Weak Action Film with Weak Monsters

Rating: 4/10 (11 May 2004)

This movie is souless. Its not bad and its not good. In fact, its so boring it's barely watchable. The writing is absolutely atrocious. It's as if they piece the script together from other films. It absolutely brings nothing original to the screen. You seen everything here before done much much better. The actors seem as if they are mailing in their performances. And that crap with the Friar and tying him into Q from James Bond almost made me want to leave the theater. I've seen Van Helsing played better by older men with less effect and no modern weapons. Obvious the blame is squarely on Sommers. All he did was took his shell from The Mummy and inserted different characters. He had no idea what to do with his leading lady and his leading man, as the same with the Mummy, is just trying to be a weaker version of Indiana Jones. You will recognize all sorts of films in this movie: Mask of Zorro, The Mummy, Underworld (with all the blue in the movie), James Bond, Indiana Jones. It's just a formula film whose formula needs to be retired. There is absolutely no passion in this film. No risk taking, nothing that WOWS you. You would only see this movie once you exhaust all other ideals on what to do with your evening. And guess what, you can tell it's lifeless from the previews. And the funny part of it all, is that you pull for this film to be better while you are watching it. You want them to go that extra steps, but apparently the director just doesn't have the confidence to do so and in the end the audience gets cheated.