Good Acting, Good Plot, Good Music (SPOILER!!!)

Rating: 7/10 (15 May 2004)

'Van Helsing' is one of the most interesting movies I've seen in a long time. I'm pretty picky in my movie viewing, so I don't go out to the theater very often. The plot lines, musical scores and delicious acting is what makes this one of my top choices of films. There are a lot of unexpected twist and turns (the Angel Gabriel turning into a werewolf?) that even made me nod my head and applaud. I think what I loved most about this film(not the graphics.... they were well, good. at best. I'm no longer impressed with Computer Generated Imagery or C.G.I. for short) is the superb acting by the cast. The first bit of credit goes to David Wenham. It took me about 10 minutes of his acting to actually realize that this was the same person that played one of my favorite characters in the Lord of The Rings. His quirky comic relief was commendable. I think my favorite actor was the one who played Dracula. He seemed to envelope the role as his own (as a good actor should).
I cannot express my adoration of the musical score of this film. For me, the score of a film is an important part on how the audience reacts, whether or not they notice it. Keeping up with the action on screen, this adds a definite gothic feel to the movie. My favorite element of this score was the chanting. I will definitely have to add it to my soundtrack collection.
Granted, the whole werewolf thing was a LITTLE cheesy (I can see the headlines now:"Wolverine Turns Werewolf in this Action/Adventure!") but it can be forgiven.
All in all, this was a good movie. If a good mix of thrills, laughs and a new twist on some old stories is what you're looking for, this film is definitely it.