Van-tastic!

Rating: 7/10 (5 October 2018)

Hugh Jackman in Wolverine-esque mode pre X-Men. He's the vampire slayer Van Helsing transformed, in lurid modern day comic book style, into a superhero, and by the end of the movie he has become a werewolf to boot!
He warms up by fighting a very Shrek-like "Mr Hyde" voiced by Robbie Coltrane, who doesn't have to fake a Scottish accent, before moving on to encounter Dracula, Igor, Frankenstein, a Werewolf and Dracula's three Brides.
Leave any treasured memories of the traditional stories you may have at the door, as they have been cannibalised and rearranged almost beyond recognition.
I find this movie very attractive visually, I think the set design, effects and action sequences were very well conceived and executed. The basic story structure is sound enough for me, and all the actors to a fine job.
However they just try to cram in too much action, which comes at the expense of any meaningful character development, and much of the dialogue is disappointing.
I think this could have been a classic, but instead it ends up being another movie that feels like a video arcade game.