Van Helsing (film)

Van Helsing
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stephen Sommers
Written by	Stephen Sommers
Produced by	Stephen Sommers Bob Ducsay
Starring	Hugh Jackman Kate Beckinsale Richard Roxburgh David Wenham Will Kemp Kevin J. O'Connor Shuler Hensley
Cinematography	Allen Daviau
Edited by	Bob Ducsay Kelly Matsumoto
Music by	Alan Silvestri
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	May 7, 2004 (2004-05-07)
Running time	131 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$160 million
Box office	$300,257,475

Van Helsing is a 2004 American action-horror film directed by Stephen Sommers. It stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious. The film is an homage and tribute to the Universal Horror Monster films from the 1930s and '40s (also produced by Universal Studios which were in turn based on novels by Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley), of which director Stephen Sommers is a fan.

The titular character was inspired by the Dutch vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing from Irish author Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Distributed by Universal Pictures, the film includes a number of monsters such as Count Dracula, the Frankenstein's monster and werewolves in a way similar to the multi-monster movies that Universal produced in the 1940s, such as Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and House of Dracula.

Despite mostly negative critical reviews, the film grossed over $300 million worldwide.

Plot

In 1887, Transylvanian Doctor Frankenstein (Samuel West) brings to life his Monster (Shuler Hensley) with the aid of his assistant Igor (Kevin J. O'Connor), and Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). Dracula kills Victor Frankenstein after revealing that he helped him only so he could use Frankenstein's monster to bring his undead children to life, although this plan is revealed to the doctor off-screen. Frankenstein's monster then escapes to a windmill, which is burned down by a pursuing mob. The mob flees as Dracula and his three brides, Verona (Silvia Colloca), Aleera (Elena Anaya) and Marishka (Josie Maran), mourn the loss of Victor and their chance to bring their children to life.

One year later, the Knights of the Holy Order, stationed at the Vatican, dispatch Gabriel Van Helsing, who has amnesia, to kill Dracula. He is also tasked with preventing the last of the Valerious family from falling into purgatory; the family swore to kill Dracula nine generations ago and is unable to enter Heaven until they succeed. He is given a torn piece of paper with an insignia on it. He is joined by Carl (David Wenham), a friar who provides support and weapons.

Arriving in Transylvania, the two meet Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), who tells them her brother Velkan (Will Kemp) was recently killed by a werewolf. Van Helsing then saves her from Dracula's brides as they attack the village, ending with Van Helsing killing Marishka as the others escape. When Anna takes the pair back to her castle, she is determined to kill Dracula herself, but Van Helsing is unwilling for her to take the risk, knowing that she is the last of the Valerious family. When she resists, he gasses her to sleep and puts her in her bed. Later in the night, Anna awakens from her deep, dreamless sleep and encounters Velkan, now a werewolf himself. After Velkan flees, Van Helsing and Anna track him to Frankenstein's castle, only to find Dracula attempting to give life to his children using Velkan as a substitute for the Monster. His plan ends up failing, and Anna frees Velkan as he transforms into a werewolf. Dracula confronts Van Helsing, who recognizes him from his past, and realizes that Dracula is impervious to all conventional methods of killing vampires.

While escaping, Van Helsing and Anna fall into a cave, where they find Frankenstein's Monster still alive. Though the Monster pleads to be killed so that Dracula cannot use him, Van Helsing decides to take him to Rome so he can be protected. They flee in a carriage, but while crossing the Carpathian Mountains, the brides and Velkan attack them. The carriage plummets down a precipice and Verona tries to save the Monster, but on opening the door reveals that it is a decoy carriage containing only stakes bundled against explosives, which kill her when the carriage hits the bottom. The genuine carriage is attacked and Van Helsing kills Velkan, but not before Van Helsing is bitten by him; when the next full moon occurs, Van Helsing will become a werewolf. Anna is then captured by Aleera and is taken to Budapest.

In Budapest, Van Helsing agrees to trade the Monster for Anna (never actually intending to submit the Monster), and hides the Monster in a cemetery before he and Carl head off to save Anna, who is at a masked ball which is later discovered to consist only of vampires. At the ball, after placing her under some sort of trance, Dracula attempts to seduce Anna, and nearly bites her in the process. Van Helsing and Carl manage to rescue her, but the Monster is captured and taken away on a boat. Escaping from Dracula's Summer Palace, Van Helsing, Anna, and Carl return to Frankenstein's castle, where they find all the equipment has been removed. At Anna's castle, Carl explains that Dracula was the son of Anna's ancestor. Dracula was murdered by "The Left Hand of God", but not before making a Faustian Bargain, which gave him new life as a vampire. Carl explains that although Anna's ancestor made the vow to kill Dracula, he could not kill his own son. Instead, he banished Dracula to an icy fortress from which he should not have been able to return, but the Devil gave him wings and the power of flight, which allowed him to escape. Van Helsing then finds a portal to Dracula's castle disguised as a wall map, completed using the paper that Van Helsing brought from Rome. They enter the portal, emerging on a cliff near Castle Dracula.

As the trio sees the Monster being lifted to the laboratory, he tells them that Dracula has a werewolf cure. Carl realizes that only a werewolf can kill Dracula and that he uses werewolves to do his bidding, but needs a cure in case they have the willpower to turn against him.

