfman jumps across the fire on the wagon toward Van Helsing or the transformation of Dracula, which just looked ridiculous. And there was a small problem the musical score, which, every so often, sounded too familiar to the score for The Mummy, but nothing major to complain about. There are three types of people who will be disappointed by this film: fans of the classic novel (and film) Dracula, those who fell for the hype, and all others who aren't just entertained by a few mere explosions and boobs flashed on the screen. Van Helsing will surely go down as one of the bigger disappointments of the summer season.
My Rating: *** ½ out of 5 (Grade: C+)