Van Helsing DVD Review:

Utilised by the Vatican to fight the forces of evil, Gabriel Van Helsing (Jackman) is sent to Transylvania to face a foe that legend says can never be killed, Count Dracula (Roxburgh). Dracula has plans of his own however, as he has stolen the power to create life from Dr Frankenstein (West) and intends to use it to generate thousands of his own offspring, spreading pure evil throughout the world. With the help of Anna Valerious (Beckinsale), whose family has been fighting Dracula for generations and Friar Carl (Wenham), the Vatican’s best scholar and inventor, it is up to Van Helsing to stop the Vampire’s diabolical plan at any cost.

After successfully rejuvenating The Mummy from the Universal Monsters archive, director Stephen Sommers resurrects The Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster and Dracula for his most ambitious project yet, Van Helsing. The problem is that with all these characters something is bound to suffer and that is the plot.

As a visual spectacle, Van Helsing is a treat. Grandiose sets, larger than life characters and action sequences aplenty but the plot is a complete mess. The idea of bringing together three legendary icons in the world of horror seems good on paper, in fact Universal themselves did it constantly in the 30s, 40s and 50s but a tangible story is really needed to bring these three renowned movie monsters together. What this movie delivers paper-thin premise of Dracula needing Frankenstein’s Monster to bring life to his dormant children while he uses werewolves as his servants. Throw in Anna Valerious’s family connection and Van Helsing’s memory loss (which never really gets explained) and you have a plot that only serves to fill in the gaps between action sequences.

Having three villains and a larger than life hero means that screen time is very precious so one of the characters is bound to suffer and for this movie it is Frankenstein’s Monster who loses out. The creature has very little presence or development but it does capture the feeling of sympathy for him, which Boris Karloff achieved in the original 1931 film. Actor Shuler Hensley does a good job but the makeup effects and the design don’t quite have the same resonance as Karloff’s immortal interpretation.

The Wolf Man is brilliantly realised however. The sheer ferocity of the transformation from man to beast is the best since An American Werewolf in London back in 1981. The wolf bursts from within like it was caged inside of the person afflicted with the curse. This is an extremely imaginative variation on the werewolf doctrine and the best creature design in the movie. Will Kemp brings out the feeling of overwhelming guilt felt by the character for his actions but doesn’t quite have the presence or screen time of Lon Chaney Jr to make the character his own.

Dracula and his Brides bring the vampiric element to the story. Elena Anaya, Silva Colloca and Josie Maran do an excellent job as The Brides, bringing sexuality, lust and evil to the vampire harlots. The effects for these creatures are very good as they transform from visions of womanly perfection to demonic, winged banshees. Richard Roxburgh’s Dracula on the other hand is the movie’s major character letdown. There is no question that Roxburgh is a gifted actor but he just doesn’t have the look or screen presence to be Dracula. He also plays the role slightly too camp with not enough menace or allure to make you think that he had any real power or influence over any of his subjects or victims. It has to go down as bad casting because he is not Dracula, as you would envision him.

With three villainous icons tussling for the limelight you need a strong hero to steal some of it back. In Hugh Jackman’s Van Helsing you have just that. A cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond, our hero has the look and presence to stand up against these forces of evil. This is another iconic role that Jackman walks easily into and instantly makes his own. It would have been so easy for the hero to get lost within the cornucopia evil but Jackman and director Stephen Sommers have made sure that he gets most of the screen time and development. The beautiful Kate Beckinsale brings another screen heroine to the screen as Anna Valerious. This is another strong female role for the actress and she is becoming quite accomplished in the action stakes. David Wenham is Van Helsing’s answer to Q (James Bond) or Whistler (Blade) as Friar Carl, who invents all of the hero’s gadgets and weapons. Wenham plays the role of the nervous scientist very well and provides a lot of the comic relief.

