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| Van Helsing (Widescreen Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Stephen Sommers
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, Shuler Hensley, Will Kemp
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $12.98
Buy Used: $1.49
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Avg. Customer Rating:  701 reviews
Sales Rank: 1451
Format: Ac-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 132
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: MCAD23266D
ISBN: 0783284020
UPC: 025192326622
EAN: 9780783284026
ASIN: B0002KVUKM
Theatrical Release Date: May 7, 2004
Release Date: October 19, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Movie disc only! We liquidate dvds from a large national rentailer. Movie disc works fine and we'll ship it in a protective sleeve for you. There is a 15% chance that it may contain a rental sticker on the disc that we were unable to remove. In stock and ships today.
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Amazon.com
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
Product Description
Legendary monster hunter van helsing is summoned to mysterious transylvania on a mission that will thrust him into a sweeping battle against the forces of darkness! Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 09/18/2007 Starring: Hugh Jackman Kate Beckinsale Run time: 132 minutes Rating: Pg
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| Customer Reviews: Read 696 more reviews...
 Van Helsing - The Victorian James Bond? Not! November 19, 2004
123 out of 231 found this review helpful
How is the movie Van Helsing like a vampire? Both are things that have the semblance of life without actually being alive and are much safer unviewed and kept in a box. How is it like Frankenstein's monster? They are both monstrosities cobbled together from the bits and pieces of better things. As you can no doubt can tell, I was not very happy with this movie.
In Van Helsing, the title character is transformed from the cerebral vampire hunter of the novel Dracula into a standard action hero who hunts monsters throughout Europe. The structure of the film is actually similar to a James Bond movie: we start with a brief action-filled prologue pitting Van Helsing against Mr. Hyde (who is the same type of Hulk-like monstrosity that was seen last seen in the similarly mediocre League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). Then Van Helsing is given his mission and given neat weapons from a "Q"-like character. Finally, we have the main story pitting Van Helsing against the rather standard villain - Dracula - who wants to take over the world and has a whole bunch of monstrous sidekicks. Frankenstein and the Wolf Man also fit into this plot.
The movie fails on a number of levels, most significantly from its poor writing. Sometimes the story is dumb, sometimes it's merely silly, but it's never very interesting. The acting is nothing to speak of either; Hugh Jackman can play a decent hero (as shown in the X-Men movies), but here he is actually rather boring. Kate Beckinsdale looks nice, but is also rather dull.
Most importantly, however, is that Van Helsing fails to capture any of the magic of the original Universal monster movies to which it owes so much. The original movies - released in the 1930s and 1940s - may not all be great (though they are all better than this movie), but at their best, they at least have a nice level of creepiness, even if they can't scare a modern audience. Van Helsing has none of this eerie quality and is merely an action movie with slightly off-beat villains.
If you feel the urge to watch this movie, fight it. Watch one of the original movies instead; I particularly recommend Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. This movie should be avoided as it will almost certainly disappoint.
 I Hate to Bite and Run... November 23, 2004
102 out of 127 found this review helpful
All said and done, this film is a tremendous amount of fun. Director Stephen Sommers takes the stuff of our favorite fictional monsters and blends them together to create a highly imaginative reconstruction of the story of Dracula. Resemblances to Bram Stoker's original tale are entirely accidental. Instead we find Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) using with Dr. Frankenstein (Samuel West) to serve some dark and nefarious purpose. Not very far in the background is a werewolf (Will Kemp) who carries part of the answer to the puzzle - when he isn't trying to chew a hole in Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman).
Kate Beckinsale plays Anna Valerious, the last living member of her family, who have been dedicated to exterminating Dracula for some 400 years. Thanks to an oath of her forefathers, the Valerious line is condemned to purgatory as long as Dracula wanders the night. Concerned that this curse is about to become permanent, a secret order of the Catholic Church sends in their best occult assassin - Van Helsing - aided reluctantly by Friar Carl (David Wenham), who plays the mad inventor to Van Helsing's athletic efforts. Gabriel shows up to help Anna, is promptly rebuffed by the woman, whose mind is definitely her own. But the action goes ballistic, and no one gets time to be banished or stomp off.
And of action, special effects, stunts. and computer graphics there is a great muchness. Most of which looks just believable enough to keep the audience staring open mouthed at the screen. An outstanding job is done with Dracula's wives (Elena Anaya, Silvia Colloca, and Josie Maran) and the Frankenstein monster (Shuler Hensley). So good that these characters very nearly steal the entire show. Sets are equally carefully crafted, with a marvelous medieval town and two whole gothic castles. The visual impression of the film often completely overwhelms the story.
