An infamous demon hunter is sent Transylvania where he teams with a local woman to defeat Dracula; as the vampire attempts to harness the power of Frankenstein's monster to awaken thousands of his offspring.

Dracula, Frankenstein and The Werewolf are all entangled in this ridiculous contrivance of every famed movie monster's lore. This movie is so over-the-top and beyond recognition as anything resembling 'art' that it can best be described as a Universal Studios thrill ride within Disney World-Las Vegas. It is a constant grope at your senses.

Jackman needs to find himself a script that is worthy of his talents. He is reduced to a humorless and empty shadow of Indiana Jones here. Beckinsale is equally disappointing as she mumbles through an effected Eastern European accent. Richard Roxburgh plays the Saturday Night Live version of Dracula—I swear half the time I saw Chris Kattan standing in that cape.

Any notions you may have about Dr. Van Helsing that you may have gotten from far better films or novels are best checked at the door. Including the idea that Dr. Van Helsing is a doctor—this is ignored. You may also want to forget that his first name is Abraham—Dracula repeatedly refers to him as Gabriel. Unless this is meant to attach some suggested otherworldly nature unto Van Helsing. If this is the case—it doesn’t work and we may not get to enjoy a sequel that will explain it.

It isn’t a film to hate—it isn't that bad. The movie can be fun on a purely visual level but it helps if you are nine years old. The special effects, while also over-the-top, are pretty well done and I enjoyed most of the action sequences. But one of its chief faults is that it is one 132 minute action scene.

Oh, I liked Van Helsing's hat too.

Directed by Stephen Sommers.