A very silly film...

Rating: 4/10 (5 May 2004)

Van Helsing is great fun, but I fear that the humor is not always intended. It's sort of a cross between Indiana Jones, Tarzan and a James Bond film with vampires, wolfmen and Frankensteins monster. Weird, overlong and with a lot of ropeswinging... The film rips of pretty much every film ever made, but it's done so openly that it somehow gets away with it.
Van Helsing really don't have a real script. The film is just a collage of actionsequences and scenes were the characters explains the plot to each other. There is really nothing for the actors to work with. That aside, there is no excuse for putting Kate Beckinsale in a film. She is a terrible, terrible actress. Yes, I know she is stunning, but she doesn't do anything but moan through the entire film. She is well on the way of becoming the female Ben Affleck, and that is not a compliment! The only character with a hint of charisma is Frankensteins monster. And that says a lot.
Even after all this I kind of likes Van Helsing. It's so stupid and silly and really quite entertaining. It's boring at places, but that only serves as a pause to buy more popcorn. It's a fluffy, childish summerflick that is perfect for a ballyhoo crowd. In short: It's a Stephen Sommers film!