IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338526/
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Perfectly adequate film.
If you expect great character acting of the Anthony Hopkins school then forget it.
If you treat this as another Hollywood treatment of a comic-book style character a la Spiderman then this works
Effects that come so fast that I'm sure I missed half of them, Silly gadgetey weapons - the repeating crossbow that has a firing rate that would put a Shadowrun-style flechette pistol to shame (and to their credit it DID require a reload)
Sure the acting wasn't great - but I didn't find myself thinking of the characters as the actors - Beckinsdale was ok (ok so maybe another leather corset based outfit sways me here) and I never saw her on screen as any of the (limted number) of other characters she has played - ie this was a distinctly separate character.
Stealer of the show was Richard Roxburgh who I never realied until I just went to imdb has been in loads of stuff that I never connected him with - ie The Duke in Moulin Rouge, M in LXG etc
His Dracula was good - though reminicent of Marcus befor he got his hair cut - long-ish dark hair, similar face and awful faked germanic/eastern european accent (only kidding - Roxburgh's sounded real)
Basically if you want a Monster Mash which Frankensteins monster, Igor, Dracula, Werewolves, Jekyl and Hyde, Brides of Dracula and gimpy looking dwarves this is the film for you
Best summation if lifted straight from the review on imdb
"Is Van Helsing a great film? No. Absolutely not. Is it a good film? No, not really. Is it entertaining? Yes. And maybe, just maybe, that's enough."
Good soundtrack too.