The one name they all fear...

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2007)

Van Helsing is a Universal Horror picture, made some fifty years after the Universal Horror era. It stars actors Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh and David Wenham, and it was directed by Stephen Sommers.
The movie begins inside an original Universal Horror picture, Frankenstein. Shot in black white, and staring Sam West as Doctor Victor Frankenstein, who, when in costume, looks surprisingly alike Colin Clive, who played Doctor Frankenstein in the original Frankenstein movie. After having seen West yell "It's Alive!" several times, seen Shuler Hensley as the Frankenstein Monster wake up, and seen the townsfolk charge up to Frankensteins laboratory with pitchforks, flames and battle rams, we are stunned by Richard Roxburgh's performance as Count Dracula, showing us an amazing, and very different interpretation on Dracula, than we have seen in the past. In the first scene, we see some great visual effects, (it appears to be the same Computer Generated Images as used for the cursed pirates in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl".) Strangely enough, there are no credits, not even a title card, but we do get to see Van Helsings name on a wanted poster in this next scene of the movie. Van Helsing is in Paris, hunting 'Mr Edward Hyde', voiced by the fabulous, Robbie Coltraine, a cannibalistic, Computer Generated character who appears to be at least eight foot tall, separating itself from the Metro Goldwyn Mayer movies (Universal never made a Doctor Jeckyll and Mr Hyde movie as a part of their horror genre), in which Mr Hyde was a short, crippled man. When returning from an action packed fight with Mr Hyde, to a secret society consisting of all the known religions in the world, Van Helsing is given his next assignment, he must go to Transylvania, and kill Count Dracula, before Count Dracula kills the Valerious family, who, if are killed before Dracula is killed, will never enter the gates of heaven.
Having established where we stand in this world, and that men can drink potions and become hideous beasts, men can create life via robbing body parts of others, and that vampires exist, we now get to see one of Universals most loved monsters... The Wolf Man. The wolf doesn't charge around on all fours all the time, as the Werewolf does in 'An American Werewolf in London', yet it doesn't always walk around on two legs like the wolf does in films such as 'The Wolf Man' and 'Werewolf of London'. It is a mixture of both. They run and charge at their prey on all fours, yet when they walk they walk around on their hind legs, like a human. The wolves seem to be huge in size, and the speed they run at suggests that no human can outrun them even with a head start.
These are not the only characters included in this film from the classics, Igor from Frankenstein, makes a good B villain, and much more characters are included as the story progresses.
Alan Slyvestri, the composer of the memorable and powerful music of the Back to the Future films, doesn't let us down, and provides a once-again powerful musical score, with a score you would expect to find in modern movies, and at the same time, gives us music you would find in the Universal Horror Classics.
The film displays some excellent acting talents, especially those of Hugh Jackman and Richard Roxburgh. Also, I might add, the visual effects in the film are definitely Industrial Light and Magic, displaying 'their' true talents. They are undoubtedly, the best of the best, when it comes to CGI. Stephen Sommers also shows us some great writing talents and some fantastic shots.
This is definitely one of my all time favorite films. Anyone who enjoys a good Universal Horror picture, should watch this.