 |
Kitoky
Starting Anew
 Gender: Female
Location: Imladris |
Well I've only heard of critics reviews and my friends' judgement.
From what I've heard, I've decided to see it on VHS and DVD.
__________________
Thank you so much Eezy!!
I'm starting over, do not mistake me for my brother - he has left. Eezy has convinced me to come back, give him some credit.
|
May 17th, 2004 10:26 PM |
|
|
| |
|
celestial_moon
celes
 Gender: Female
Location: in the storm |
i haven't seen it but my bro said it was very unbelievable.
[SPOILER - highlight to read]: 4 example (this is what he told me): kate beckinsale swings from one tower 2 the next. the stretch is very long. it's dark and rainy and some1 tosses her a tiny syringe and she catches it! how stupid is that? some1 correct me if i'm wrong btw
|
|
May 18th, 2004 01:03 AM |
|
|
| |
|
hobington
Junior Member
 Gender: Female
Location: United States |
I Knew I wasn't going to be amazed by the special effecs by seeing the trailer, but I was hopping Jackson's role would pull it off. I found the vamps lines to unnecessary and down right stupid . Loved the frier for comedic relief actually I laughed at most of the movie. The door in the map was cool. I wondered if the director was going for the black and white classic movies- that now make us laugh (not saying they weren't great works) I thought the vampire was most defenatly miscast. I should have taken my boys it was on their level. will buy it for them
|
|
May 18th, 2004 04:23 PM |
|
|
| |
|
Reborn Again
I'm HELL's Wrath!
 Gender: Male
Location: |
 My VAN HELSING review -- thumps up!
Van Helsing is one of those perfect creature feature films that returns to the roots of the drive-in theatre experience. It’s the perfect film to snuggle up beside your significant other and be entertained! Television and movies have desensitized me enough that Van Helsing wasn’t scary, but I do give thumbs up to the brilliant CGI in the film. Hugh Jackman wouldn’t have been my first choice for the bounty hunter Gabriel Van Helsing because I can’t stop thinking about his marker role as Wolverine in the X-Men movies… but I can see why he was chosen to the role. Hugh Jackman has class like James Bond, mature and sturdy, his portrayal of Van Helsing based on the Japanese anime manga comics and anime cartoon movie was exceptionally good!
The dark and sinister world of Van Helsing brings us face-to-face with a multitude of shadowy creatures, three of which is The Wolfman, the Frankenstein monster and Dracula. Once again for whatever reason the Frankenstein monster takes center stage and dominates the monstrous cast. Why is the Frankenstein monster more likeable than The Wolfman or Dracula? I really don’t know. I never saw the attraction with the monster. Is it because he’s not really a monster at all but rather instead a scientifically betroved freak of nature with a heart? Again, another I don’t know.
We’re introduced to the Frankenstein monster first and for classic movie enthusiasts we witness the first 5 minutes of the film duplicating the 1931 black and while film exactly right down to the infamous lines, “IT’S ALIVE! IT’S ALIVE!” shouted, spoken by Dr. Frankenstein after he brings his creature to life and the storming of Castle Frankenstein by the contentious town folk! And if you look closely enough you’ll see what I think is a tribute to the Rocky Horror Picture Show; there’s a man wearing a top hat who has long white hair and who looks very much like Riff Raff. We’re also introduced to an up-to-date version of the Frankenstein monster without the traditional neck bolts and sewn brain scar. Instead the Frankenstein monster is shown with a more gruesome facade, fallout skull pieces and highly religious convictions. Once the action figure comes out I’m getting one just for that feature! One other thing I noticed with the Frankenstein monster is he’s missing his typical high-top foot ware that manifests the elevated height of the monster which I thought was a welcome change as it only demoralized the creature and played the audience for fools fabricating the Goalith of the creature to a David (Biblical reference). The Frankenstein monster is big, but his heart is even bigger! And I was pleased to see that Stephen Sommers, writer of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, remembered that! The reason why I went into a rant about the Frankenstein monster is because in all the adaptations of the monster over the years this one is the best!
