Van Helsing

This movie isn't as bad as the critics and everybody seem to say it is. For me the special effects make the movie. The script, such that it is, unfortunately veers between cheesy one liners and brisk conversation.

Dialogue is mostly confined to moving action forward, so has a "comic book" feel. Inventive plot points get overshadowed due to this approach.

I will say that I was fairly impressed with this movie, since it was on such a low budget! It is not the greatest film in the World, but it is exciting and fun to watch.

When I first saw the trailers for this film I thought Van Helsing looked brilliant. From the trailers it looked like there would be amazing special effects and action sequences. Unfortunately, Van Helsing is completely devoid of these two things, along with a plot that makes any sense.

Also, films like this, in my opinion, need a really unique looking main actor to make the film a success. Look at Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, Jason Statham in The Transporter, Daniel Craig in Bond, Bruce Willis in Die Hard, etc. I think this is a massive factor, and every time I saw Van Helsing (the character) I had to look twice to make sure it was him and not someone else, he is simply a bit bland looking and just doesn't stand out.

The plot didn't really make a lot of sense and it is clear that the director wanted to simply create a cinematic masterpiece with awesome fight scenes and views, but these things haven't happened. The special effects aren't very realistic (especially the werewolf), and the scenery is nothing special at all.

All in all, a very poor film which neither I, or anyone I know enjoyed.

One possible redeeming factor is that this film brings together loads of old myths, i.e., Dracula, werewolves, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and some more which I can't think of at the moment. All these mythical characters are woven into the plot. Unfortunately though, this just makes you more gutted that the film is rubbish because there was such massive potential to create an absolute classic. If you described the contents of this film to someone impartially, they would be extremely eager to watch Van Helsing, this film is therefore a waste of a really good story.

Van Helsing - When I first saw previews for this movie, I just thought "Great, another unrealistic vampire movie". But after a while, I thought it might be interesting, and my sister and friend wanted to see it so we went. But, oh my god, the acting was horrible!! The Brides of Dracula were so terrible. So, all in all, I did not like the movie, basically because the acting was so unbelievable.

Van Helsing - The vampire-hating Dutchman is back for a rollercoaster ride of a film. Hugh Jackman fills the shoes of Gabrielle Van Helsing and does so pretty well in my opinion.

The opening sequence sees Helsing battle Mr. Hyde, and the sequence alone looked very promising as it thoroughly entertained us. Helsing later travels to Transylvania, and meets the not-so-lovely Anna Valerious, played by the lovely Kate Beckinsale. From then on, the dialogue gets cheesy and Beckinsale's Transylvanian accent is just plain silly. However, there were two characters of note: Richard Roxborough will send chills down your spine as Vladislaus Dracula, while David Wenham's (last seen as tough guy Faramir) character Carl will induce some laughs and believability.

The action, though plenty, is fantastical and over the top, and though it suits this type of film, it's done in a sometimes silly way. Watch as Beckinsale's character swings across a huge ravine only to land like she jumped off a foot stool.

Some of the later sequences between Helsing's werewolf character and Dracula are too fast and confusing. You'll find yourself squinting and before you know it, you'll have missed a good 15 minutes of crucial action.

Van Helsing is a fantastically quick and partially-enjoyable action flick that, despite it's cheesiness, is quite enjoyable. Forget the critics, if you like non-stop action and don't mind the dialogue and storyline (and ending) then you won't have a problem with this one. Otherwise, wait for the TV premiere. :)

I think Van Helsing is one of my favourite for this year, and that it has been highly underrated! The action is amazing and you cannot take your eyes off the screen at any point. However, this wasn't a wholly action and fantasy movie, as the romantic side story unfolding between Kate Beckinsale's Anna Valerious and Hugh Jackman's Van Helsing was interesting too. Carl was a very different character to anything we have so far seen David Wenham play, and he made the transition from action hero in LOTR to comedic sidekick in Van Helsing very well.

Although the fantasy/sci-fi plot was thought of as ridiculous by many people, it was stupid of them to go and see a film which obviously had creatures like Frankenstein's monster, and werewolves in the first place. If you are an escapist like myself you will thoroughly enjoy this movie!

Van Helsing will strike fear into any sane movie-goer's heart. The movie is one incredible failure that should never have seen the inside of a cinema.

The premise is cheesey, but at least has potential for some light entertainment. The concept of bringing together a collection of famous, nay infamous, horror creatures for a piece of cheesey villainy could have been carried off so much better.

