Van Helsing
- Thread starter Strider
- Start date
I
Indy's_main_man
Guest
that's a good point. Nowadays you csn't ay too much attention to the critics unless they're trusted by you. Go with your instincts. If you'd like to see something then see it.
I wanted to see it. I actually waited it for a week. And when I was going to see it, I knew it was going to be a cheesy flick filled with thrill rides with too much CGI, and a plot that would insult any thinking man's intelligence.
But at that moment, I wanted to see a flick like that. So I liked it.
The people who keep their expectations low rarely get disappointed.
But at that moment, I wanted to see a flick like that. So I liked it.
The people who keep their expectations low rarely get disappointed.
Yeah.. I completely agree.
I didn't hear the greatest thing about this movie, so I kind of prepared for the worst.
But I wanted to see it because the trailer looked promising.. for that sort of movie.
Actually.. I had the same thing with League of Extraordinary Gentleman.. but man, that movie sucked.
But I really liked this one.
I didn't hear the greatest thing about this movie, so I kind of prepared for the worst.
But I wanted to see it because the trailer looked promising.. for that sort of movie.
Actually.. I had the same thing with League of Extraordinary Gentleman.. but man, that movie sucked.
But I really liked this one.
Dr. HenryJones.jr
New member
Hey Indy-Fans,
I have my favourite Van Helsing, on the roof floor was empty because the worker from communtiy of city clean all things from my stuff, one lost was drowing into the trash, I hate that my fun wasn't happy cause this was cost of $100 bucks for Van Helsing stand-up display.
Where can I get this ? I have going to eBay searching, but nothing, this was old.. in past 4 years ago, I know but I need this stand-up display.
Have they get? If yes tell me. I have no enough in my pocket money...
just need help.
I have my favourite Van Helsing, on the roof floor was empty because the worker from communtiy of city clean all things from my stuff, one lost was drowing into the trash, I hate that my fun wasn't happy cause this was cost of $100 bucks for Van Helsing stand-up display.
Where can I get this ? I have going to eBay searching, but nothing, this was old.. in past 4 years ago, I know but I need this stand-up display.
Have they get? If yes tell me. I have no enough in my pocket money...
just need help.
Montana Smith
Active member
This thread's so old it couldn't be excavated by the usual means. The Raven search can't cope with its antiquity.
For years I never wanted to revisit this film. I saw the first part of it when it was broadcast on TV, and the print was so dark that it was hard to discern what was actually going on.
Must have been a year ago that I got the DVD, and haunted by the TV experience I didn't have the inclination to watch it.
While this flick comes in for some heavy flack I'm not ashamed to say I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.
To address the wise words of Pale Horse,
I wholly agree. However, in this case the pattern is more in line with Indiana Jones, which recreated work from the '30s and '40s. I can see that this was the intention in Van Helsing.
Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker have been left far behind, and Stephen Sommers was picking up where Universal Studios left off. The bastardization had already been committed.
Hence the wonderful black and white beginning to the film.
The gothic locations were top notch - the village, the snow, Castle Frankenstein, and Castle Dracula. And Prague, itself, standing in for Budapest. According to Sommers Czech language issues of the film refer to the place as 'Prague' rather than Budapest, since it was too recognizable for local audiences to be a stand-in for anywhere else.
A great host of villains, too, from Mr. Hyde (who reminded me of Wolverine meeting the original Beast); impressive werewolves; some very Stokeresque bat babes; some very cute bat babies; pulpy-looking Hellboy-ish Dwergers; and a Dracula who looked like Michael McManus as Kai in Lexx:
And facing them, Wolverine himself, and Kate Beckinsale who's always good to watch.
While Victor Frankenstein has been brought from the early 1800s into 1887, it wasn't clear why Abraham Van Helsing had been transformed into four-hundred year-old Gabriel Van Helsing. There was no need to make him the 'son of' since he was already in his correct time frame. And the Angel Gabriel thing? I don't even want to go there!
The red line, which instantly piqued my attention, and the scenes that directly followed it: two stagecoach stunts and a 'Zorro' leap across a canyon, albeit by a team of six horses! "Santa Claus!" as one commentator exclaimed on the DVD as the horses and coach sailed over the chasm. Well, they were "Transylvanian horses".
