“Van Helsing” (Universal Pictures)
Move over Brendan Fraser, Hugh Jackman has entered the world of action adventure heroes and has staked his claim as a monster hunter. He plays the title role in the new film “Van Helsing” and it is just as much fun as Fraser’s “Mummy” movies were. There is action, romance, comedy and thrills. All of these elements are fitted together with perfect precision by writer/director/producer Stephen Sommers.
Van Helsing is a mystery man who has been hired by a secret clique within the Catholic Church to go after various monsters. His latest task is Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). This takes him and his faithful assistant Carl (David Wenham) to Romania.
There he meets up with Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) who is also a vampire hunter. Van Helsing and Anna team up and go after the Count and hiss three brides. They also have to deal with a “wolfman” who is actually Anna’s bitten brother Velkan (Will Kemp).
As Van Helsing and Anna do battle with all of these creepy creatures the fun of the film increases. There is never more than five minutes between action sequences and that is just the way it should be in a movie of this type. This does cut down on the time available for character development and study but who cares. It is much more fun to see the wonderful images cooked up by the special effects guys.
Jackman is perfect for this adventurer role. He has the acting talent to do both drama and humor, plus he can handle the action stuff naturally too. And when it comes to charisma with Beckinsale, well he’s got it.
Beckinsale is the perfect match for his Van Helsing. She has enormous energy, stunning beauty, and believable strength. When she is fighting the monsters you believe she can hold her own.
Roxburgh played “The Duke” in “Moulin Rouge” and in this film he is “the Count.” Well you can always count on him to deliver a unique performance. He stamps this role of Dracula with his unique brand of acting and makes it a standout performance in a movie where the special effects could overshadow the humans.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Jackman, Beckinsale, Roxburgh and crisp special effects make this a movie with the potential to be a monster hit. It won’t take a full moon to have audiences howling for a sequel. They will want more monsters and the sooner the better.
I scored “Van Helsing” a hellraising 7 out of 10.
