Van Helsing

I was thinking of other films I've wanted to do and this has been on my list for about 3 years now.

I will go on the record and say I was a huge, huge fan of this film when it came out. I heard about it through my cousins and the more they described pieces of the film my imagination got bigger and more invested. I played the video game which was a lot of fun, I owned toys and stuff that now would be considered collectibles, this was for me. And it happened right around the time I was watching more classic Universal monster movies, so it all synced up for me. It's been about 10 long years since I last saw this film, and I still had a real good time with it and if anything I've come to appreciate it more over time. Taking the director of the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies and putting Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale fresh off their big success in the X-Men and Underworld series is kind of a genius move for that time and place in the world. So the story involves legendary monster hunter Van Helsing sent to Transylvania to assist in the destruction of one Count Vladislaus Dracula, while meeting up with resident monster slayer Anna Valerious as they come into contact with various reinvented classic monsters. I dig it man. I really dig it. The whole production, the casting, the story, it really hasn't lost it's luster for me. Yeah, there is some camp fun but it never takes anything away from the movie for me. The sets are outstanding, each one massive and detailed with camera work showing it all off in 360° long takes, and each one is memorable. Hugh and Kate are rightfully so, awesome leads and each actor fully takes it seriously, giving good performances throughout. Hell I even hear people claim Richard Roxburgh's Dracula is their favorite and stays true to the character above others, and bless them really and truly, I think that's awesome to show that actor so much love for this role. I know some people will give the movie a lot of bad mouthing considering the CGI, and while it gets plentiful near the end a good chunk of it holds up surprisingly well and look good for the time. I remember watching all the behind the scenes bonus features on the DVD back then and seeing how they did it all was really damn cool cause I rarely did that for movies back then, and you can very clearly tell they commited to how they wanted to do these effects and how exactly they pulled them off. Van Helsing is just a cool character and the fact he learns more about a forgotten life gives quite good investment to the audience and it's fascinating, the dynamic between him and all the players works very well I think. If only reviews were this kind back then, the film got panned and didn't perform well at the box office but recieved a second breath on video, and you bet your ass I would sit down for Van Helsing 2 in theaters. Christ, I want to fish out my PS2 from storage and play the game again after watching it. There be many good memories associated with this movie and I'm still a fan to this day. Nothing but 4 stars, a solid 7.5/10, seriously give it a watch. You may be surprised how much you like it and how many subtle references it has. But God help you if you want to take the drinking game and take a shot everytime someone says, "Oh my God.". Your memory will be wiped just like Hugh in this movie. See you tomorrow for one more.

The Mummy Returns

Took only 3 years for a sequel, so was it worth the wait after the original was a success?

So this movie picks up about 10 years later, and it turns out Rick and Evie have a family life with their son Alex while still exploring Egyptian tombs, temples, and so on. Although, after the first movie I don't think I would go anywhere near Egypt. Hell even the characters kind of poke fun at the plot being similar to the first. What's the plot? Glad you asked. So Rick and Evie find a cursed bracelet that gets stuck on Alex, meanwhile Imhotep is once again ressurected, so it's a race to not only defeat him once again but save Alex's life. That's basic plot, but there is more to it in the movie. If I had to pick between this movie or the first, that's surprisingly hard to choose. The action in this while brief is okay, I dare say it has an almost Raiders Of The Lost Ark look and feel in some places. The characters we all have come to know and like return in this movie, same as ever which is a treat because we get to see decent character development throughout the film, especially with Rick and Evie. Thankfully it only takes about 30 minutes for Imhotep to be ressurected, and maybe another 15 to 20 minutes until we see Arnold Vosloo in action again. He doesn't make the film in this movie, but he certainly doesn't harm it in any way. The comedy is still there, just not as funny, at least in my opinion. I have to go with the first movie being the best so far but we got one more Mummy movie. And I have never seen it. Probably because it took them 7 YEARS to get a third movie! That shit would never happen in this day and age. I mean can you believe at one point Lord Of The Rings legit had to fight to get 3 movies?? Now it's a miracle if a movie doesn't get a sequel. But I digress. Review will be up for the 3rd movie tonight. See you soon!

The Mummy (1999)

Well this movie was on a list of reviews to be done, and since I already did the classic 1932 Universal Mummy movie, it only makes sense to talk about the most recent ones before the new movie hits Friday.

So The Mummy was released in 1999, even though I could have sworn it was earlier in the 90s, starring Brendan Fraiser and Rachel Weisz. So the story is a basic retelling of the 1932 Mummy, with the priest Imhotep buried alive after having a love affair with the pharoah's mistress, only to be ressurected and it's up to our 3 heroes Rick, Evie, and Jonathan to find a way to defeat the ancient evil before he you guessed it, destroys the world. Okay, not exactly Shakespeare in terms of story but it is a decent action adventure movie. You know, it's kind of weird. This movie is actually kind of a hybrid remake of past Mummy movies. It has the story of Imhotep and his ressurection from the original movie but it takes it's action and adventure standpoint from future Mummy movies that occured after the original. Except those movies followed a different mummy named Karras, and I know this Mummy Movies 101 is going in depth but I wouldn't consider this a good review if I didn't talk about the origins. But basically, this movie is an amalgamation (Love that word!) of past Mummy movies. And you know what really surprised me? Well two things surprised me, first is the sets. Everyone I know talks about the cgi filled moments of this movie, but if you really take a step back and look at the backgrounds, there are many real sets and locations used in this movie. It only uses the cgi when it's absolutely necessary, and I think the new movie will go the same route, real sets but occasional use of cgi when neccesary. Second is the cast! You know what? I am gonna go out on a limb here and say Brendan Fraiser was my generation's Chris Pine. He's a decent looking guy that has no issues doing the action and stunts, has good charm to him, and is very witty and funny at times. I know that sounds insane, but give his performance a shot. Rachel Weisz is very lovely as Evie, but knows her history of Egypt, and yes I am blaming the ressurection on her! She read the book! That's on you Evie. Sorry love. But by the sun god Horus, is Arnold Vosloo awesome as Imhotep, dare I say he makes the movie even though we never really see him until much, much later on. Yeah...the titular mummy doesn't make an appearance until about an hour in of this 2 hour movie, and even then we never see Arnold in full glory until near the end but he commands such a presence, and just how he moves, and how he talks, it really leaves an impression on you. Almost very much like Boris Karloff in the original. And I have no doubt that Sofia Boutella is going to be outstanding! Action is the name of this movie, and it is done very well, sure it's over the top in places but honestly when you get right down to it, you don't really mind. This movie was made to entertain and I say it did a good job since it got two sequels, and a spin off movie (Which we will not be reviewing this week.) so it's not really supposed to be a horror movie. It's an action movie with roots in the horror genre. And if you walk in this movie with that frame of mind, I'd probably guess you wouldn't mind it maybe even like it. It's no masterpiece of adventure, but it's trying to just be an entertaining popcorn flick. And I'm okay with that! So give it a shot, tell me what you think, we might do both sequels tomorrow so I can get that new movie review out for you guys first thing on Friday. So until then, take care.