Wow! Such a good movie.

Touches You

That was an excellent one.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Filthy friar.Hiding the non-decoy so close? It's like 10 feet away? How did they not see it? This illusion is greater than David Copperfield making the Statue of Libery disappear. This party looks like the Yahoo! company Xmas party. Complete with stilts. Sun Bomb... "A genius with access to unstable chemicals" :)No one ever enters a mirror faster than very slow. That must take all night to light all those torches. "... never be the first to stick your hand in a viscous material." :)The wives never learn to not play with their food. Throwing it is a horrible plan... if you did not know you were in a movie. Anna definitely needs to enter concussion protocol. Repeatedly. Anna has a remarkably high constitution. Hugh handed his clothes over to James Purefoy for Solomon Kane. Highly Rewatchable.

Movie Review: "Van Helsing" (2004)Even though this picture has almost everything to be the ultimate event movie; the monsters, the pace, the action, the stars and a gripping soundtrack by Alan Silvestri plus state of the art special effects by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM); director and original writer Stephen Sommers, given an 160 Million Dollar Budget and creative freedom from Universal Pictures, after directing two consecutive hit movies "The Mummy" (1999) and "The Mummy Returns" (2001) for the Hollywood Studio, which wanted to create a new comic book kind of hero with "Van Helsing", performed by matching all the looks and beating skills actor Hugh Jackman, in his first stand-alone leading role since breakthrough as supporting character "Wolverine" in "X-Men" directed by Bryan Singer in season 1999/2000.The dialogues are shallow. The background story denies the audience mystical imaginations. So that the picture accelerates like an hyper-tuned sports car from action scene to action scene, encountering nearly all Universal Classic Monsters from 1930s, starting out with Dracula, here performed by disappointed, unimpressed as to say false-directed actor Richard Roxburgh, who does not share one scary fright night moment as the Count of all Vampires. When "Frankenstein's Creature" is on the loose to get hunted by "Dracula", while "Van Helsing" speeds through Paris, France to finish off "Mr. Hyde" in an unnecessary, meaningless character establishing scene, before we finally meet supporting cast members actress Kate Beckinsale as character of tough-and-sword-skilled Anna Valerious, who loses her brother to the "Wolfsman" curse on a Eastern Europe gypsy village location under attack of "Dracula's Brides"; when Gabriel, believed to be an fallen angel, "Van Helsing", a fact completely missed-out in the main character's mythology, gets further indulged by researches of side-kicking monk esquire Carl, sharing some moments of smiling due to actor David Wenham's respectable slapstick performance.Nevertheless all the features in the production value designed by Allen Cameron and further unsolid, insufficient directions and less cinematographic blocking maps within the image system by Lighting Cameraman Allen Daviau, who under Director Stephen Sommers stays behind capabilities without convincing any of total three editors surrounding lead editor Bob Ducsay to cut into ranges of extreme-close-up to extreme-wide-shots in order to at least maintain visually some scene dynamics, which then in total arrives at a running time of 122 Minutes (exlcuding the end credits), when nowadays a final cut of "Van Helsing" creates wishes to be an R-rated 90 minutes running Horror-Action, slight comedian, powerhouse of Universal's Classic Monsters.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

Van Helsing (2004) Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, David Wenham, Richard Roxburgh, Shuler Hensley, Elena Anaya, Will Kemp, Kevin J. O'Connor, Alun Armstrong, Silvia Colloca, Josie Maran, Tom Fisher, Samuel West, Robbie Coltrane, and Stephen Fisher Written & Directed By: Stephen Sommers Review ADVENTURE LIVES FOREVER Hello Kiddies your pal the Crypt-Critic here with a tale about a time long ago, a time called the 90s. During this mystical time a group of wonderful folks had the idea of remaking all the classic Universal movie Monsters. This Era brought us gems such as Bram Stokers Dracula directed by Francis Ford Coppola and two I haven't seen like Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and Wolf with Jack Nicholson. Now it was time for The Mummy to return but instead of making it horror, they turned it an action/adventure extravaganza directed by Stephen Sommers who went on to do the sequel. Both of which made money, it was only a matter of time until Universal would give him there monster properties. Stephen Sommers opted to do a franchise with all of the other monsters with the main focus being on the great and legendary monster hunter of them all VAN HELSING! Famed monster slayer Gabriel Van Helsing is dispatched to Transylvania to assist the last of the Valerious bloodline in defeating Count Dracula. Anna Valerious reveals that Dracula has formed an unholy alliance with Dr. Frankenstein's monster and is hell-bent on exacting a centuries- old curse on her family. This movie is a great big fantastical adventure from start to finish. The movie gives us great performances from Hugh Jackman as Gabriel, if they so happen to go with the original Van Helsing Abraham I think Hugh could pull that off as well if they give him the same great make-up from Logan. Kate Beckinsale is always a plus, if a movie's got Vampires, werewolves and Kate Beckinsale I'll see it because that is my biggest guilty pleasure. Richard Roxburgh is a pretty damn good Dracula, he has one scene that I really like where he's like "No! I have no heart, I feel no love, no fear, no joy, no sorrow, I am hollow and I live forever." The score for this movie is cool it gives off the movies epic adventure vibe. I'm pretty sure this film is inspiration for a new Van Helsing named Liesel Van Helsing, daughter of the original Abraham Van Helsing. They both have a similar attire. The direction from Stephen is great it's sad to know that isn't directing movies anymore if any he should be in charge of the dark universe. The special effects are terrible though, that I will not defend. But I had to much fun with this experience that it just didn't bother me. The wolf-man and designs of Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster also made it less bothersome , I loved the designs of the monsters. The werewolf transformation is also cool and very different from other werewolf films. Van Helsing is the kind of film you don't take seriously, you just grab some popcorn and go on a fantastical adventure with Hugh Jackaman and the sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy and did I mention sexy Kate Beckinsale. I'm giving Van Helsing a five out of five.

Van Helsing (2004) is fun and pretty well made in different aspects. It has good acting throughout by all the actors, especially by Beckinsale and Jackman. Kate Beckinsale really is a great choice for the role she fulfills, she has the correct physical look/appearance, and she fits in all the other ways as well, good cast call. Hugh Jackman is obviously playing the main character here, Van helsing. Hugh also gives a fine performance, and he also physically fits the role, he's very stoic at times but then heartfelt at times when he needs to be, and he's strong/muscular, which of course is necessary with all the action scenes and maneuvers he must perform. Speaking of action scenes, the special effects and the actual fighting in this movie is all very well done, and I don't mean to say that it's the best thing in any action movie you'll see, but it suffices. I also really like the way they did Dracula's wives, seductive and menacing at the same time, which of course is the way Dracula's wives are supposed to be. I thought the plot was entertaining and I thought it was executed well. So all in all Van Helsing receives a seven out of 10 as far as quality goes.