Name: Van Helsing (2004)
IMDb: Van Helsing on IMDb
Genres: Fantasy Country of Origin: USA
Cast: Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing, Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious, Richard Roxburgh as Count Vladislaus Dracula, David Wenham as Carl, Shuler Hensley as Frankenstein's monster, Alun Armstrong as Cardinal Jinette, Elena Anaya as Aleera, Silvia Colloca as Verona, Josie Maran as Marishka, Kevin J. O'Connor as Igor, Will Kemp as Velkan Valerious, Tom Fisher as Top Hat.
Written and directed by: Stephen Sommers
The Three Acts:
The initial tableau: There is a lot going on in this film. The initial context comes from four vignettes:
(1) Doctor Frankenstein has successfully brought life to his cobbled together monster. Dracula, who funded Frankenstein, figures that his investment has borne fruit, and kills the doctor. The monster is enraged by this, and manages to escape Dracula and the mob with their torches. Dracula recruits Igor.
(2) Van Helsing confronts Mr. Hyde in Paris at the behest of a secret group operating out of the Vatican. In doing such work, Van Helsing has become a wanted criminal of international renown. He has no public support whatsoever, and is hated by many.
(3) At the Vatican, Van Helsing is dressed down by Cardinal Jinette. He gets a new assignment: to protect the Valerian family (Anna and Velkan), and to help them kill Count Dracula in a fulfillment of a family oath. The oath was that the family would not enter Heaven until Dracula was destroyed. Van Helsing meets the friar named Carl, who is both timid and talented.
(4) Velkan and Anna attempt to trap the werewolf that has been terrorising the village. Velkan kills the werewolf, but is bitten in the process.
Delineation of conflicts: Velkan becomes a rather powerful werewolf. Dracula would use Velkan for his own purposes. Van Helsing and Anna have a chewy first meeting, then agree to oppose Dracula's intentions toward Velkan.
Dracula and his trio of mates (Aleera, Verona, and Marishka) want their undead offspring to have life. Van Helsing, Anna, and the Vatican want them to die: Van Helsing, to follow orders; Anna, to save her family from Purgatory; the Vatican, to drive the spawn of Satan from the face of the Earth.
Frankenstein's monster would like to live in peace with some degree of freedom. Dracula wants to consume him to transfer life to his offspring. The Vatican wants the monster dead since he's not precisely human, and his life was not given to him by God. Carl would like to comply with the Vatican's wishes, but cannot in good conscience.
Dracula wants Van Helsing dead for strong reasons of his own. Van Helsing, Carl, Anna, and the monster are opposed.
Resolution: Excellent, difficult, and harmonious.
One line summary: A wonderfully constructed remix of modern fantasy themes.
Statistics:
a. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautiful natural shots plus excellent CGI. Many of the sets were gorgeous in design and intricate in detail.
b. Sound: 10/10 Lovely.
c. Acting: 9/10 This is my favourite from all Hugh Jackman performances I have seen. Richard Roxburgh was great as Dracula, Kevin J. O'Connor made a fine Igor, David Wenham was wonderful playing Carl. Kate Beckinsale, Elena Anaya, Silvia Colloca, and Josie Maran were excellent as Anna and the brides of Dracula.
d. Screenplay: 10/10 There are several threads as described above, all woven together nicely. Great writing, with some good dashes of comedy thrown in. Carl's discoveries and deliveries of intelligence dovetailed nicely with the needs of the action heroes. The culminating action sequences were gripping, and the final, parting scenes definitely pulled at the heartstrings.
Final rating: 9/10
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