Van Helsing a song of sixpence..

Rating: 1/10 (15 October 2004)

I'm not sure why this film was made. In retrospect, I'm not sure why any movie gets made, but I'm particularly confused about this one. The cast was adequate, but this movie seems confused about whether it's a comedy, an action movie, or a horror movie. And this is the biggest problem with Van Helsing. If it could've chosen a genre to fall into, it might have worked. But it insists on being everything, and as a result, falls far short in it's attempt. The effects in Van Helsing(particularly the creature ones) are relatively well blended, but... well... not terribly impressive. With one exception(and I won't spoil which one... it's pretty obvious). The dialogue, while trying to be impressive and dramatic, is occasionally painful and forced. As a fan of many of the myths presented in Van Helsing, I found their treatment to be inadequate and disappointing.
Overall, I wasn't terribly disappointed. I'd already heard that the movie wasn't all that impressive, so I didn't have any expectations. If you're not a fan of the mythic or Gothic genres however, and you like lots of bright flashes on your TV, check this movie out. You'll probably like it. I sure didn't.