Making his way to the laboratory, Van Helsing frees the Monster—but not before Dracula's spawn are given life. He then confronts Dracula. Van Helsing tells Dracula that his children will die if he is killed. Dracula confirms this to him whereupon Van Helsing becomes a werewolf and enters a final battle with Dracula (who turns into a giant bat-like creature). Dracula reveals that Van Helsing is really The Archangel Gabriel, the Left Hand of God—as well as the one who originally murdered him. He offers to restore Van Helsing's memories, but Van Helsing refuses, deciding that "some things are better left forgotten".

Anna and Carl retrieve the cure but are attacked by Aleera after Igor traps them in the room. Igor falls to his death off a bridge thanks to some help from the Monster, and Aleera gets impaled by Anna with a silver stake thrown to her by Carl. They make their way to the laboratory just as Van Helsing bites into Dracula's throat, killing him and his offspring. Anna injects Van Helsing with the cure, only to be killed by him at the same time, much to his grief. Van Helsing and Carl hold a quiet ceremony for Anna and cremate her as the Monster departs on a raft into the ocean, having been allowed a chance at life. As Anna's body burns, Van Helsing sees her and her family in Heaven at peace, thanks to Dracula's death.

Cast

• Hugh Jackman as Gabriel / Van Helsing, the main titular protagonist, Van Helsing is a Hunter of Evil Forces sent to Transylvania to hunt down and kill Count Dracula. Eventually after killing a werewolf, he gains the curse of the lycanthrope and becomes a werewolf to kill Dracula.
• Kate Beckinsale as Anna Valerious, a strong-willed woman and Van Helsing's love interest, Anna is a member of the Valerious family who have been trying to kill Dracula for over 400 years. Anna aids Van Helsing in his quest to kill Dracula.
• Richard Roxburgh as Count Vladislaus Dracula, the main antagonist of the show, Dracula is a 440 year old vampire who was killed by Gabriel, but made a deal with the Devil and became a vampire. Now he tries to give life to his children.
• David Wenham as Carl, a monk, or actually a Friar, and a friend of Van Helsing's who goes with him to Transylvania and helps him and Anna kill Dracula.
• Shuler Hensley as Frankenstein's monster, the creation of Dr. Frankenstein who is the key to the survival of Dracula's children and helps Van Helsing defeat Dracula.
• Elena Anaya as Aleera, aone of Dracula's three brides who wants to kills Anna.
• Will Kemp as Velkan Valerious, Anna's brother who becomes a werewolf and somewhat joins forces with Dracula.
• Kevin J. O'Connor as Igor, Dr. Frankensteins former assistant who joins forces with Dracula.
• Alun Armstrong as Cardinal Jinette
• Silvia Colloca as Verona, another one of Dracula's three brides
• Josie Maran as Marishka, another one of Dracula's three brids.
• Tom Fisher as Top Hat
• Samuel West as Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the Frankenstein monster who was killed by Dracula.
• Stephen Fisher as Dr. Jekyll, the "good-guy" side of Mr. Hyde.
• Robbie Coltrane as the voice of Mr. Hyde, an old enemy of Van Helsings and the bully and murderer side of Dr. Jekyll.

Box office

The film opened at #1 in the weekend of May 7–9, 2004. The film grossed US$300,257,475 worldwide of which US$120,177,084 was from the USA.

Critical reception

Despite a high box office, critical reception was mostly negative, and the film was classed by the website Rotten Tomatoes as "Rotten", with 22% of reviews counted as positive. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 stars out of 4 stating that "At the outset, we may fear Sommers is simply going for f/x overkill, but by the end, he has somehow succeeded in assembling all his monsters and plot threads into a high-voltage climax. Van Helsing is silly, spectacular and fun."

Soundtrack

The film's original soundtrack was composed by Alan Silvestri.

Video game

Vivendi Universal Games published a Van Helsing video game for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Game Boy Advance. The game follows a similar plot to the movie, has gameplay similar to Devil May Cry and the PS2 and Xbox versions feature the voice talent of many of the actors including Hugh Jackman.

Spin-offs

Sommers expanded the story of Van Helsing in two direct spin-offs. The animated prequel titled Van Helsing: The London Assignment takes place before the main events of the film, focusing on Van Helsing's mission to try to stop Jack the Ripper, who turns out to actually be Mr. Hyde, from terrorizing London. There is also a one-issue comic book titled Van Helsing: From Beneath the Rue Morgue, that follows Van Helsing on a self-contained adventure that occurs during the events of the film, just after the death of Jekyll/Hyde in Paris but before Van Helsing returned to Rome. In the adventure, Van Helsing deals with Doctor Moreau and his hybrid mutants.

Reboot

In May 2012 Universal Pictures announced that they are rebooting the film with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci as a two-year deal to produce a modern reimagining and Tom Cruise to star as the title character and also produce the film. Rupert Sanders is in talks to direct the film.

External links

• Official website
• Van Helsing at IMDb
• Template:Amg movie
• Van Helsing at Rotten Tomatoes
• Van Helsing at Metacritic
• Van Helsing at Box Office Mojo
• Dark Horse Comics' Van Helsing one-shot comic book