Proudly in the "Liked It" Camp !

Rating: 7/10 (11 May 2004)

NO SPOILERS. NONE !! Charge forth !!
I was pretty sure (nay, *positive*) that I was going to hate this one. Well, it's another CGI Action movie (budget was over $150 mil, so you know what's coming), as has become the trend recently, and I generally hate those.
This one would be a flop without Hugh Jackman, but thankfully he's here and looking better than ever, and playing something like a shallow version of Wolverine. The movie is an aggregate of several types: A vampire movie, an action movie, a classic monster movie, and an Eye Candy movie that totally delivers. MOST of the effects are pretty good - only a handful miss the mark, and Jackman, well... He is the Ultimate Eye Candy, especially when clad in Turn of the Century romanticism. The female viewers will surely be satisfied (no complaints here on the detailed leather costumes, glittering weapons, and flowing black cloaks!) and the vampire people and action movie buffs will get their fill, too.
Some aspects of it are annoying, like the constant use of computer effects, unfortunately at the expense of dialogue and character development. And that strangling outfit Beckinsale wears is ugly and eventually irritating to look at. Some of the dialogue is a little "off," too, but I guess that's to be expected in this type of flick.
Where you'd expect it to crash, 'Van Helsing' does provide a detailed and almost believable plot that gives the monsters credible reason to interact. There were a few times during the screening I attended when you could hear people muttering worried "Oh no"s at the key points of the story; the thing was pretty darn involving, perhaps disturbingly so.
It was obvious that some explanatory scenes had been sharply cut (unfortunately), but the film was coherent and tended to answer its various questions as it went along. It was nice to see the characters and the audience simultaneously confused over certain plot elements, and then learn the reasons together.
Most of all, 'Van Helsing' could have been helped by fewer effects and much more dialogue. And as others have mentioned, it goes too far toward making the main characters invincible. Part of a great action movie is a great hero (and a beautiful co-star and a bumbling sidekick, of course), but that relies on his being human enough to fail sometimes and feel pain, or at least lie on the ground for a while after he's taken such a pummeling. Maybe that is the distance between Van Helsing and Wolverine.
Overall, this was a terrific, guilty pleasure, even for someone who isn't into monster flicks. Go for the antiquity, the scenery, the incredible costumes and cool weaponry, and an awesome Dracula, too!
Score: A solid "B," for doing what it sets out to do.