I had such anticipation for this film, having heard it was going to be directed by the guy who gave us The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. More of the classic Universal monsters in one film. Frankenstein, the werewolves, and Dracula. And Hugh Jackman as the monster slayer. Plus lots of Eastern European sets. It may not be an Oscar contender but it did its job as a popcorn film that could entertain those who don't want to think hard. It's also good for those of you who didn't care for the Mummy due to the casting of Brendan Fraser as the main character. Even though I did enjoy Van Helsing, I hoped that there'd be a better plot. But it's good as a popcorn film, as previously stated. If you liked the classic Universal monsters and want action, or if you're following Stephen Sommers, give this a go. If you expected something deep or intellectual, no deal.

When I first saw this film in a theater, I wouldn't have given it more than a 7 - but I liked it enough to buy the video, and on third viewing, 13 years later, I was blown away by its overall excellence: the photography is gorgeous, the plot original, the script first rate, the acting first-rate, the music rich and strong without ever overpowering the movie itself, and the combination of camp humor, action, and an unexpected ending (spoiler alert) make it for me one of my all-time favorite movies. If you like a mixture of humor and action, with spectacular photography and a rich score, this is for you. While The Mummy is okay, Van Helsing is far more original and well-done in every aspect - a camp action masterpiece. Much better than 90 percent of the movies I have seen in the last decade.

The Three Acts:The initial tableau: There is a lot going on in this film. The initial context comes from four vignettes: (1) Doctor Frankenstein has successfully brought life to his cobbled together monster. Dracula, who funded Frankenstein, figures that his investment has borne fruit, and kills the doctor. The monster is enraged by this, and manages to escape Dracula and the mob with their torches. Dracula recruits Igor.(2) Van Helsing confronts Mr. Hyde in Paris at the behest of a secret group operating out of the Vatican. In doing such work, Van Helsing has become a wanted criminal of international renown. He has no public support whatsoever, and is hated by many.(3) At the Vatican, Van Helsing is dressed down by Cardinal Jinette. He gets a new assignment: to protect the Valerian family (Anna and Velkan), and to help them kill Count Dracula in a fulfillment of a family oath. The oath was that the family would not enter Heaven until Dracula was destroyed. Van Helsing meets the friar named Carl, who is both timid and talented.(4) Velkan and Anna attempt to trap the werewolf that has been terrorising the village. Velkan kills the werewolf, but is bitten in the process.Delineation of conflicts: Velkan becomes a rather powerful werewolf. Dracula would use Velkan for his own purposes. Van Helsing and Anna have a chewy first meeting, then agree to oppose Dracula's intentions toward Velkan.Dracula and his trio of mates (Aleera, Verona, and Marishka) want their undead offspring to have life. Van Helsing, Anna, and the Vatican want them to die: Van Helsing, to follow orders; Anna, to save her family from Purgatory; the Vatican, to drive the spawn of Satan from the face of the Earth.Frankenstein's monster would like to live in peace with some degree of freedom. Dracula wants to consume him to transfer life to his offspring. The Vatican wants the monster dead since he's not precisely human, and his life was not given to him by God. Carl would like to comply with the Vatican's wishes, but cannot in good conscience.Dracula wants Van Helsing dead for strong reasons of his own. Van Helsing, Carl, Anna, and the monster are opposed.Resolution: Excellent, difficult, and harmonious.

Van Helsing is a film that i have seen more than 5 or even 8 times since the time it came out and personally i don't get bored of it. It's not a perfect 10 out of 10 for me so let's get to the problems first the casting of Dracula is way off i liked Richard Roxburgh in Mission Impossible 2 but in here as the Count Dracula his performance is laughable but at least his transformation is pretty cool so that's a 50/50 for me. The CGI is sometimes OK and others bad but nothing will ever reach Mummy 2 a film that was good but had the worst cgi of all time another film that the same director directed. Let's go to the good Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale are amazing in this film and the action is pretty cool and also the soundtrack from Alan Silvestri is out of this world. Van Helsing is not a perfect movie but putting it on the list with the worst films of all time next to Batman & Robin and Catwoman is just weird there are much much worse movies out there. I give the film a A-