Van Helsing

[ffutures]

Just back from the cinema, thanks to rozk's recent recommendation.

This film has just taken the place of Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter as my all-time favorite silly vampire movie (if you were wondering 3rd place now goes to Innocent Blood, 4th to the original Buffy movie, and 5th to Dance of the Vampires). It's hilarious, totally over the top, and wonderful in every mind-bogglingly silly detail. It's the film that League of Extraordinary Gentlemen should have been but wasn't.

I am VERY glad that I didn't see this while I was still writing the Victorian vampire hunters part of the next Forgotten Futures release, since the premise of that is that Dracula was defeated by Van Helsing but brought vampirism to Western Europe. Fortunately I finished the first draft and most of the fine tuning for that part a year ago, and nothing in it is so close to the film that I think I need to change it.

One question; am I right in thinking that Dracula was played by the guy that played the unkillable assassin in Lexx?

Comments

[doctor-toc.livejournal.com]

One question; am I right in thinking that Dracula was played by the guy that played the unkillable assassin in Lexx?

Nope, different guy, he just had a similar haircut.

You liked it? I thought it was the biggest waste of money since Battlefield Earth. I couldn't believe how truly awful it was. Hugh Jackman (about the only good thing in the movie), seemed to be in an entirely different film to the rest of the cast, and the rest of the cast seemed to be playing it for an audience aged 8.

Different strokes, I guess. Didn't know about the victorian Vampire Hunters thing in the next FF, so that's given me something to look forward too.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I think you have to go to it in the right frame of mind; I was expecting a spectacularly silly film, and happen to like silly vampire movies, and it works reasonably well for me on that level. The violence was ridiculously cartoony, but I was expecting that.

Plus... pneumatic Gatling crossbows? How could I not like?

[timill]

Mr Vampire? Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain?

[agent13.livejournal.com]

The Gods Must Be Crazy III (http://www.illuminatedlantern.com/cinema/reviews/crazysaf.html)?

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

That sound hilarious, but I haven't seen it - generally speaking "silly vampire movies with subtitles" are lower on the list, because I find their humour is often harder to grasp. But Love at First Bite is permanently enshrined at the bottom of the list, so that isn't always the case.

[parakkum.livejournal.com]

Mr. Vampire is an excellent silly vampire movie, with bonus excellent acrobatic/martial arts action.

Ain't nothing wrong with an ass-kicking Sifu, either.

[grackles.livejournal.com]

If you're into vampire silliness, have you seen "Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter"? It's a hoot.