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Van Helsing
2004
All varieties of otherworldly creatures come out to play in Stephen Sommers' gothic carnival. Frankenstein's monster, ferocious werewolves, vampire bat babies, a maniacal scientist named Igor, and a CGI Dr. Jekyll are just a few. When they come together, a thrilling fantasy adventure results, making VAN HELSING a visual feast. .. Read more
| Starring | Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham |
|---|---|
| Director | Stephen Sommers |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
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Van Helsing
All varieties of otherworldly creatures come out to play in Stephen Sommers' gothic carnival. Frankenstein's monster, ferocious werewolves, vampire bat babies, a maniacal scientist named Igor, and a CGI Dr. Jekyll are just a few. When they come together, a thrilling fantasy adventure results, making VAN HELSING a visual feast. Destined to fight the world's evil, Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) is a warrior in a cowboy hat and a trench coat, heavily armed with a rapid-fire multi-arrow crossbow, among other gadgetry. A legion of monks in Rome send Van Helsing to Transylvania to hunt the immortal Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), who terrorizes the local people with the help of his three vampire brides. Especially threatened is the vixen Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), whose family also strives to kill the Count. Van Helsing and Anna Valerious work together, searching for the secret door to Dracula's lair. But it is only after massive battles involving impossible stunts, races on horse-pulled carriages, and the desecration of enchanting medieval castles (all done with dizzying computer graphics) that they succeed. Not only does the eye candy keep on coming, the tongue-in-cheek writing and deep Transylvanian accents perfect the film with a dose of dark humour.
| Starring | Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Will Kemp, Shuler Hensley, Samuel West, Elena Anaya |
|---|---|
| Director | Stephen Sommers |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 6 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 6 mins HD DVD: 2 hrs 12 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English HD DVD: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: 11 Oct 2004 Blu-ray: 25 May 2009 HD DVD: 04 Dec 2006 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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Having re-invigorated the Mummy franchise, writer/director Stephen Sommers turns his attention to the rest of Universal's classic monsters. Using the original films and character legends as a springboard, he delivers an exciting, effects-driven romp that combines the pulling power of Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein's Monster. Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) is dispatched by a secret, Vatican-based organisation to 19th-century Transylvania where he comes to the aid of Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) in her long-running battle against the vampire Count and his evil allies. Though Richard Roxburgh's Dracula lacks charisma next to the magnetic Jackman, his flying, harpy-like brides are superb, fuelling some of the movie's most thrilling set pieces. This is Indiana Jones meets Hammer Horror — the relentless action is blended with a knowing undercurrent and dramatic gothic styling. Ultimately the CGI could have been better — as could the dialogue — but viewed solely as escapism, this is an exhilarating ride.
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A truly terrible movie, loud and vacuous, in which the actors become not very special effects among a phantasmagoria of computer-generated monsters.
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Most helpful member's review
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40 out of 50 people found this review helpful
A whole load of Vampire fun
Van Helsing hurtles along at one hell of a rate with scene after scene of monster smashing carnage as Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale do their best to annoy Dracula and his unholy friends!
I thought this film was visually spectacular and was just a lot of fun. Kate Beckinsale is absolutely stunning and there are also some seriously hot Romanian vampire chicks flying about to boot.
Get off your high horses fellow reviewers and stop taking it all so seriously. This film isnt looking to win any awards with its in depth story line and narrative - its just a bit of CGI fun. So enjoy. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Very poor
Stephen Sommers seems to be regressing. His 1999 update on 'The Mummy' was a rip-roaring affair, melding Indiana Jones with Hammer Horror, but he then seemed to lose his way with 'The Mummy Returns' (essentially a reconstruction of the original's most impressive set pieces and featuring a highly disinterested Brendan 'Contractually Obliged?' Fraser). 'Van Helsing' continues the trend and can be summed up as a sprawling mess of a movie. Where to begin? Well for me, the appalling CGI work is the biggest let down, eliminating any modicum of fear that could have been mustered. This, after all, is a movie about some of cinema's most legendary fright fiends: Wolfman, Dracula and Frankenstein. The resulting 're-imagining' is nothing more than an overdose of soulless animation, dire scripting and a serviceable supporting cast (at best) So why two stars and not one? That will be one Hugh Jackman, who alone saves it from being truly abysmal...
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News and features
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Strong opening for Van Helsing
- 09 May 2004
Monster flick Van Helsing took an estimated $54.2 million (£30.3 million) in its first weekend in North America. The $160 million movie, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale, opened on Friday. The film is tipped to become one of the summer's biggest blockbusters, despite mixed reviews, but is likely to see profits dented by next week's epic release, Troy. A Universal spokesman also revealed that the movie earned a further $53 million (£29.7 million) from 41 international... Read more
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Van Helsing - HD DVD Version
All varieties of otherworldly creatures come out to play in Stephen Sommers' gothic carnival. Frankenstein's monster, ferocious werewolves, vampire bat babies, a maniacal scientist named Igor, and a CGI Dr. Jekyll are just a few. When they come together, a thrilling fantasy adventure results, ...
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- Van Helsing - BLU-RAY Version
- Blu-Ray: £9.93
Free Delivery - RRP £19.99 (you save: 50%)
All varieties of otherworldly creatures come out to play in Stephen Sommers' gothic carnival. Frankenstein's monster, ferocious werewolves, vampire bat babies, a maniacal scientist named Igor, and a ... -
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Van Helsing
All varieties of otherworldly creatures come out to play in Stephen Sommers' gothic carnival. Frankenstein's monster, ferocious werewolves, vampire bat babies, a maniacal scientist named Igor, and a CGI Dr. Jekyll are just a few. When they come together, a thrilling fantasy adventure results, ...
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