Writer/Director Stephen Sommers has produced another action packed adventure that is extremely entertaining and fun. Unlike his other films however, Van Helsing doesn’t quite have enough in the plot department or in the main villain to make this as memoriable as The Mummy movies. He should have really gone with one or at a push two of the iconic characters because their screen time and the story do suffer for this making Van Helsing more of a short lived roller coaster ride than a memorable adventure.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is extremely good. Stephen Sommers’ homage to the 1930s Universal monster movie looks fantastic, even when you bear in mind that the film takes place mostly at night. The sound quality is also extremely good with the creature’s howls, growls and groans filling the speakers.

BONUS FEATURES

Single Disc Version

Explore Dracula’s Castle

The Count himself narrates a guide around his Transylvanian castle, showing you the various rooms and laboratories that feature in the movie.

Bloopers (5.39 mins)

A montage of gaffs and goofs as the actors muck up their lines or props fail to work. Shuler Hensley (Frankenstein’s Monster) and Hugh Jackman seem to be the comedians on the set.

Bring the Monsters to Life (10.02 mins)

Director Stephen Sommers, executive producer Sam Mercer, producer/editor Bob Ducsay, visual effects supervisor Ben Snow, animation director Daniel Jeannette, visual effects supervisor Scott Squires and motion capture engineer Douglas Griffin so you how the special effects team brought Mr Hyde, Dracula’s Brides and the exhilarating coach chase to the silver screen. The featurette highlights to techniques used to create these scenes, such as motion capture, and shows you comparisons between each stage of realisation.

You are in the Movie (4.29 mins)

Behind the scenes footage from special, hidden cameras located at various points through the shoot, taking inside the movie from a whole new angle. Here you can view secret footage from the scenes “Anna finds Velkam”, “Van Helsing sneaks into Dracula’s lab”, “Van Helsing and Dracula meet” and “The Final Battle”. After watching the introduction you can then revisit the scenes choosing the angle you wish to view them from.

The Legend of Van Helsing (10.09 mins)

Writer/director Stephen Sommers, editor/producer Bob Ducsay and stars Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, David Wenham and Shuler Hensley talk about updating and changing Bram Stoker’s classic character. Stephen Sommers reveals the reasons why he changed the character and made him much younger and the cast discuss what it was like working with Hugh Jackman.

Feature commentary with director Stephen Sommers and editor/producer Bob Ducsay

This chatty and informative track covers the technical aspects of bringing Van Helsing to the silver screen. The pair reveals many secrets from the production including why the opening was in black and white, casting details, location shooting and the technology used to create the classic creatures. The commentary is very good; coming from two men who are very passionate about their movie and the characters they are playing homage to.

Feature commentary with Richard Roxburgh, Shuler Hensley and Will Kemp

Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and the Wolfman come together for a fun and chatty commentary. This was the first time the actors had seen the completed film and they talk about their characters, while constantly talking the Mickey out of each other. Shuler Hensley reveals that he had to go through four and a half hours of makeup and how he provided the motion capture for Mr Hype. Each of them comments on the history of their characters and how each of them was introduced. This is a good, fun commentary track from three people who obviously enjoyed making the movie.

Trailers

The full theatrical and Super Bowl trailers for Van Helsing and previews of Shrek 2, Classic Monsters, The Bourne Supremacy, The Chronicles of Riddick and Billy Elliot: The Musical

Special Edition double disc only features: -

Explore Frankenstein's Lab

Van Helsing: The Story, The Life, The Legend (mini-documentary)

Track The Adventure: Van Helsing Map

The Music of Van Helsing

Dracula's lair is transformed

OVERALL

The single disc version of Van Helsing is surprisingly good value. For those of you who don’t want to pay extra for loads of special features that you probably won’t ever watch, Universal has still supplied you with enough bonus features to keep you happy. The commentary tracks are very good and the featurettes, while short, cover most of the bases for those of you who don’t want to go into a lot of detail. It might not be a monster of a DVD but fans that want everything will buy the 2-disc version anyway.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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