Van Helsing
Summary
Despite star in many successful movies over the years , Hugh Jackmanhas also appeared in his fair percentage of duds , with a horror moving-picture show from 2004 remaining the biggest miss opportunity in the history of Dracula movies . Jackman first lift to fame playing the role of Logan / Wolverine in Fox’sX - Menmovies , beginning with 2000’sX - Men . Since then , the actor has played legion function across a variety of genres . WhileHugh Jackman ’s best movieshave been both critically and commercially successful , his worst motion-picture show have been panned by reviewers and have do ill at the box office .
Outside of theX - Menfranchise , Jackman is experience for starring as the lead in hits such asThe Greatest Showman , The Prestige , Australia , andPrisoners . However , to date , the actor has only ever appear in one horror movie . While there have been dozens ofDraculamovies over the years , Jackman ’s own attack from 2004 stands out as the liberal wasted opportunity in the account of the character .
A 14 - year - previous Ridley Scott motion picture fall through with a 44 % Rotten Tomatoes sexual conquest , but a new Hugh Jackman flick can now lastly make up for its bankruptcy .
Van Helsing Could Have Been The Most Epic Dracula/Universal Monsters Even We’ve Seen
The Movie Had So Much Potential
write and directed by Stephen Sommers , Van Helsingsees Hugh Jackman playing the titulary monster hunter who first appeared in Bram Stoker ’s originalDraculanovel . The premise of the movie involves Van Helsing journey to Transylvania to institute down Count Dracula . Along the way , he is aided by a immature woman named Anna Valerious ( Kate Beckinsale ) , who is the last of an ancient Romanian family . As well as Dracula , Van Helsingalso features appearance by other iconic characters from classic literature , such as Victor Frankenstein , Frankenstein ’s ogre , Igor , and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .
Van Helsingcame at a time when Jackman was at the height of his celebrity . He had just doneX2 : X - Men United , which prove to be a extremely successful follow - up to the firstX - Menfilm . The star was , therefore , very much in demand . Furthermore , when the movie was released , Sommers himself was coming off back - to - back megahit profits in the form ofThe MummyandThe Mummy Returns , andVan Helsing ’s budget of $ 160 million demonstrates how much faith Universal Studios hadin the two work force delivering a hit .
A reboot ofVan Helsingis pronounce to be in development with Julius Avery , the man behindThe Pope ’s exorciser , set to direct .
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon
On composition , Van Helsingis the perfect action repugnance movie . The pairing of Jackman and Sommers , the film ’s fresh take on the Dracula story , and the enjoyment of well - known repulsion properties should ’ve result in one of the just horror movies of the twenty - first one C . It also had the prospect to lead to more crossovers and a shared cinematic world years before the MCU . Yet , that did n’t prove to be the case .
Dracula is one of the adult scoundrel in pop - cultivation story . But which of the many flick based on the iconic lamia are the in force Dracula movies ?
What Went Wrong With 2004’s Van Helsing
It Struggled To Win Over Critics
Van Helsingcould have beena wild and badass " creature feature film " that united some of the best revulsion characters onscreen for the first time , but it squandered its electric potential .
Financially , Van Helsingwas a moderate success , cook just over $ 300 million at the worldwide box place on a $ 160 million budget ( viaBox Office Mojo ) . With marketing and dispersion price taken into account , it ’s likely that the movie only just about made a profits . Ultimately , this prevented a sequel from being made . The boxwood office was n’t whereVan Helsing ’s big problems lay , however ; the film had far great issues when it descend to lineament . The film currently moderate aRotten Tomatoesscore of just 24 % , rendering it " Rotten . "
Upon its release , the general consensus among reviewers was thatVan Helsingfailed to return on its heroic premise . Much of the criticism focused on the movie ’s over - reliance on CGI , chaotic plot , and tendency to take itself far too seriously . The film ’s deficiency of scares was also criticize . Overall , Van Helsingcould have beena wild and badass " creature feature " that united some of the best horror characters onscreen for the first time , but it squandered its electric potential .
Dracula Movies Have Struggled A Lot Since Van Helsing
There Hasn’t Been A Truly Good One In A While
It ’s no secret among cinephiles thatthe last twenty years have been null of a properly goodDraculamovie . The 1950s and 60 were brimming withDraculafilms , thanks largely to Hammer Horror and Christopher Lee . Prior to this , 1922’sNosferatuand 1931’sDracula , star Bela Lugosi , established the character as a cinematic icon . Even as late as 1992,Francis Ford Coppola ’s Bram Stoker’sDraculawas winning over critics and audience . The twenty - first century , on the other paw , has failed to deliver aDraculamovie of adequate stature .
2014’sDracula Untold , which star Luke Evans , acted as an stemma write up for the fictional character and was initially think to be the first installment inUniversal ’s Dark Universe monster franchise . Ultimately , the motion picture underperformed at the box office and was panned by critic . likewise , 2023’sRenfield , which saw Nicolas Cage playing Dracula , failed to make anywhere near its product budget . to boot , it garner a motley reply from reviewers . Meanwhile , the less allege about André Øvredal’sThe Last Voyage of the Demeter , the better .
Movie
Worldwide Box Office Total
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Dracula Untold(2014 )
$ 217,124,280
25 %
Renfield(2023 )
$ 26,493,921
58 %
The Last Voyage of the Demeter(2023 )
$ 21,786,275
49 %
Of naturally , it would be abrasive to blameVan Helsingfor the failure of its harbinger . After all , it ’s likely just a coincidence that cinema has n’t produced a single decorous Dracula motion picture sinceVan Helsingwas secrete in house . Nevertheless , it is interesting to think that ifVan Helsinghad been a success , the chances of a devil - theme shared world would ’ve been in high spirits . So much so that , if that were the case , it ’s possible that horror would ’ve been the big blockbuster music genre of the twenty - first century rather than superhero movies .
Source : Box Office Mojo , Rotten Tomatoes
