The summer movie onslaught has begun.

Rating: 6/10 (13 May 2004)

"Van Helsing" tells the story of the titular character (Hugh Jackman), who serves the Vatican as a sort of black ops agent whose missions are to eradicate various unrepentant monsters. His primary task here is to destroy the horrific triumvirate of Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), Wolfman, and Frankenstein's monster. With his own medieval Agent Q (LOTR's David Wenham), our hero ventures to Transylvania to team up with the stunning Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), the last survivor in a noble family that must kill Dracula or be condemned forever to purgatory.
Although I think the makers of "Van Helsing" tried to inject a dose of heart their work, they still produced little more than a good summer popcorn movie, and I don't mean that as an insult. Director Stephen Sommers also helmed "The Mummy" and its sequels, and while I would rate Van Helsing ahead of those movies, it is cast from the same mold. If you go in with expectations of greatness, you'll no doubt hate it and be utterly disappointed. But if you settle in looking for nothing more than 2+ hours of fun, nearly campy entertainment, you'll be thoroughly satisfied.

A large reason that it falls short of being even a good movie is the derivative nature of the entire flick. Although set in a dark neo-Victorian age (in which it always seems to be raining), "Van Helsing" contains countless scenes that bring to mind various classics. Whether it be Van Helsing's Batman-esque tools, his gadget room borrowed from James Bond, shots taken from Looney Tunes, or a scene straight out of "Get Smart" (yes, that's right), so much of the movie has been done before. More than any other, Van Helsing imitates The Indiana Jones Trilogy in ways ranging from the hero's attire to how certain characters die to the use of a map to display travel. Even Alan Silvestri's music recalls one of Indy's secondary themes. While this derivative nature prevents "Van Helsing" from being a truly good film, it does provide a alternative unique form of entertainment. Half the fun of the movie is pinpointing the pervasive cinematic references.

The other half of the fun comes from the overall appearance and content. While these well-known characters have been portrayed on the screen hundreds of times through the years, rarely are they seen so vividly in an action movie such as this. Jackman possesses a perfect look for the swashbuckling protagonist; Roxburgh not only twirls his mustache well, but does add some humanity to the blood-sucking count. Beckinsale, in a role not all that different from her turn in Underworld, isn't asked to do much but look vengeful and beautiful, and does just that, managing to fight ferociously in tight clothes while still maintaining her gorgeous and pristine appearance. Wenham, in stark contrast to his noble Faramir, fills the thankless comic relief role, and does so rather well, considering what he is given to work with.
The rest of the cast consists primarily of minor roles or special effects. Unfortunately while the physical appearance of the movie is excellent, the visual effects aren't always up to par. They're not bad, but also aren't quite seamless with the rest of the flick. Every once in a while something doesn't quite match or feels just a little too fake. With so many effects done by many different effects houses, perhaps this was inevitable, but the minor discrepancies are still occasionally distracting, which is the one thing that visual effects should not be.
The effects are not helped by the fact that the movie, at nearly two and a half hours, is twenty minutes too long. As enjoyable as the various people and fights are, one can only take so much of horror characters scurrying around doing battle. Trimming a few minutes out of about every scene would have made the remaining excitement that much more enjoyable, resulting in a more streamlined and bearable picture. As it is, everything drags on too long, permitting what could have been a taut adventure film to unravel into a messier and less cohesive movie.
As the movie that kick-starts the summer season, "Van Helsing" receives some leeway. Had it been released in August, it probably wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable, following a summer of similarly action-packed but largely forgettable fare. But with cinematic tastebuds longing for fresh popcorn after a stale spring, Van Helsing survives its shortcomings to provide a satisfying if short-lived treat.
Bottom Line: Decent summertainment, at least as the first biggie of the season. 6/10, for fun as much as quality.