For fans of the classics!

Rating: 7/10 (18 May 2004)

For anybody who is familiar with the old Universal monster movies Van Helsing is a total roller-coaster, taking all of the aspects that made the vintage films great, and injecting them with LSD, speed and pyro.
The CGI, firstly, is at least complete this time, unlike the decidedly PS2 graphics like SCorpion King from the Mummy sequel. Particularly impressive are the werewolf transformations and the vampiric healing abilities.
Jackman carries his charisma well across the film, but unfortunately Beckinsale has none of the English charm that Sommers saw in Rachel Weisz - if only she would have done this one for him.
The design and shooting of the action sequences is absolutely perfect -everything can be seen in it's full glory - it's all physically plausible (within the context of action/adventure!) and it never fails to surprise.
David Wenham's character has a couple of good lines but he's generally pointless but fun (a bit like the film I suppose).
A great ride with a few surprises, the film can't really be called frightening, but it's definitely worth a look for action fans and lovers of the brilliant 'The Mummy'.
6/7-10