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Werewolf folklore is also slightly reinvented. Those bitten by a werewolf will transform into one during the night of a full moon, but will remain one permanently after the 12th stroke of midnight. In this film, after Van Helsing transforms into a werewolf, a clock chiming down those twelve strokes lasts approximately six minutes. That those bitten can remain a werewolf would also explain the unusual occurrence when Anna and her brother Velkan lead a bunch of villagers in trying to kill one that is out in broad daylight. They set a perfect trap, but bizarrely also consider it convenient to have Velkan’s gun be the only one loaded with silver bullets.

The film made for Hugh Jackman’s first lead role with his name above the title (Beckinsale also received the same treatment). Looking positively badass as Van Helsing, Jackman unfortunately doesn’t get enough time to develop his character, who is more action and less talk. When Anna questions him on why he does what he does, his response is, “I don’t know. Maybe some self-realization?” This shows Sommers’ approach in a script that devotes more time to action set pieces above anything else.

The film does allude to Van Helsing’s lost memories and former life, but fails to fully explore this sub plot; something I feel was being saved for a sequel. Strangely Sommers does offer Roxburgh’s Dracula a bit of background, explaining how he is trying to propagate his own kind. He needs Frankenstein’s Monster, because for some reason his dead parts brought to life holds the key to bringing his dead offspring to life.

The masquerade ball sequence is where things look like they're about to pick up. With the help of a mirror, Anna realises that she’s in the presence of hundreds of vampires. As they all start to eye Van Helsing, you begin to wonder, just how in the hell is he going to get out of this one? It’s a brilliant set up designed to lead to a great action set piece, which unfortunately doesn’t arrive. Instead of seeing Van Helsing and Anna fighting vampires, he gets out via the use of an unbelievably bad cop-out that should never have happened.

Mentioned briefly at the beginning of the film, when Van Helsing loads up on supplies, his sidekick Carl just so happens to have a bomb shaped device, containing compressed magma mixed with pure alkaline, capable of emitting light equal to the sun. It conveniently crops up right at the point it’s needed, with its use at the ball killing all the vampires, except for Dracula of course (you see, it’s stupid). We only witness Van Helsing killing two vampires throughout the whole film. To have an iconic character known for slaying vampires, only to rarely show him doing such an action, is a major oversight.

The eventual climactic battle may revel in its “look-what-we-can-do” special effects, and its geekgasm shot of a werewolf’s arm around the neck of vampire bat, but Van Helsing’s fight against Dracula is a God-awful mess. As the characters transform into their CG counterparts, the sudden (and rather jarring) lack of any human element offers little to care about. CG characters fighting in live action films rarely ever work, as is the unfortunate case with the conclusion of Van Helsing. Given the effects at the time, it just stands out more when watching what looks like cartoon characters suddenly appearing in an environment they shouldn’t be in.

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