A great bad movie

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2004)

I freely admit that Van Helsing is not as good as Pirates of the Caribbean, but I maintain that it IS good in the same WAY as Pirates of the Caribbean, which is to say that it's a fun roller-coaster of a movie with a Weird Tales twist.
The best way to enjoy this movie is to pretend that it's anime rather than live action; I think the presence of live actors seems to have fooled too many people into thinking that it's a movie you're supposed to somehow take seriously. It's not. It's a movie you're supposed to grin and laugh and go "Now THAT'S a neat image!" at.
Chew the scenery! Swing from the wires! Blast a bazillion bolts out of the gatling crossbow! And look great doing it. That's what I call a terrific summer movie. :)