Van Helsing (2004) Single Disc Edition

---

---

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Like a roller coaster ready to fly off its rails, Van Helsing rockets to maximum velocity and never slows down. Having earned blockbuster clout with The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, writer-director Stephen Sommers once again plunders Universal's monster vault and pulls out all the stops for this mammoth $148-million action-adventure-horror-comedy, which opens (sans credits) with a terrific black-and-white prologue that pays homage to the Universal horror classics that inspired it. The plot pits legendary vampire hunter Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) against Dracula (the deliciously campy Richard Roxburgh), his deadly blood-sucking brides, and the Wolfman (Will Kemp) in a two-hour parade of outstanding special effects (980 in all) that turn Sommers' juvenile plot into a triple-overtime bonus for CGI animators. In alliance with a Transylvanian princess (Kate Beckinsale) and the Frankenstein monster (Shuler Hensley), Van Helsing must prevent Dracula from hatching his bat-winged progeny, and there's so much good-humored action that you're guaranteed to be thrilled and exhausted by the time the 10-minute end-credits roll. It's loud, obnoxious, filled with revisionist horror folklore, and aimed at addicted gamers and eight-year-olds, but this colossal monster mash (including Mr. Hyde, just for kicks) will never, ever bore you. A sequel is virtually guaranteed. --Jeff Shannon

---

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-01-06 rating:
Dramatic, Gothic and Fun but......
I love vampire films, so I couldn't miss this one. However, after watching it, I have mixed feelings.

The fact that this film has a lot of characters; Dr Jeckle, Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, Brides of Dracula, thousands of their off-spring and Werewolves, etc. (what else is in it?!) makes it interesting to watch. However, the full-on, non-stop action is a bit exhausting to say the least. It needed to slow down in order to get into the characters and the relationships, in other words, it needed more depth! Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) plays the same basic character as he did in the X-Men movies; the grumpy hero who saves the day. Kate Beckinsale just fell flat and there wasn't much chemistry between her and Jackman.

Out of the whole cast, Richard Roxburgh, who plays Dracula, did a bit better, because it's the first time I've seen Dracula look a pillock. For instance; walking up the wall and while giving a childish "oh woe is me" speech to his two remaining brides who were hanging from the ceiling. I found this laughable and why didn't he just fly up anyway? He also gave a good impression of being a coward, as well as arrogance; this exhibits itself more when he fights Van Helsing towards the end of the film. He fears death and is afraid of anyone who may be stronger than him (something he's never been used too) and he still thinks he's indestructible. I can imagine the real Vlad had a nature like this, with the exception of walking up walls of course! I certainly think Richard Roxburgh added the comic touch to the film. It's a shame more of it couldn't have been the same.

The CGI is good, but it's so fast, you miss a lot the high-quality effects. The costume design is on the ridiculous side in some parts. How did Ms. Beckinsale manage to do all those acrobatics in that black corset?

Nevertheless, I Loved the comic book, OTT style which reminded me of other films such as Indiana Jones, The Mummy and The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, which appeal to both adults and children. I believe this was the intension.
I would watch it again; purely on the basis that it's a gothic, dramatic and fun film to watch when there's nothing else on, or at Christmas, so I would have it in my collection.

---

review by: date: 2008-12-08 rating:
Impressively poor
Everything in this movie is poor - from acting to the plot. I tried hard to find a positive note, but failed to find one. I am only surprised that actors known from good (well - better) titles were part of it. Must be for the money.

AVOID!!!!

---

review by: martin thomas date: 2008-06-07 rating:
doh
complete rubbish that is not worth bothering with.theres no gore,no scares
the werewolves,vampires and frankensteins monster all look cheap and shoddy,the acting is awful, the script is worse

---

review by: date: 2008-02-13 rating:
Crash! Bang! Wallop! But not much else.
This is a film that tries to do many things, but only really manages to be incredibly noisy. There are nods to other movies (including James Bond and M) and an attempt to marry horror with wit (not easy, but watch Buffy the equally famous Vampire Slayer to see how it's done).

Hugh Jackman plays in fairly straight in the title role, Richard Roxburgh hams it up as Dracula and Kate Beckinsale struts her stuff in ridiculous heels, a wasp waisted corset and a blouse that tries to make her look bare breasted.

Unfortunately the thin storyline (haunted vampire hunter Jackman wants to kill Dracula. So does Kate) is not helped by the thin script, and being battered by CGI effects and the sound track ended up making me feel slightly mind boggled and just plain disappointed.

If you want to turn off your brain and simply admire the clever technology, give it a go. If you want substance, character and something to get your teeth into....give it a miss.




review by: A soul doctor, so to say date: 2008-01-20 rating:
SHALLOW FOR SURE BUT AMUSING
When you want to make one more film on Dracula who counts several hundred films already, both as assets and as drawbacks, you have to be original. No problem ! Let's patchwork together dozens of allusions to other films and create the first ever vampiristic salad. So Dr Frankenstein and his creature will be there. The use of the lightning to get electricity like in Back to the Future 1. The use of strange weapons halfway between Back to the Future 3 and The Lord of the Rings. The costume, dress, apparel of Van Helsing looks like Clint Eastwood's in a spaghetti western, and at times like the main hero's in the Matrix trilogy. The cows in the village are similar to those in Salem's Lot 2. Even the dance scene with the vampire reflected in a half empty mirror is borrowed from Dance of the Vampires. I would need a volume to quote them all. So what's left after all that composing of tidbits? A superhero Van Helsing who kills Dracula's three fiancées, the thousands of baby vampires that look like upside down Aliens in their suspended pods, and Dracula himself. And all that on the order from the Vatican, the Pope and the good old godly Catholic church. That's a counter-allusion to the Da Vinci Code. The film then is more dictated in its plot by the brand new topnotch state of the art digitalized image processing of the modern world than the reverse. So the plot is a vast ballet between mountains and from abysses to cosmic skies. It is thus an amusing entertainment as shallow as the Thames River twenty kilometers before its spring. Or is it the Mississippi river?

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

---

Similar products

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen [2003]
Hellboy [2004]
Underworld [2003]
Constantine [2005]
I Robot (Collector's Two Disc Edition) [2004]

---

Similar categories

Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Action & Adventure . All Action & Adventure
Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Horror
Video . DVD & VHS . Substores . Regular Stores . DVD Bargains . By Price . From £4.97 . DVDs from £4.97
Video . DVD & VHS . Substores . Regular Stores . DVD Bargains . By Price . Up to 70% off . Up to 70% off DVDs
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . DVD
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 12
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin) . Region 2
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 2000 and later
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English

---

Accessories

Van Helsing: The Novel
Van Helsing
Van Helsing (Xbox)
Van Helsing (PS2)
Van Helsing (GBA)

---