At least Summer 2004 can only get better after this disaster.

Rating: 1/10 (26 May 2004)

What a waste. A waste of timeless characters (Dracula, Wolfman, and Frankenstein's monster are ruined for an entire generation of film-goers.) A waste of talent (the suave Hugh Jackman and beautiful Kate Beckinsale have hit bottom.) And finally, a waste of time (nearly two and a half hours of total boredom.) There was a cool concept to be found somewhere in this mess, admittedly. Universal Pictures has a stock of classic monsters, and have brought them together for one adventure by re-inventing Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing as a sort of 19th century ghost buster. This project must have been doomed from script stage, though, because that's when Universal handed everything over to writer/director Stephen Sommers, the genius behind those two silly MUMMY re-makes. Sommers rapes and plunders great monster movies, making Dracula, Wolfman, and Frankenstein's monster unrecognizable CGI Hulks, with no regard to their actual "history" or "legend" as characters. He takes fantastic, undoubtedly expensive sets and locations, and fills them up with frantic, non-sensual stunts and action. It's a crime to think that this pile of garbage cost $160 million.