Van Helsing (Yes, indeed, there may be spoilers...)

[Mortavius]

Anyone who goes to this movie, expecting anything more than popcorn cinema, is going to have to learn to live with disappointment.

This movie is an action movie. It's got cool special effects. It's got a unique plot (and no one can argue that one). It's the director trying to imagine some new takes on old monsters. And is that really a bad thing? So what if Dracula wasn't the same as the novel Dracula. It's artistic license, and it's refreshing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I went in expecting an action movie with a new idea and direction, and that's what I got. I wasn't expecting some dialogue masterpiece or a plot that moves me to tears. Just a good old fashioned action movie in the tradition of Indiana Jones or the Mummy, and that's what I got.

[Catman Jim]

Hey, we should have a new poll: which Bride did you like best? I liked the redhaired Bride the best.

Verona, the dark-haired Italian, played by Silvia Colloca.

I was at a Hot Topic store yesterday, they already have T-shirts made with the three Brides and the word 'Succulent!' splashed across it. I was tempted, but my wife and kids would never approve...

[Whisper]

Aaaa, Van Helsing... Plot, script and dialogue? Ha, yeah right! But fun and eye candy? Oh, most definitely yes! You go to a movie such as this one for the fun it will provide, not to think on its plot twists and artistic brilliance. As far as I am concerned it was a great SFX fun movie!

[Charney]

The brides

My friend warned me I'd drool and I didn't think I would... Anyway!

Best part of the movie: when that actress excuse Beckingsale dies
I almost cried.

I liked the movie up until they find Frankenstein. From that moment, it became cheesier and cheesier.
I do think cheesiness was on purpose though. No movie could be that cheesy!
I liked it as an action movie though. The werewolves were incredible!

[Maximillian]

The werewolves simply rocked! The story and script stink to high heavens, but what the heck? Its just a turn-off-your-brain-action-movie. The brides were nice, Katey made me drool more than a bit, but the dialogues were totally pathetic. (We should take care of the ppl responsible for the story and script. They simply suck soooo much , they should not be allowed to write anything again. )

[Pacal]

yeah the faces in the clouds at the end were pretty stupid.

[Dominique]

How can you say the dialogue was bad?!

"I feel no LOVE! No FEAR! No JOY! No SORROW! I . . . am HOLLOW! And I will live. . . forever."

I think it took me a full minute to stop laughing after that one.

And, of course . . .

"I have never seen the sea. I'm sure it's . . . beautiful."

[Charney]

I did find them less cheesy than the romantic talk in Attack of the clones

[Whisper]

Not to mention the "You don't have a heartbeat" line... and the girl knows Dracula is a vampire! Oh my, oh dear...

[Charlatan]

The black-and-white scene when Dracula first tries to aquire Frankenstien was good. The werewolves were awesome looking, I liked the silver-and-black furred one with the orange eyes at the begining better than the solid brown (Valken) and black (Van Helsing) ones later on.

[alhoon]

1) It was good. I enjoyed it as brainless fun.#

I agree. I enjoyed it much as a brainless fun. I especially liked the werewolf.

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

I thought Underword was bad iuntil I saw this movie tonight and compared to Van Helsing, Underworld is a work of genious.

The dialogue is bad, chessy and just plain pathetic, there is no redeeming it, even in cheese factor. The acting and accents were just as bad.

I have seen some people liked the werewolves. I though they were pathetic, that the heck was with the sticky up ears??? they reminded me of old 1930's and 1940's cartoons, but they weren't as amusing to watch.

Kate Beckinsale tries, but fails as always, she can't even wear a proper corset, someone needs to tell her that if she was wearing a corset, she couldn't go from lying flat to sitting upright like she does in one part of the movie. Also, they show a bit of corset through her gown when she is dancing with old fang face himself, if she was wearing an actual corset laced properly, benfing back like she does would have snapped her spine (not joking there either).

The action was stupid, no comedy value (though I did make "flap flap" comments throughout the movie to keep myself amised when a vampire or any flying creature came on screen), Frankenstein's Monster was good for a while but got annoying like Dawn did in Buffy (she got annoying after about 2 episodes).

The only thing I enjoyed were 2 of the Brides (yay! typed is right for a change, no bribes this time, lol), but they were the first two to die, leaving me to my "flap flap" to keep myself entertained.

In all I found it tedious and predictable, not even that action packed. I can't believe I waisted £4 going to see it when a friend offered me free beer for the evening instead

[Shoon VII]

this is the only movie that i have EVER got up and walked out on.

[Joël of the FoS]

Saw it in video last weekend. Definitively cheesy, indeed, but very funny because of it.

I liked Dracula's caracter, he reminded me of Bono . I don't think it's a 'cassical' Dracula performance, but he wasn't that bad?

Let's say 2 1/5 on 5.

Joël

[AdamGarou]

Okay, okay, I saw it on DVD Halloween weekend, and great cinema it ain't.

That being said, the werewolves were pretty cool (although I liked the ones in Dog Soldiers better, and the whole "ripping off the skin" thing just seemed stupid to me), the brides were gorgeous, Kate Beckinsale is gorgeous (though she acted better in Underworld), and Hugh Jackman is back to his pumped-up savage self.

But it had some good one-liners to make up for some of the cheesy bits about "no heartbeat" and "I feel nothing/I am hollow/I will live forever", and the best came from our good friend Karl.

VAN HELSING: "You cursed. Not very well, mind you, but you cursed. Monks shouldn't curse, Karl."

KARL: "Actually, I'm still just a friar, so I can curse all I want... da** it."

I must have rewound that scene five times, just to watch/hear the delivery... and to see David Wenham playing a character so different from the gallant Captain Faramir.

The plot and storyline is (more than a little) confusing, so if anyone wants to clear this up for me, I'd appreciate it: Is Van Helsing supposed to be the angel Gabriel? The "Right Hand of God" thing and the changing of names from "Abraham" to "Gabriel" got me thinking along those lines... and the movie really doesn't give any reason for Van Helsing's sketchy memories of the distant past and Dracula's "long association" with him.

And if he IS Gabriel the angel, is he pulling an Isolde (of the Carnival) thing, forsaking his spot at the right hand of God to hunt down creatures of the night on earth?