However, the complete lack of story-telling skill, the overwhelmingly tedious computer-generated effects, and the absence of any sense of threat from Dracula himself render the movie simply a waste of time.

Events happen that have no bearing on the remainder of the film, and action sequences are dragged out for what seems like hours. Plot threads are created, and then abandoned and ignored when they no longer suit the director's requirements. The entire end sequence is one example - a clearly expressed deadline is simply forgotten with no ill effects.

The only redeeming features of Van Helsing are the black and white intro sequence - cheesey and corny, but at least entertainingly so - and the sight of Kate Beckinsale in a fabulously sexy outfit.

For all the monsters Van Helsing has slain, the one he missed most was the one that should have died at birth -- this enormous, monstrous turkey of a movie.

Van Helsing is one of the worst films I have seen in a long time. The trailers suggested it is a good movie but rarely have I wanted to leave the cinema. With bad acting from all parties and ludicrous scripts I would not recommend this to anyone. A waste of money and silly story lines.

Best actors were the one's who played the werewolves.

Well, Van Helsing sure had a lot of hype, that is for sure. The stars in this film are Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale. Hugh is best known as the "Wolverine" character in the films X Men and X Men 2. Kate is best known for her character in "Pearl Harbor", and the leather form fitting body suit that she wore in "Underworld". Speaking of leather, the trailers are out now for "Catwoman" starring Halley Barry - WOW, she looks good in that catsuit!

There must be something about Kate and her outfits. I already mentioned her leather body suit in "Underworld", and in this film she has a great "gypsy" ensemble. She is the hottest gypsy queen I've seen since Kari Wuhrer played a gypsy in some Steven King movie.

Van Helsing is an assassin. He is not for hire, however. He works for the Catholic Church. The Vatican is where he was trained, and from where he gets his assignments. He continues to work for them, because he has no memory of who he really is. They promise to restore his memory if he will continue to kill for them.

The movie starts out as Van Helsing is battling "Mr. Hyde" in London. That was a pretty good battle. VH has all kinds of weapons: guns, small circular saws, knives, spikes, etc.

His next assignment is to help Kate and her brother stay alive. Their family has a lifelong feud against Count Dracula. The two of them are the only ones left. Their ancestor made a vow that none of their family would enter the gates of heaven, until Dracula was dead. Well, they have about 10 dead family members, and Dracula is still alive and well.

This movie does a nice job of mixing in a lot of horror movie legends. We also meet Frankenstein, and the Wolfman, as the movie progresses.

Kate and VH have very good chemistry together. Her accent is awesome. They begin their quest of killing Dracula by first defending themselves against his 3 brides. These female vampires are hotties. Not the most attractive female vampires, as that award goes to the girls in the movie "Dracula 2000". Somehow, VH ends up killing one of the brides - and that gives everyone hope.

VH has a sidekick from the vatican. He is an inventor of weapons, and a friar. He doesn't have the vows to keep that a true "monk" does, so he is able to do things that you wouldn't expect from a man of the cloth. He provides comic relief in the movie.

When Dracula and his brides have kids, they are born "dead". He needs to find a way to bring them to "life". The character that plays Dracula does an ok job, but I kept comparing him to Gary Oldman's Dracula - and he was nowhere near as good. Dracula is going to use Dr. Frankenstein's lab to try and use electricity to bring his offspring to life. He kills the Dr., before he realized that he needed him to run the equipment. Igor and Dracula's assistants try to make it work, but they aren't that good at it. Dracula's assistants are "little people", about 5 foot tall. They look like a combination of "Oompa Loompa's", and the members of the band "Slipknot".

The final battle is between Dracula and VH. Turns out that the only thing that can kill Dracula is a werewolf. Good thing that VH was bitten by one earlier in the movie, and he morphs into one. The end scene has a huge battle between VH and Dracula. The key is: will the friar and Kate be able to find the antidote that Dracula keeps for turning werewolves back into people, before VH turns into a werewolf for good?

In the end, we find out who Van Helsing really is, and it is very interesting. I was impressed. This movie follows the "Top Gun" theory, in which one of the good characters dies to give the entire movie more credibility. This movie is a winner. I give it an 8.25/10.

It is difficult to put words on how bad Van Helsing was. Even the jalepeno belly burn seemed a welcome distraction from the pure awfulness of this movie. Every cliche is used, acting is dreadful, please don't go and watch such **** at the cinema.