Okay summer movie

Rating: 7/10 (3 June 2004)

Contrary to popular opinion, I think Sommers really did want to pay homage to pass horror movies more than make a movie to make money. However, this film is genre specific. If you don't like these kinds of movies and don't come to just have fun then you won't. This won't attract the Mean Girls crowd. The problem is character development. The characters like Van Helsing and Anna Valerious do not have time to just gestate and absorb their surrounds before being thrust into another situation. Therefore any display of emotion by these two main characters seems choppy and erratic. I think there is chemistry between Jackman and Beckinsale but it was not necessary to include that kissing scene. There was not enough character development to reach that point before the end of the movie. The one tender moment the two leads are allowed to have is when they are in the rain.
However, summmer movie standards are lower standards and the movie and character development in my opinion is no better than that of The Day After Tomorrow and Troy which suffer from the same problems. If you like this genre and want to have fun then go see it.
The basic story of trying to find a way for Dracula to bring his children to life is fine. The dracula character was decently well thought out and so was Frankenstein who was fabulously played by Hensley. The friar was great! Igor was fine as well. I also enjoyed the brides. I didn't have a problem with the accents like others. I appreciated that the actors were consistent in using their accents.