Van Helsing

[Liquid Snake]

I just saw Van Helsing and I can tell you it was pretty sweet. The action and special effects were great, just as expected. The story and performances were pretty solid for an action movie, the directing was good but left some plot holes and misunderstandings for me (the moon phases are kind of weird on these movie).

The monster deserve special notice because they were outsanding. Mr. Hyde (minor appearance around the beginning) is so much better than the 'League of...' Hyde. The Werewolves look and fight just like World of Darkness Garous in Crinos form, and that's good...very good. The Frankenstein monster is in my own view a very original and fresh new image for this classical monster. Dracula and her brides are cool and all...but I kind of prefer WoD-sort-of vampires who don't change into battle modes.

I was pretty suprised when I saw Dave Wenham (Faramir) in the role of a non-heroic bookwormish friar. He's the movie's comic relief and he does a good job at it, I found it particularly interesting to watch Wenham in such a different role from his LoTR role.

The only thing I disliked was the ending...but I won't tell you about that.

Oh yeah and Kate Beckinsale is freakin' hot! But I guess you've already noticed that.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

I haven't seen it yet but it looks awesome. I'll probably go this weekend.

The effects look amazing. The story sounds awesome. The whole visual aspect of this movie will probably be enough for me to want to see it repeatedly, from the sets to the effects to the costumes.

And I want to be Kate Beckinsale. Actually I just really dig her snazzy clothes in this movie. Ah, if only they'd let me dress like that at my office.


And Hugh Jackman is dreamy.

j/k that's not why I see movies.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

GAAAAAA.

More special effects driven movies, now more and more comic book superhero inspired. Give me an old character driven movie anyday over these special effects monstrosities. The original Mummy movie, now that is a much better horror movie. When special effects are the point of the movie I no longer care to see it.

 

[Thanee]

Seen the movie today and it's really cool!

Exactly like I thought it would be (pulp-style). Cool characters, cool story and cool visuals.

And I tell you, Van Helsing is a Paladin (Hey, at least he can

Spoiler

detect evil

)!

Brown Jenkin - the movie is absolutely not about special effects only, it's quite story driven, just that the story is something completely new, which uses elements from all the stuff mixed in there (Dracula, Frankenstein, etc).

It's surely not a movie for those who only want to see the original story, or the van Helsing character from the original Dracula fiction.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I'll probably see this on Saturday. Really can't wait...I don't care if its got a good or bad plot, I want pulp type action!!

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually I just really dig her snazzy clothes in this movie.

Absolutely!

... hey, I was right - Igor was Beni from The Mummy! I thought I recognised the voice...

Heh... one bit that struck me as particularly amusing:

Spoiler

In the masquerade scene, where Dracula and Anna are dancing, and there's the mirror shot, two thoughts went through my head. First - "Yay! Unlike Underworld, the vampire doesn't show up in the mirror!" And second - "Aw, but they screwed up - none of the other dancers are reflecting either. And that wouldn't be right unless every single other person in the room were a... oh."

-Hyp.

 

[Assenpfeffer]

And I want to be Kate Beckinsale. Actually I just really dig her snazzy clothes in this movie. Ah, if only they'd let me dress like that at my office.

When I run my own office, that sort of thing will be explictly encouraged. If not required.

 

[hong]

Van Helsing reminds me of nothing less than someone's monster-hunting campaign put on the big screen. And I mean that in a good way. Just like Underworld reminded me of someone's Vampire LARP put on the big screen.

 

[Darmanicus]

I'm soooo lookin' forward to watchin' this. A lot of people have said bad reviews etc. but, man, this looks as though it's gonna kick ass!

 

[Villano]

I just read a review of the film which mentioned that Jackman is playing "Gabriel" Van Helsing. Gabriel? I admit that it's been a while since I've read the book, but isn't it Abraham?

Okay, in the book, Van Helsing was an old man and nothing like the action hero portrayed in the flm (no to mention that the book doesn't mention the Wolfman or Frankenstein's Monster), so I'm willing to make concessions. However, the name change does seem strange. It's kind of like the Hammer films adaption of Jekyll & Hyde (I, Monster) in which they kept the names of all the other characters except Jekyll & Hyde who for some reason became Marlowe & Blake (I think).

However, it did make me wonder if he's actually supposed to be playing the same Van Helsing or one of his relative (kind of like the Belmont clan of the Castlevania games). Any mention of this in the film?