Van Helsing fights Dracula with a little help from Frankenstein's monster!

Rating: 7/10 (2 August 2015)

As this film opens Dr. Frankenstein has just finished his famous creation when a hoard of torch carrying villagers attack his castle. His patron, one Count Dracula, isn't too concerned; he just wants the creature for his own nefarious purposes and has no further need of the doctor. On the other side of Europe monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing has been summoned to the Vatican; here he is told to head to Transylvania and help the last remaining members of the Valerious in their generations old battle against Dracula. Upon arrival he quickly finds himself helping protect a village from an attack by Dracula's three brides. After this battle he teams up with Anna Valerious (and later Frankenstein's monster) for a battle that will see them fighting werewolves, vampires assorted monsters before a final confrontation with Dracula himself!
If you are looking for a scary horror movie you are likely to be rather disappointed; I can't see this really scaring anybody has reached their teens. However if you are looking for an action packed adventure that tries to pack in elements from every classic Gothic horror as well as quite a few laughs then you should enjoy this. The action barely lets up from start to finish as our heroes battle the forces of evil. Hugh Jackman is great in the title role as he uses an array of weapons such as an automatic crossbow to fight the Brides of Dracula. These brides are suitably seductive without being overly so. Other notable performances come from Kate Beckinsale as Anna and Richard Roxburgh as Dracula. With all the action it may seem surprising that there is time for humour but there are quite a few laughs; many provided by Friar Carl; the Vatican's answer to James Bond's Q, and Igor, Dr Frankenstein's former assistant. The CGI effects are good especially during the many scenes where various creatures transform from their human appearance to a more monstrous one. There is little here to offend and the violence is fairly fantastical so this film can be enjoyed by people of most ages the BBFC '12' certificate is probably about right as children younger than that might find it too scary. Overall a fairly fun film that passes a couple of hours without requiring too much thought.