Why I like this movie as much as I do

Rating: 9/10 (29 May 2004)

. . . I just came back from the theater and have to say I really really enjoyed watching this film. How I judge whether or not a film is suitable to my taste is generally speaking, limited to subject matter and how I feel during the actual act of watching it. Obviously I am into monster stories/fantasies, so the reason I love it is because it moved me inside. The graphics were incredibly realistic, the scenery and characters (WOMEN) beautiful and horrible (the good kind) all at once, and the plot reasonably complex such that I was immersed into the whole world. My heart was racing.
I honestly feel that this is a movie made by a man who is so passionate not only about movies, but beauty and horror. He was inspired by his father as a child to love the whole monster genre, but in the process to cultivate himself in the art of imagination. . . (he dedicated the movie to his father)
I feel Roger Ebert describes the movie well when he refers to Van Helsing as having "a world that is violent and hectic, bizarre and entertaining, and sometimes very beautiful."
I definitely want to hear Stephen Sommers explain why and how he created this world. Hopefully the DVD will supply some great commentary.
sonb