And Hugh can be yours for a meager $45 (each)

[retro_eidas]

Universal is also doing a VH theme park ride I hear. You know, they better *hope* this movie doesn't bomb. It feels like they're going all out. This is feeling like "Hulk" all over again.

Comments

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[eido.livejournal.com]

The thing is about POTC, I think *everyone* was thinking it was going to bomb. Seriously. It's based around a theme park ride for god's sakes. It just turned out it was a crappy sort of premise but turned out to be a fun movie. Lightening strike. Obviously it doesn't strike twice if you notice Haunted Mansion's lackluster performance. Disney didn't stop while they were ahead.

VH looks to be a crappy premise and - I could be totally wrong here and I'd seriously WANT to be totally wrong (but something tells me I'm not) - probably will be a crappy movie.

Re:

[ter369.livejournal.com]

Haven't seen the preview or watched any trailers online. But when I first heard the high concept for the film last Spring, I thought: "Wish I'd thought of that." For prose fiction, at least.

So did Jeanne Cavelos, which is why an anthology of Van Helsing stories is due out in May. I spent last summer re-reading Dracula, then working on a story for this submission. (No, mine isn't in it. But I've got the story as the premise for a full novel.)

http://www.sff.net/people/jcavelos/vh.htp

But then, I enjoyed the Mummy movies by the same director. Crappy Egytology, but a rollicking good time. Still - Kate Beckinsale is no Rachel Weisz. I can ignore CGI, but bad acting grates.

Re:

[eido.livejournal.com]

Well, to me, movies like "Van Helsing" (or "The Mummy") are intended to be big, fun summer popcorn movies full of explosions and elaborate fight sequences (and not much else). The CGI - much more prevalent as years pass - for the most part has to be tight. You have these (in the case of VH) supernatural creatures like vampires, Frankenstein and werewolves, that are already pushing the bar for believability. If the CGI is weak to boot, you're leaning more and more towards the unintentionally farcical. Of course, I've suspected that VH would be riddled with campy CGI when I first read it's premise.

I've found the acting and unfortunately sometimes the story can be secondary in summer fare. Everything I've heard about "Van Helsing" has seemed ridiculously over the top and it's only gotten sillier, but then I assumed that's what they were going for. Initially reading the VH premise, I immediately thought it was some kind of a homage to the B-movies from the 50s/60s (many of which made by Universal who also made VH). In all intents and purposes, this looks exactly like what it's going to be. That first trailer sealed the deal. Stephen Sommers career seems to be revolving around homages. If this homage does it's predecessors justice, it won't be a good film (I doubt anyone who made it was intending it to be), but should at least be a fun romp.