The acting is bright, with a slightly crude, sarcastic style of interplay between the characters. The overall touch is comedic, despite the inevitable sour grapes of the ending. Don't look for greatness here. The point is to create an exciting, fun experience, not to recreate the dark and brooding spirit behind the originals. Sommers does well with this tongue-in-cheek, cut-and-run style and Van Helsing proves this once again
 Hugh Jackman, Universal's Monster Hunter June 19, 2003
34 out of 40 found this review helpful
One of the most anticipated films of 2004 is the Universal Pictures release: Van Helsing. Hugh Jackman stars as the Bram Stoker character Prof. Abraham Van Helsing. Though many people remember the vampire killer from the Dracula novel to be a bit older and less active, director Stephen Sommers (of movie series The Mummy fame) is revamping the role to a more youthful and energetic age with a no-nonsense dimeanor. Set in the late Victorian age, Abraham Van Helsing is dispatched to investigate strange reports coming from dark eastern Europe. A world-renown monster hunter, this Van Helsing is a killer not to be triffled with. With a huge array of weapons, he appears to be a cross between Indiana Jones, Batman, and Attilla The Hun. Not only does he confront Dracula (played by Richard Roxburgh) on his mission, but also Frankenstein's Monster (played by Shuler Hensley) and the Wolfman (played by Will Kemp) as well. And these aren't your grandfather's monsters either. Universal Pictures has taken their classic horror monsters and beefed them up with modern heirs for the movie. The Wolfman is no longer a man with a hairy face. THIS version of The Wolfman would give the werewolf in An American Werewolf in London a run for his money. The same can be said of the other monsters shown, which Universal has announced you will be seeing all of. As even the movie's narrator proves to be Dr. Jekyll, you can be sure other Universal creatures as Mr. Hyde, Igor, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Invisible Man won't be hard to find either. Buckle your seatbelts, Universal Picture's Van Helsing is gonna prove to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the year!
Van Helsing is a fun, tongue-in-cheek, salute to the horror films of the 50's and 60's. April 15, 2008
32 out of 34 found this review helpful
This film is a throwback to those old 50's horror films that had classic monsters doing battle with each other coupled with the wit of the 60's era all combined with the thrills and special effects of today's films.
Entertainment rarely gets better than this. Now stop laughing at my five stars for this kind of film. This isn't the five stars you would give a film like Platoon or The Painted Veil. It's more like the five stars you would you give a film like Aliens or Die Hard. This is fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment. It's simple popcorn fun that the whole family, for the most part, can enjoy. The CGI can be a little over-the-top, but it is still excellently done and doesn't get in the way of the story.
The film has engaging actors who, while playing their roles with some seriousness, you can tell that it is all tongue-in-cheek and one expects them to wink at the camera at any time. Hugh Jackman certainly carries the film with great charm and coolness that reminds one of Ford's Indiana Jones. Kate Beckinsale is great as his reluctant partner and just looks dang sexy in this role that brings to mind her Underworld character. She just sizzles on the screen. In addition, excellent support is rendered by David Wenham, most known for his roles in 300 and The Lord of the Rings - The Motion Picture Trilogy, Richard Roxburgh of Stealth, Kevin J. O'Conner from The Mummy, and Robbie Coltrane who is best known as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.
The direction is confidently done and unobtrusive. He combines action and horror very effectively. The photography is appropriately creepy and atmospheric. The set designs are elaborate and the score is compelling. The entire film is excellently produced and is what I call a high octane film. This film gets you running on all cylinders. Watch it and have a blast enjoying it for the kind of entertainment it is.
The film is thrilling and suspenseful with the various classic creature battling each other and at times forming uneasy alliances. This is just old fashioned witty and enjoyable entertainment. The repeat value of this film is what also makes this film worthy of a place in your DVD collection.
Van Helsing June 12, 2004
28 out of 59 found this review helpful
Ok, so THE MUMMY was fun, and MUMMY RETURNS was intermittingly enjoyable despite some obvious flaws, and VAN HELSING looked set to be an impressive CGI-fest with heaps of fast-paced action and Saturday night popcorn fun.
It delivers on its promise for action, there are some great set-pieces and the special effects are great, but the cold hard fast is that Stephen Sommers isn't a very good director. Like Jan DeBont and McG, Sommers is one of those types that likes to throw in as much visuals as humanly possible and BAM! A great movie. Problem is, it doesn't always work. Richard Roxburgh's bad-accented Count Dracula is overly-camp, and while Hugh Jackman is seemingly doing something different, he's really just redoing his Wolverine shtick: Shady guy who dispenses ample amounts of violence and one-liners along with obligatory memory problems. Overall, not bad, just not very good either. Next time Mr. Sommers, can we have a bit more story please?
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