Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh
Directed by Stephen Sommers

Davis must have been on the brink of economic collapse, or so the signs pointed to. Movie ticket prices were rising as if hyperinflation was taking hold! EEK! The week before, it was $6 a ticket, but before that it was only $5.50. Not too long ago it was $4. The day I went to see Van Helsing, tickets were $6.25. At this rate, it won't be long before it costs $20 to see a movie in Davis on a Saturday morning.

And as if that wasn't a rough enough start, we were the second group of people in the theatre and for the longest time nobody came in. Then when it's almot time to roll, this guy comes and just has to sit smack in front of me. And man! He stuck like shit in a swamp with moldy vegetables! It was seriously the stinkiest stink I had thus far smelled in my life. I was about to hurl. So I hurried the hell up and moved to the seat on the other side of my friend, which thankfully the stink did not travel to.

Van Helsing rocked and it rocked even more after last week's Trojan debacle. When I first saw Hugh Jackman in Swordfish I didn't really like him. But with each Hugh Jackman move I see I like him more and more.

So the story is kind of like X-Men in that Hugh Jackman's character us just about the coolest guy on the planet, except we don't know where he came from or who he really is, and neither does he. So while he does his work, he is also trying to find out just who the hell he is. And incidentally, the very guy he's trying to ultimately kill is also the one guy who knows who he really is.

This film was serious non-stop action. I am not kidding! It just never stopped! It rocked! Hmm...and there's something alluring about those vampires. Hollywood makes it a point to cast good looking people as vampires. A few parts made me jump, especially when he went to look for Jekyll/Hyde.

Of course near the beginning, there was the requisite Bond-esque reception of the orders and walk through the gadget lab. Except this was like 19th century stuff. Very funny!

The end titles were also really nice. Unique, not just a bunch of names appearing and/or scrolling. Very creative. Great music too!

Oh yeah, and there was lots of slime.