All In All, A Good Universal Monster Movie

Rating: 7/10 (7 May 2004)

I saw Van Helsing this afternoon. i thought it was very well done.
Without giving to much away, I'll tell you the basic plot. *Possible Spoilers Ahead* The Vatican has sent their professional monster slayer Van Helsing to Transylvania to kill Dracula, so the Valerious family can finally find rest (For they have sworn not to enter heaven until Dracula is killed). There he meets Anna Valerious the last surviving member of the family (Due to her brother's encounter with one of Dracula's werewolves.). They then team up, and learn that Dracula is searching for Frankenstein's monster, who is (and I won't reveal why) the key to bringing he and his three brides' children to life.
The complaints I've heard, so far, on these boards is that "The monsters aren't like they were in the novels!". Well, get over it. They aren't supposed to be. Instead, Stephen Sommers (the writer/director of The Mummy) has opted for the Universal Studios versions of the monsters. It seems that he was actually going for a "re-envisioning" (fancy term for remake) of two earlier Universal films "The House of Dracula" and "The House of Frankenstein", two of Universal's attempts at reviving their dwindling classic monster franchise. Look at this version's Frankenstein. Physically, he looks like the Boris Karloff version, but mixed with some aspects from the novel, and Sommers' own interpretation. The actor who plays Dracula even seems to be channeling Bela Lugousi (Which, in my opinion, is much more entertaining than Gary Oldman's take on the character.) This movie works much better than the earlier "House of" movies did, thanks to today's special effects.
My only complaint was a quick addition of Mr. Hyde, who doesn't work in this as well as he did in "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (Which went with Literary films.) because they opted for the CGI effects, and he comes across (much as the Hulk did) as an evil version of Shrek. Since it was going the "Universal" direction, they should have made him look like the earlier films.
All in all, though, this movie works in its own way. Turn your mind off, and enjoy.
**** (Four stars out of Five Stars.)