Van Horrible... what did you do, Stephen?

Rating: 3/10 (19 May 2004)

I would consider myself a Stephen Sommers fan... I found both the
Mummy and the Mummy Returns to be very entertaining. They
were witty, funny, and didn't take themselves all that seriously...
Van Helsing on the other hand, isn't witty, isn't funny, and has an
ending that seems to indicate that the movie is serious... only it
isn't at all up to that point.
I'd also like to make a comment about Computer Generated FX in
movies today. More does NOT equal better! Case in point: this
movie! Just because you can put it on screen doesn't mean you
should! If you were to ask me, I would say that the peak in
photorealistic CGI was probably back in the mid-90's because the
FX were only used where they had to be. Now we get treated to the
Frankenstein monster swinging around like Tarzan over an
endless cavern in front of Dracula's castle in the midst of a
thunderstorm. Too much! It's time to show some restraint...