Movies
Posted on May 9, 2004 by Ching under Movies.
Brian and I went to see Van Helsing yesterday with his friend Keith (he went with us to Exploration Place last year). I think I would’ve enjoyed the movie more if it weren’t for the crappy dialogue. They obviously spent a lot of money on the effects — hell, even their website isn’t the kind that you get on the cheap — and then, of course, you have to spend a pretty penny to develop a game.. I think after all the spending, it suddenly dawned on them that they didn’t have a script and there was no money left! Either that or the script writer was asleep or drunk most of the time because the quality of the dialogue just wasn’t up to par with the special effects and actually the rest of the movie.
I’m not sure if they were meaning for it to be a satire and the cheesiness was on purpose (think LXG, that would be a good example of “good” cheesy). But throughout out the movie I couldn’t decide if they were wanting us to take the movie seriously or if they’re intentionally trying to be cheesy. I just didn’t get it.
Thank God for Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsdale (two actors that I happen to like) even though they got screwed in the dialogue. They’re both good looking people who are pretty to look at (that’s not enough for most folks, though).. Carl, the friar, had the best lines (I thought) and that’s pretty sad considering he’s just the bumbling sidekick. Actually, what saved me from utter boredom was the good special effects and action sequences. Remember Hellboy was the opposite: more story, less action (not to say it was better because I was kind of bored during that movie and struggled to keep myself awake — could be because I was really tired that day, though, hard to say). I think if VH would’ve had the same depth as HB, it would’ve made for a much better movie overall. But then, with limited resources, certain compromises have to be made. It is obvious that the dialogue was not a high enough their list of priorities.
I felt bad because Brian had been eagerly anticipating the release of this movie and it turned out to be crap. He didn’t seem phased by it, though. He says he liked it. So all is well that ends well, I guess.
P.S. Great previews at the beginning of the movie! That’s something that I was truly excited about. Three interesting films that I want to see: The Village, The Bourne Supremacy (a sequel to one of my favorite movies, The Bourne Identity, if you’ve been living under a rock) and The Chronicles of Riddick (I think this was the theatrical trailer because it showed way more scenes than what they’ve been showing on TV; I actually found out that Thandie Newton is in the movie so I am even more eager to see it now).
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