VAN HELSING Reviewed by Terry Anderson 5/9/04 As a child of the 50's I grew up watching every horror movie I could get my eyes on. I ate, slept and drank this stuff. I loved them all, from the cheesiest hand-puppet, "Monster that TRIED to conquer the world" types to the best of the best, the Universal horror pictures of the 30's and 40's. Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and The Wolfman, I couldn't get enough of them. They were fabulous and that's why I was delighted to see the tribute to those great pictures in the opening scene of Van Helsing. They did it in black and white and used all the campy and corny dialog of that time period. It was great! Hugh Jackman is Gabriel Van Helsing, monster hunter deluxe. He's employed by The Vatican and roams the world, killing monsters of all types and making the world safe, unbeknownst to mankind. He is sent on a mission to Transylvania to kill Dracula and save an old family from extinction. The last member is Anna, played by Kate Beckensale (WoW!) and she is every bit the vampire fighter that he is. They become a team and must stop Dracula from populating the world with his kind. They fight the Wolfman and Dracula's brides who are three tough broads! Along the way a few secrets are revealed but I won't give those away here. This picture was done on a grand scale. Not epic, but very big. The story wasn't the greatest but that's ok because when you go to see a picture of this type you're not looking for War and Peace or Gone With the Wind, you want entertainment and you want to be scared. You get both with this picture. The special effects are first-class and the acting is good, especially Jackman who was made to play this role. I've heard critics say that this picture lacked "this" and it lacked "that". They kill me with this same BS! When did they stop going to the movies for the FUN of it? This picture was as much fun as you can get for the price of a ticket (matinee, ALWAYS!), with no "messages" and no "socially redeeming values". It's fast and non-stop, with unrelenting action. I liked it. "Why does it smell like wet dog in here?" RECOMMENDATION: I didn't take my six year old grandson but I should have. This is a picture for the whole family though it does get a bit intense at times. Go see it! Rated PG 13 for "horror movie" type violence. No sex, no bad language. TWO KARLOFF, LUGOSI AND CHANEY JR. THUMBS UP. THEY'D BE PROUD!!! Movie Review © 2004 by Terry Anderson |
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