The Wolfman and Dracula were other such characters with upgrades and I was thoroughly surprised with their adaptations. Brilliant CGI work brought new depth to the creatures and enhanced their appearances to offer outstanding performances. Once more the insertion of Dracula’s curse and the pact with the Devil was a new twist on the character giving him a boldness I have never seen! Also his bat transformation was spectacular! Well honestly, you couldn’t really call it a bat transformation more so that a demonic creature from the bowls of hell and from Satan’s bosom itself! Rather than the bat we see Satan himself thrust into the mortal world through Dracula. And yet despite the great performance by Richard Roxburgh (Count Vladislaus Dracula), I still prefer Christopher Lee and/or Bela Lagosi because they are true Dracula personified!
More over under the influence of Dracula we have The Wolfman, born out of the rise of a full moon. In Van Helsing, the creature is nothing more than a taskmaster and a bloodhound to hunt down Dracula’s enemies and kill them, but speaking from one Wolfman fan, the creature’s performance we nothing less than perfection! Brilliant CGI brought the Wolfman new life and the awful Chewbacca-type suits were cast away that would scare only the stupid! There were three Wolfman in the film, but the performance I thoroughly enjoyed was half-generated by Hugh Jackman himself. It was strange listening to the relationship that Dracula and The Wolfman had in the film because I don’t remember it ever being referred to the manner it suggests in any book about the two I’ve read. The Wolfman is a servant of Dracula, but he is also Dracula’s demise?! I’m pleased Stephen Sommer’s took some artistic license with the character because I always knew The Wolfman isn’t be all that bad!
The entire film centered around Dracula’s thirst for world domination and one family’s legacy to save themselves from purgatory and Van Helsing’s plight to rid the world of unwanted creatures thought to be a nuisance to the general public. I was also intrigued that the entire bounty hunter persona of Van Helsing was orchestrated by the Vatican in Rome. But what bothered me was how the story revolved around the Vatican using Van Helsing to do their dirty work to rid the world of evil and using his anmesia for their purposes, it pretty much demoralizes the Christian faith. Perhaps it was an underlining theme and Stephen Sommers used it to partially connect to real world events and how one fraction of a religious order can influence a large chuck of the world to prove that one individual can make a difference and change the world; the teaching of monothesim: one nation under one God. And I thought it was funny that the Vatican had something of a Q-Branch like that in the James Bond films where religious inventors built weapons to combat the forces of evil. Aren’t the men of the cloth supposed to be peacekeepers? Then what’s with the machine gun?
Anna Valerious, played by Kate Beckinsale, the last surviving member of her family, after her brother fell to The Wolfman, undertakes the journey with Van Helsing to kill Dracula. She proves to be a thorn in Van Helsing’s side engaging in one of the strongest roles for a woman I have seen in years. Anna compliments Van Helsing as a true partner and Stephen Sommers is careful not to cast her as the defenceless maiden who is saved by the hero at every turn despite it happening on several occasions in the film. She’s strong, dedicated and beautiful, and throws Van Helsing for a loop with her heroism and bravo when battling against Dracula’s brides and Egore, a character from the Hunchback of Notredame, which was played the total opposite of his counterpart in the movies and novelisations. I thought it was strange that Stephen Sommers would use such a lovable and kind character in such a way as the scientist sidekick he was made out to be, but it didn’t bother me in the least! I rather enjoyed it!
Van Helsing was well choreographed, well written and is a well situated film for a creature feature, and I highly recommend this film to any horror film enthusiast!
 |
|
May 20th, 2004 08:00 PM |
|
|
| |
|
jinXed by JaNx
Senior Member
 Gender: Male
Location: Pittsburgh |
what a bad god damn movie. No plot depth,well no plot what so ever, No character development, no dialogue, no pacing, no suspense, I mean the only two things the movie relied on were even bad, and really bad at that. These two things of course were action and special effects. The action was of the worst i have ever seen. It was long and boring and pointless at times. The special effects just got on my damn nerves, aside from some flying vampires and a brief werewolf scene all of the special effects take place in the dark. bright flashes, people swinging out of no where, cheesy one liners, horror movie cliches, and no direction make this a terrible movie, maybe a good b movie, but its not a good b movie because it tried so hard to be good, but had no chance at all. It seemed mid way through the film, the movie gave up on itself
__________________
"If you tell the truth, you never have to remember anything" -Twain
(sig by Scythe)
|
|
May 21st, 2004 06:25 PM |
|
|
| |
|
Destructo
Restricted
 Gender: Male
Location: Australia Account Restricted |
I loved van helsing. Great plot, great performances, great action scenes, and an entertaining movie. Hey coldjack, what is all this crap about you wanting a movie with heart. That is a load of shit. I can see why you called yourself coldjack. Put emphasis on the cold part. All of you must admit that kate beckinsale was good and has picked up her game since the pile of shit that is underworld. I will give van helsing 5 out of 5 stars
__________________
Geting Sig...