I think this film succeeds in pulling the Universal horror style into the modern age. On the face of it the movie is a big budget action piece, yet never far away are the nods to the past which recreate the atmosphere of the black and white films.
For years I never wanted to revisit this film. I saw the first part of it when it was broadcast on TV, and the print was so dark that it was hard to discern what was actually going on.
Must have been a year ago that I got the DVD, and haunted by the TV experience I didn't have the inclination to watch it.
While this flick comes in for some heavy flack I'm not ashamed to say I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.
To address the wise words of Pale Horse,
I wholly agree. However, in this case the pattern is more in line with Indiana Jones, which recreated work from the '30s and '40s. I can see that this was the intention in Van Helsing.
Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker have been left far behind, and Stephen Sommers was picking up where Universal Studios left off. The bastardization had already been committed.
Hence the wonderful black and white beginning to the film.
The gothic locations were top notch - the village, the snow, Castle Frankenstein, and Castle Dracula. And Prague, itself, standing in for Budapest. According to Sommers Czech language issues of the film refer to the place as 'Prague' rather than Budapest, since it was too recognizable for local audiences to be a stand-in for anywhere else.
A great host of villains, too, from Mr. Hyde (who reminded me of Wolverine meeting the original Beast); impressive werewolves; some very Stokeresque bat babes; some very cute bat babies; pulpy-looking Hellboy-ish Dwergers; and a Dracula who looked like Michael McManus as Kai in Lexx:
And facing them, Wolverine himself, and Kate Beckinsale who's always good to watch.
While Victor Frankenstein has been brought from the early 1800s into 1887, it wasn't clear why Abraham Van Helsing had been transformed into four-hundred year-old Gabriel Van Helsing. There was no need to make him the 'son of' since he was already in his correct time frame. And the Angel Gabriel thing? I don't even want to go there!
Strider said:
The red line, which instantly piqued my attention, and the scenes that directly followed it: two stagecoach stunts and a 'Zorro' leap across a canyon, albeit by a team of six horses! "Santa Claus!" as one commentator exclaimed on the DVD as the horses and coach sailed over the chasm. Well, they were "Transylvanian horses".
I think this film succeeds in pulling the Universal horror style into the modern age. On the face of it the movie is a big budget action piece, yet never far away are the nods to the past which recreate the atmosphere of the black and white films.
kongisking
Active member
I will remember this day forever...the day Montana Smith called Van Helsing an underrated great piece of popcorn fun. How on Earth did you enjoy this film, and yet disliked KOTCS enough for it to be your go-to punching bag as far as silly, unabashedly pulpy adventures go?
Montana Smith
Active member
kongisking said:
The same person who made Star Wars made The Phantom Menace.
There's no comparison between KOTCS and Van Helsing.
Van Helsing started from what made the Universal horrors films appealing, and built on it.
KOTCS started from ROTLA and lost the plot.
Van Helsing has vampires, werewolves, dwergers, Kate Beckinsale, Wolverine, fantastic gothic locations, and a non-conventional ending.
KOTCS has prairie dogs, bad jokes, under-used characters, bad acting, poor plot-points, no Kate Beckinsale, and a very conventional ending.
Van Helsing even has a far better graveyard!
Killing Marion off at the end of KOTCS would have been a good start to recovering KOTCS. (Killing her off at the beginning, or before the beginning would have been even better).
Le Saboteur
Active member
How did this thread go on this long without a picture of Ms. Beckinsale?
Shouldn't you have known that The Raven had a 10,000 character limit per post?; or, was this before your Ascension?
Yes, it was a good shot. It just might be one of the best character introductions ever. Well, at least in a summer action picture category. Plus, she has one of those great, Only in the Movies kind of names -- Anna Valerious.
I haven't seen Van Helsing since it was originally released in theatres, but I do remember being entertained. While it paled in comparison to both Deep Rising and The Mummy, I don't regret the eight or so bucks I spent to see it.
The there are two things that I never cared for: 1.) Jackman's flouncy hair & costume & 2.) It really wasn't that difficult for him to achieve his goals. A slightly more, well, human Van Helsing would have been a more interesting character.
