|
Picking up where the 1931 Universal classic
“Frankenstein” ended, Dr. Frankenstein has just brought his monster
to life compliments of an untold amount of harnassed electricity jolting
through the creature’s body. But, as the townsfolk are ready to storm
the Frankenstein castle and laboratory, enter Count Dracula. Seems the
Count has been keeping tabs on the good doctor and appears on the scene
ready to take the doctor’s notes, machinery and monster off his hands
lest hey be destroyed by the rabble rousers. Not one to succumb to
pressure, the doctor refuses Dracula’s request, only to succumb to
death by vampire bite. Grief-stricken over his Master’s death, the
monster carries the doctor’s body up into an abandoned windmill which
is ultimately torched by the townfolk as in the 1931 original.
Meanwhile, we have Dr. Gabriel Van
Helsing, a man who has dedicated his life to pursuing - and killing -
monsters, deep in the investigation of a young woman’s brutal murder.
Seeing and sensing a hulking evil presence, Van Helsing takes off in
pursuit of the shadowy figure, eventually finding him to be none other
than Mr. Hyde of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame. Battle ensues between the
two, er, three, but things don’t go quite as Van Helsing planned and
the “oops” factor rears its ugly head. But when one is a famed
monster hunter sworn to protect the innocents and destroy evil at the
behest of a super secret religious society, there is some degree of
forgiveness to be found and Van Helsing soon finds himself summoned back
to the Vatican for his next assignment - destroy Count Dracula. Seems
the Count is in desperate need to discover the life giving secrets of
Frankenstein’s Monster if he and his vampire brides want to perpetuate
their lineage. After all, being dead makes it a bit difficult to give
birth to live children - which explains what the Count was doing at
Frank’s lab. (Ah, it’s all making sense now, isn’t it?!)
At the ready, Van Helsing quickly moves
on to Transylvania with this trusty assistant Friar Carl, where they
find a screaming mob and burning windmill. Too late to save Dr.
Frankenstein but still hot on the trial of a burning monster and flying
Count, Van Helsing also finds himself prey to the angry crowd. Thanks to
an attack by three flying Vampiresses, the crowd gets distracted and Van
Helsing saves the day with some high tech weaponry leaving him to his
mission. But wait a minute...as if he doesn’t have enough to deal
with, he soon finds himself saddled to, er, teamed with, Princess Anna
Valerious, the last in the line of a family sworn to destroy Dracula,
who brings her own special gifts to fighting monster mayhem. And so, the
hunt goes on.......
Hugh Jackman stars as the sexiest Van
Helsing to ever hit the screen. Even more impressive than his natural
sex appeal, is his larger than life screen presence and physicality that
keeps his character from becoming overshadowed by the incredible amount
of CGI and monster effects. Jackman exudes a tongue in cheek confidence
that just draws you into the legend and the man with every shot. And as
for Kate Beckinsdale! She rivals not only Jackman for physicality and
screen presence, but more than holds her own against every bit of evil
she encounters without once ever appearing disbelievable. One of my
favorite performances, however, comes from Richard Roxborough who gives
a deliciously humorous take on Count Dracula. And for all you Harry
Potter fans out there, yes, that hulking gentle giant we all know as the
lovable Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys, switches to the dark side here as
Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. Making characterization extremely difficult for the
actors in this film is the massive amount of CGI and special effects to
which they must play off. Surprisingly, there’s not a bad performance
in the bunch and every “human” character shines forth with their own
nuances. Noteworthy is a non-recognizable Shuler Hensley who gives an
emotionally sympathetic performance as the Frankenstein Monster.
Written and directed by the man who
bought us two other Universal remakes, the blockbuster 1999 “The Mummy”
and 2001 “The Mummy Returns”, Stephen Sommers clearly demonstrates
his affinity with the Universal horror films of days gone by. Taking
bits and pieces from “Frankenstein”, “The Wolf Man” “Dracula”,
etc., with a generous blend of elements from “Star Wars”, “Indiana
Jones” and “James Bond”, Sommers innovatively pieces them all
together with more skill than Dr. Frankenstein himself. Toss in Sommers’
own patented brand of electrically charged high energy and you’ve got
a winning work, jam packed with everything the avid movie goer, horror,
action adventure fan (and girl) could want.
I would be remiss to not mention Allen
Daviau’s cinematography and Allen Cameron’s production design. These
two were essential to creating the look and feel of the film, bringing
us beauty and brilliance amid horror and darkness, resulting in a
stunning visual display that catapults you into the world of the
fantastic. Add a heart pounding score by Alan Silvestri and the picture
is complete.
So sure of themselves over the success of
“Van Helsing”, Universal purchased/currently leases the town in
which the film was shot in anticipation of sequels and franchising
galore. Given the incredible sets, the high production values, energetic
and innovative directing and scripting of Sommers, not to mention one
hunky monster hunter, I think they’ve got their bets covered. “Van
Helsing” is a spectacular fantastical adventure guaranteed to become
what is, hopefully, only the first in a series of new Universal monster
classics. And what the heck - it’s a helluva lot of fun to boot!
Gabriel Van Helsing: Hugh Jackman Anna
Valerious: Kate Beckinsale Count Dracula: Richard Roxburgh
Frankenstein's Monster: Shuler Hensley Mr. Hyde: Robbie Coltrane
Written and directed by Stephen Sommers.
A Universal Pictures release. Rated PG-13. (131 min)
|
