VAN HELSING

In VAN HELSING, writer/director Stephen Sommers is to be commended on finding a way to weave together a mythology in which Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolfman (several Wolfmen, actually) all have an integral connection. Moreover, the film has a great cast, lots of lively action and mostly cool visuals (although a CGI sequence near the start is on the unfortunate side). However, it's as though most of the inspirational juice got used up in constructing the story, so that there's not much left when it comes time to bring the creature to life, so to speak.

In 1887 Transylvania, a black-and-white prologue sets up a fateful interaction between Dr. Victor Frankenstein (a suitably innocent, single-minded Samuel West), Count Dracula (a cheerfully villainous Richard Roxburgh) and Frankenstein's newly-enlivened creature (the sincere, imposing Shuler Hensley).

Cut to 1888 Paris, where Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman), an emissary of the Vatican, has been sent to bring down Mr. Hyde (the aforementioned unfortunate CGI, voiced by Robbie Coltrane). Van Helsing is very good at his Black Ops job, though he is troubled by killing creatures that were once decent men. Van Helsing's next assignment is to travel to the Carpathians to help out the royal gypsy Valerious clan. It seems they have been sworn enemies of Dracula for the past 400 years, but if they can't defeat him, no one in the family will get through the gates of Heaven. Since the Valeriouses are now down to Anna (Kate Beckinsale) and her brother Velkan (Will Kemp), the situation is getting critical. Meanwhile, Dracula turns out to have a rather urgent project of his own, which explains why he has been so interested in Dr. Frankenstein's research. Van Helsing and his reluctant assistant, the friar Karl (David Wenham), show up in the little village where Dracula and his brides find prey just as things heat up in the neighborhood.

The plot twists are a whole lot of fun, and Sommers has a very good eye for the kinds of classic monster clashes audiences will enjoy. He also has some very entertaining notions when it comes to envisioning vampires and werewolves, and stages some wonderful Rube Goldberg battles and escapes.

The problem is that there's so much going on that the characters mostly don't have time to be much more than place markers. Van Helsing tells us (and his superiors, and Anna, and Karl) that he's conflicted, and Jackman gives him an appropriate air of troubled nobility, but he doesn't get time to do much more than that. Anna is a wonderfully kickass heroine, and Beckinsale strides through the role with becoming confidence and great moves, but she also isn't allowed to develop much. Roxburgh is having a swell time as the Count he doesn't get too much character development, but in his case, the precise nature of the Count's plans allow him to have some interesting emotional reactions. Wenham, playing the one character who gets to think things over, tends to steal most of his scenes, with honorable mention going to Kevin J. O'Connor as Igor (no homage to '30s Universal horror would be complete without the iconic henchman). Allan Cameron's production design is appropriately ornate, referencing James Whale while coming up with some shrewd new twists.

With some big plot mysteries carrying through the end of the film, VAN HELSING seems intended to carry on as a series. If early public interest is any indication, it will probably fulfill that goal. Maybe next time out, the hero will be allowed a little more room to find an identity beyond being a charismatic plot function.