Of tertiary interest, I always equate Van Helsing with the death of originality/creativity/whatever in terms of marketing. Rather than plastering Van Helsing's wanted poster around town to build buzz and/or interest, we got the now ubiquitous hero shot in full or three-quarter profile. I don't think we had descended into facial closeups or character collages... yet.
Finn said:
Shouldn't you have known that The Raven had a 10,000 character limit per post?; or, was this before your Ascension?
Some Finnish Guy said:
Yes, it was a good shot. It just might be one of the best character introductions ever. Well, at least in a summer action picture category. Plus, she has one of those great, Only in the Movies kind of names -- Anna Valerious.
I haven't seen Van Helsing since it was originally released in theatres, but I do remember being entertained. While it paled in comparison to both Deep Rising and The Mummy, I don't regret the eight or so bucks I spent to see it.
The there are two things that I never cared for: 1.) Jackman's flouncy hair & costume & 2.) It really wasn't that difficult for him to achieve his goals. A slightly more, well, human Van Helsing would have been a more interesting character.
Of tertiary interest, I always equate Van Helsing with the death of originality/creativity/whatever in terms of marketing. Rather than plastering Van Helsing's wanted poster around town to build buzz and/or interest, we got the now ubiquitous hero shot in full or three-quarter profile. I don't think we had descended into facial closeups or character collages... yet.
kongisking
Active member
Montana Smith said:
I don't like to judge sequels based on their hierarchy of quality in a series. I try to judge them based on their individual merits. And Van Helsing built on what made the Universal horror films appealing? Um, like the macabre horror, or the amazingly charismatic acting by the creatures themselves (not the annoyingly trying-too-hard Richard Roxburg as Dracula), or the sense of dread? For someone who hated KOTCS because it didn't live up to the standards of the franchise, you are abandoning that reasoning for this film.
Mind, I'm not annoyed that you liked Van Helsing specifically. I enjoy some things about it, despite overall thinking it's a frustrating mess. I didn't not like it because it was unfaithful to the old films: it could very well have worked, if there was more restraint or a better supporting cast (Jackman was just fine for the role). I don't like it overall for being a poor film in and of itself. If you judged KOTCS in such a way, your opinion on that wouldn't seem so harsh, but comparing it to the glory days and ignoring it's strong points by blowing up it's flaws is unfair.
Only one of your points makes sense here: No Kate Beckinsale is definitely a minus. Not for her acting ability, of course...does that make me shallow?
Montana Smith
Active member
kongisking said:
KOTCS can be judged either way, and still comes up short.
kongisking said:
Have you ever seen Béla Lugosi acting? He was cheese on a stick. It was the over-acting that derived from silent film days. What those films did was create a mood through their locations and characters. Watch them now and you're taken back to a more innocent time in cinema.
Richard Roxburgh was following in the footsteps of Lugosi.
kongisking said:
Conversely, I'm not annoyed that you liked KOTCS specifically. I enjoy some things about it, despite overall thinking it's a frustrating mess
kongisking said:
The same can be said for KOTCS.
kongisking said:
You can compare it to the glory days, or you can judge it as a standalone film. Whichever way I judge it, it's a boring mess after Doom Town. I wasn't bored at any point during Van Helsing. There was always something to feast on.
kongisking said:
Yes, very shallow. You must keep eye contact with Miss Beckinsale at all times whenever she's on screen, otherwise you might go blind!
Montana Smith
Active member
Finn said:
Here she is once more. Slowed down. Purely for research purposes, of course:
kongisking
Active member
Kudos, Smiffy for some smart answers to my various points. The only reason I don't hate you is because, damn it all, you are an intelligent enemy, and I always respect an intelligent enemy. And you're allowed your opinion, I guess I just tire of the sniping. Even if it were founded (IMO, it's not, but whatever), it would still be annoying, since it is done so often. You're practically infamous on here for two things: 1) being the Grand Lord of KOTCS Mockery, and 2) your exceptional comedic timing.
As for Van Helsing, I may not like it much, but hey, it's Halloween season again, I might as well give it another go. See if it grows on me.
As for Van Helsing, I may not like it much, but hey, it's Halloween season again, I might as well give it another go. See if it grows on me.
Montana Smith
Active member
kongisking said:
kongisking said:
At the very least you can enjoy some eye candy.
Kate...castles...Kate...creatures...Kate...graveyards...Kate...snow...Kate...