A bit of a strange one for the movie of the month column, but it is the 20th year anniversary of Van Helsing and it is an adequate way to ease in to the upcoming Spooktober. Van Helsing is a 2004 action horror(-ish) movie directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale and Richard Roxburgh. It is, in a certain sense, an homage to the classical Universal Monsters, a mishmash of the All-Stars fiendish antagonists of the black and white ’30 and ’40 horror movies (think Béla Lugosi’s Dracula, Boris Karloff’ Frankenstein and Lon Chaney Jr.’s The Wolf Man). As a side note, because of this mash up and some stylistic elements, it reminds me of The League of Extraordinary Men (which coincidentally also starred Richard Roxburgh as the antagonist).
First thing’s first, as the title suggests, the movie obviously focuses on the figure of Van Helsing, a character created originally by Bram Stoker in his Dracula and then used throughout a plethora of movies, series, comic books and literary works. I will not elaborate on these different representations, as deep down, we all know that the best interpretation was Mel Brooks’s one in Dracula: Dead and Loving It. In Van Helsing, Sommers adds a certain dimension of the action plot-armoured and rule-of-cool protagonist to the character, as well as a different backstory and a steampunkish vibe given the arsenal at his disposal (electric saw-blades, grappling hook, crossbow with gas-proppelled bolts and so on). An interesting addendum is the fact that Van Helsing works for the Knights of the Holy Order, a Vatic sect, which however sees members of all religions working together to protect the world and humanity from monsters.
Now, I will say this: there are some scenes and transitions that feel either out of place or simply anticlimactic. This, combined with several dialogues that don’t quite fit well and some jokes that are either corny – or cringy to an extent – make the overall product feel of a lesser quality. Furthermore, some of the acting seems like a bit of a hit or miss as well. Upon considering the visual effects, it can be said that the movie aged adequately, but this is not a saving grace.
Regardless of its various flaws, I personally however at least appreciate the dedication: for instance the fact that Dracula stands upside down on the ceiling in various scenes, as well as other similar minute details. For that matter, even having the courage to let the female protagonist die because it fits with the plot is quite praise worthy; the usual narrative in such cases results in her miraculously surviving and both main characters having their maybe-happily-forever-not-quite-after.
I would give this movie a 6 out of 10 ‘surviving cows that have been tossed through a roof by a vampire she devil’.