Anybody gonna see it? I'm gonna see it on Friday with my boyfriend so I just wanted to know if anybody else were planning on seeing it.

I saw it this afternoon, and it was not good.

I really wanted to like this movie too.
I loved director Steven Somers "Mummy" movies and Hugh Jackman is cool, but this movie was an overblown mess.

Great special effects and action sequences, but not much else.



Sadly, I give "Van Helsing" the :thumbsdow

You're not alone, Rottentomatoes rated it 23%. It's frustrating going to the theater when the movie ends up a stinker.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/VanHelsing-1132255/

It was okay. The characters were really flat and dull and a lot of the action sequences got very repetitve. I recommend seeing a matinee with a few friends if you have the chance but it's nothing special.

Oh man, are my boyfriend and I the only two people on the Earth that actually LIKED it? I REALLY liked it...hmm...

Originally posted by Ewan's My Man
Oh man, are my boyfriend and I the only two people on the Earth that actually LIKED it? I REALLY liked it...hmm...

I really, really, really wanted to like it, I swear!

I loved the CG effects! I loved the rapid fire crossbow!

I loved the black and white opening!

It just didn't work for me!

;)

So this closet dice-rollin', D&D-playin', Sinbad movie watchin', Ray Harryhausen meetin', semi geek had been psyched for weeks waiting for this film's release. The trailers looked like a ton-o-fun....a let down. Not a total crushing disappointment, but a let down.
On the good side, this is a fun, often thrilling adventure. The dark & cold looking scenery was well done. Also, I always love seeing new & different interpretations of vampires & Dracula. They pulled that off very well. There certainly was no shortage of great, fast-paced action & if you have kids into this sort of imagery, definitely take em. A good Saturday evening movie for sure.

Which brings me to the down side...

Waaaaaaaayyy too much of a reliance on CGIs. Not to say they shouldn't've used them at all, but just too much. I got worried during the 1st 10 minutes when I saw Mr. Hyde. It's a plain fact that at this point of the game, our eyes are 'trained' to spot even the smallest use of CGI. In this movie, there was nothing subtle about it & in my mind, I'm thinking "Oh. Computer monster. Yawn."

As far as the 2 main heroes go, the stunts & feats they manage that we're expected to suspend our disbelief for are just over-the-top. I mean way over. They take about a thousand deadly falls without breaking a single bone. Compare that to the much more "real" & believable Van Helsing from Coppola's 1992 "Dracula".
All that & the CGI effects leave you feeling you're watching something closer to a cartoon or reading a comic book. Also, a bit too much comic relief for me here. I guess I was expecting a darker, more serious movie. This is more akin to 'Indiana Jones'. For a better vampire/werewolf flick, I'll take the more heavy-handed "Underworld" over this. Oh yeah- Very corny ending...

Good points Rickenbacker.

According to the IMDB, this film was originally intended to be a sequel to the 1992 Dracula film, with Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Van Helsing. But the project was apparently shelved, rewritten, reimagined, and the result was the big budgeted monstrosity that opened over the weekend.

Ah, to think of what could have been...

;)

Originally posted by TJL
Godd points Rickenbacker.

According to the IMDB, this film was originally intended to be a sequel to the 1992 Dracula film, with Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Van Helsing. But the project was apparently shelved, rewritten, reimagined, and the result was the big budgeted monstrosity that opened over the weekend.

Ah, to think of what could have been...

;) LOL! :rotflmao: , BTW thats cool that it was gonna be a sequel

i liked it,there was some boring scenes but it was a overall

I wanna see it.:cool:

I have second thoughts about seeing this in the theater because someone I know saw it and said that it was horrible. Some other message boards that I belong to, said it was bad too. I guess I'll wait for video. This way, I won't be out $10.00. I had HIGH hopes for this film. Oh well, what can you do.

Originally posted by Silver Bullet
I have second thoughts about seeing this in the theater because someone I know saw it and said that it was horrible. Some other message boards that I belong to, said it was bad too. I guess I'll wait for video. This way, I won't be out $10.00. I had HIGH hopes for this film. Oh well, what can you do.

Yea, better off waiting and renting it if you're not sure. I mean, I loved it, but that's not the impression I'm gettng from a lot of people.

I just saw this movie tonight. I wish I would have waited for it to come out on video. Or at least went to a matinee.
For the first half(maybe more) I was watching and thinking, this movie is lacking something. Like ...substance?!
The rest of it got a wee bit better, but not by much.
I really didn't like this Count Dracula. I think if you're going to have Dracula in a movie the person playing him should have at least a little bit of a sinister aura to him. This guy just seemed ...bland.

But yeah, if you want to go see a movie with a lot of action and effects and not very much else, you might enjoy this movie.

Originally posted by Sterling Holobyte
I really didn't like this Count Dracula. I think if you're going to have Dracula in a movie the person playing him should have at least a little bit of a sinister aura to him. This guy just seemed ...bland.

*rips out hair* How can you SAY that?!?! He was AMAZING. I loved it when he started dancing with himself :D

I've seen it twice now and I'm going again tomorrow. I ADORED it. Or maybe I just adored Dracula...

By the way, Lauren, did you know that Dracula was the same guy who played the Duke in Moulin Rouge? :eek:

Originally posted by -*Forever*-
By the way, Lauren, did you know that Dracula was the same guy who played the Duke in Moulin Rouge? :eek:

Richard Roxburgh also recently appeared in "Hellboy" as Rasputin.

He's been pretty busy playing bad guys in 2004.

I totally loved it, and I really didn't expect to. My brother got to pick the movie and I didn't really know what to expect or what it was about. But I totally got into it and I just really, really liked it. Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale were both fantastic, and Schuler Hensley as Frankenstein's monster was a show-stealer (if you're the movie geek that I am you'll remember he and Hugh Jackman toured in Oklahoma! together) :crazy:

I don't know, I just really liked it. I'll probably go see it again.

Originally posted by TJL
Richard Roxburgh also recently appeared in "Hellboy" as Rasputin.

He's been pretty busy playing bad guys in 2004.

*gasp* He was in Hellboy??? Damnit, I knew I should have gone when I got the offer.

Originally posted by -*Forever*-


By the way, Lauren, did you know that Dracula was the same guy who played the Duke in Moulin Rouge? :eek:

Hehehe, yup! I was watching it and I was like, "IT'S THE DUKE!!"

He was awesome!

Originally posted by -*Forever*-
*gasp* He was in Hellboy??? Damnit, I knew I should have gone when I got the offer.

You should have. I liked "Hellboy" alot more than "Van Helsing."

Don't worry, "Hellboy" will be out on DVD by August/September.

;)

Seen it, didnt like it.