I really like this movie.
To me it was the first time I watched a modern movie that was In my opinion, a "Monster Movie"
I have it on now, what a hoot!

Steve

Many did not like it. I actual liked it very much. Monsters and a fast paced storyline.
Oh and did I mention Kate Beckinsale.


Max Bryant

I would have loved to see a sequel (or continuation if you will), but they pretty much shot their load with the Big Three monsters...and Mr. Hyde...and Stephen Sommers already played in Im-Ho-Tep's yard...

Kate was about the only thing I liked about it. "Over the top" is an understatement. "'Round the bend," maybe. ;)

I liked Van Helsing just fine. It came across as something of a homage to the old Hammer Films, IMNSHO. I think they could have still done a sequel, tho they would have had to be careful how it was done.

After all, was Dracula the only Vampire? I think not! :D

Kate was about the only thing I liked about it. "Over the top" is an understatement. "'Round the bend," maybe. ;)I couldn't agree more, though I'd like to add I thought Hugh Jackman did a pretty good job given the limitations of this ridiculous crapfest.

I've tried watching it several times on cable. Haven't gotten past the first 20 minutes.

too bad,it's great!

too bad,it's great!

Then why does the first 20 minutes suck? :p

"Is there anything it dosen't have?"

Plot, story, character development? Believable effects?

I don't mean the cgi was bad, I mean that the effects had no reason being there. They did nothing except say, "hey lookitme!!!".

Just like the League of extra Gentlemen. A Hyde as big as the Hulk, the Nautilus as big as a aircraft carrier and yet can submerge in a canal. Make bigger!! Bigger is GOODER!!!! More is MORE!!!!!

I love watching this movie, and it would have been at least a good series on TV, if not a sequel.

The first 20 mins made me love the movie,.. the B&W part, then the Hyde part,...very fun! And the vatican?... that is the most fun I've ever had thinking about the vatican...Sorry, Sorry,...

Why does it smell like wet dog in here?....what a fun movie!
To each his own, but I felt like a kid again watchng it.

Steve

Sorry Steve, I have to agree with Terryr and the negative comments. After really disliking (is hating to harsh a word? Nah...) it the first time, I sincerely tried to watch it a second time about a year later - no such luck. I really, REALLY disliked the James Bond-style weapons, laws-of-nature-bending CGI, etc., etc. I will agree that the B/W portion was good - it gave me high hopes - unfullfilled, sadly.
What I DO like is the soundtrack - it's one of my favorites - go figure!
There is a thread on the Universal Monster Army site devoted to trashing it.
But, I'm sure there's a movie I like that you think is a steaming pile of...kielbasi. To each his own - glad you like the movie!

Chris, every body it's ok to disagree. We come together to yak, to share..
Now how about "GrandMa's Boy? ( I love it)
I'm old, it is not often I like a "new" movie, But I like hearing other guys opinions.

Steve

Chris, I will hunt you down, and drive a stake into your heart,or maybe a silver bullet, or Holy Water, for what you said!:jest:

You aren't alone.
I too love Van Helsing.
Saw it in the theater when it came out.
Catch it on cable all the time.
And own the DVD.

It's a great, fun movie, that never takes itself seriously.

The response to this movie is interesting - very polarized.
I know one of my problems was expectation. When I first heard about it, I was very psyched about the subject. A monster movie from the monster hunter's point of view. Kind of like "the Fearless Vampire Killers", but with a big budget and state of the art imagery. I wasn't expecting a comic book superhero with over the top...well, everything. So I was disappointed.
But I enjoyed Sommer's take on the Mummy, a very "Indiana Jones-ish" adventure flick, a fun popcorn movie. But I didn't carry in the expectations. I knew it would be different frm the classic Mummy movies, and since I didn't have a real emotional attachment to them, it was cool. In retrospect maybe I should have expected what was given us, I was just hoping differently.

This movie is one of my guilty pleasures, throw it in the DVD player about once a month.

[quote=ChrisW;2795632But, I'm sure there's a movie I like that you think is a steaming pile of...kielbasi. To each his own - glad you like the movie![/quote]

Hey, I like kielbasa!!!

VH wasn't what I expected or wanted. I was very let down. I think CW is right. I thought I was going to see a monster movie. I felt cheated. Those weren't the monsters I paid to see. It was like a comic book and my favorites all seemed foolish. I have high hopes for the new WOLF MAN movie coming out. Hope they do it justice!

Exactually...hee hee, the movie made me smile/laugh. the girls stopped me in my tracks,... Ahh, Valeria... Dracula..."I am hollow inside,...and I will live ..forever".. I felt his pain... what a hoot.

Steve

It's not canon. I refuse to watch it, even on dvd.

I'll just go re-read 'Dracula' for the thirty-seventh time. :)

People either loved or hated this movie. My wife loved it and I hated it. I was glad that they made a film about my favorite film characters, but, I tried to watch it 2-3 times and never really followed it.

For me, there was too much action, too many complications, not scary, etc...

Just my humble opinion

'Dracula' really is a great book if you're up for a big read sometime. There is even a 'Stokes estate approved' sequel on the way:

"The great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker—hey, we don’t make this stuff up—has teamed with the historian Ian Holt to deliver a sequel to the original Dracula novel, this time called Dracula: The Un-Dead, for a $1 million advance from publishers.

The new novel, set for an October 2009 release, will be the first Dracula title approved by the Stoker estate since the classic 1931 film version (pictured above). Plot details are thin—it will involve the son of Jonathan Harker working on a stage production about Dracula in London some time after the original text—but it seems certain the new authors will have some explaining to do in the early pages given the way the original novel ended for the titular character.

Predictably, the film rights have already been snagged by a handful of Hollywood producers, among them special-effects zealot Jan de Bont (known for Speed and Twister). Be forewarned: If he manages to get hired as director, we could easily have have another Van Helsing on our hands."

This is absolutely fascinating...Here is a thread about a movie where people agree to disagree about liking or disliking a movie and no one is calling anyone a "hater" or "parochial"... Whodathunk it possible?

BTW, I finally saw "Van Helsing" on cable the other day and found it very enjoyable! Luv Hugh Jackman, and the women in this are fantastic!

Larry

^What are you, a parochial hater or sumpin'?


;)

Nope, I never met a parochial I didn't like!

;)

Larry

(Thank you, thank you! I'll be here all week! Try the veal!) :jest:

I'm with Steve. Van Helsing was a HOOT! Great moviemaking? Not on your life. But, it was fun, lighthearted, and Kate B didn't hurt, either!

Besides, Wolverine...er...Hugh Jackman kicks tuchus!

Oh, Kate never hurts. She's in my top 5 most beautiful women. Ever.

I agree with everyone here....I Hated the fact that I Loved it...:p
Mcdee

Oh, Kate never hurts. She's in my top 5 most beautiful women. Ever.


Agree 100%. I would watch anything she is in.

Max Bryant

I loved it, comic book on film. Watch it that way and it's a ball.