|
|
May 31st, 2004 01:13 AM |
|
|
| |
|
Destructo
Restricted
Gender: Male
Location: Australia Account Restricted |
Van helsing rocks! Whoever said it sucks because of bad acting is wrong. Stephen sommers was not concentrating on good performances,
he was concentrating on a good enough plot, good fight scenes and an entertaining movie and he did well
__________________
Geting Sig...
|
|
May 31st, 2004 01:23 AM |
|
|
| |
|
Machete_Guy
Another Basterd
 Gender: Male
Location: City 17 |
I have to agree with underworld being terrible but i have to dissagree, i liked van helsing but i thought it was a bit childish...i judge a movie by if i can remember it later..i cant remember alot from VH.
3.5/5
|
|
May 31st, 2004 10:10 AM |
|
|
| |
|
Destructo
Restricted
Gender: Male
Location: Australia Account Restricted |
Screw you, machete guy. How is it childish. Thats coming from someone who loves pirates of the carribean
__________________
Geting Sig...
|
|
Jun 1st, 2004 07:05 AM |
|
|
| |
|
Destructo
Restricted
Gender: Male
Location: Australia Account Restricted |
Sorry, dude. I over-reacted a bit there
__________________
Geting Sig...
|
|
Jun 1st, 2004 07:11 AM |
|
|
| |
|
PsychoFreeak
Senior Member
 Gender: Unspecified
Location: |
yeah u can say that again!!!!! LOL
i think theres 2 much happerning at once!!!!!
i mean 1 thing would happen then that would end, they'd start talking then all of a sudden BANG!!!.......another thing would happen!!!!!!!
LOL.......i've got the VH cinema ticket on my wall 
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 09:04 AM |
|
|
| |
|
Machete_Guy
Another Basterd
Gender: Male
Location: City 17 |
so do i and get lost destructo LOL jK just calm down
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 09:27 AM |
|
|
| |
|
PsychoFreeak
Senior Member
Gender: Unspecified
Location: |
take a chill pill DUDE!!!!!!!!
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 09:58 AM |
|
|
| |
|
Peeves-04
PROFESSOR OF CHARMS
 Gender: Male
Location: Hogwarts |
Van helsing rocks
__________________
Peeves Hogwarts poltergeist
 Sig made by Sun Ce
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 10:29 AM |
|
|
| |
|
PsychoFreeak
Senior Member
Gender: Unspecified
Location: |
yeah....and if the first 1 "rox" then the 2nd 1 will b even better!!!! LOL
YAY 
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 12:46 PM |
|
|
| |
|
Machete_Guy
Another Basterd
Gender: Male
Location: City 17 |
Yeah i hav hopes for the sewuel
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 01:51 PM |
|
|
| |
|
Kes
Philie
 Gender: Female
Location: Lisbon, Portugal |
Reviews ppl.
__________________
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 02:41 PM |
|
|
| |
|
Destructo
Restricted
Gender: Male
Location: Australia Account Restricted |
I agree, but machete guy, please tell me what was childish about it. And u dont want insult vh again dude trust me. I am very protective of it
__________________
Geting Sig...
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 10:34 PM |
|
|
| |
|
Destructo
Restricted
Gender: Male
Location: Australia Account Restricted |
Stop telling to do reviews, god damn it, kes,I have done like a billion of them
__________________
Geting Sig...
|
|
Jun 4th, 2004 11:05 PM |
|
|
| |
|
Cory Chaos
AmStar 14 Manager
Gender: Male
Location: Mooresville, NC |
Just a reminder..
This section of the forum is for reviews only. You want to do general chit chat about movies, either search for the title in the General Discussion forums, or start it yourself.
Last edited by Cory Chaos on Jun 5th, 2004 at 12:24 AM
|
|
Jun 5th, 2004 12:21 AM |
|
|
| |
Forum Rules:
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
|
HTML code is OFF
vB code is ON
Smilies are ON
[IMG] code is ON
|
|
Text-only version |
|
|
KMC Community Forums
