Van Helsing
Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) has been ordered by the Vatican to search out anddestroy Count Vladislaus Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), an assignment that doesn't make VanHelsing very happy. He is tired of killing monsters for the Church, onlyto be branded by the public as a murderer with a price on his head. Healso wishes that he had back his memories, something that was taken awayfrom him due to his previous sins. Cardinal Jinette (Alun Armstrong) explains that thisassignment is important because, 450 years ago, a Transylvanian knightnamed Valerius the Elder promised God that his family would never rest norenter heaven until they vanquished Dracula. However, Dracula still lives,but only two of Valerius' descendents -- Princess Anna (Kate Beckinsale) and Prince Velkan (Will Kemp)-- remain. The Valerius family is running out of time, and the Church iscommitted to saving their souls. So, armed with only a scrap of a picture,rings of garlic, holy water, a silver stake, a crucifix, an automaticcrossbow, and Friar Carl (David Wenham), the Q of the Vatican, Van Helsing takes off forTransylvania.
Van Helsing's arrival in Transylvania is not well met, asTransylvanians don't like strangers. As Princess Anna challenges theirbusiness there, Van Helsing notices three harpies flying towards them.They are Dracula's three brides -- Aleera (Elena Anaya), Marishka (Josie Maran), and Verona (Silvia Colloca). It'sobvious that they are trying to nab Anna. In fact, they succeed incarrying her off several times, but Van Helsing manages to get her back.He finally destroys Marishka by dipping his crossbow in holy water beforeshooting her with a dart. Oddly, the villagers are angry with Van Helsingfor killing Marishka. They explain that the vampires only kill one or twoa month to satisfy their needs. Now, thanks to him, they will kill moreout of revenge.
Dracula isn't happy about it either. Not only is he now short onebride, but a year ago, after setting up Victor Frankenstein (Samuel West) with his ownlaboratory, the villagers set Frankenstein's monster on fire, and Draculaneeded the Monster in order to give life to his offspring (Dracula'schildren are born dead and must be animated). Then, just a few days ago,Velkan Valerius destroyed Dracula's werewolf with a silver bullet,although it cost Velkan his life when the werewolf grabbed him just beforehe fell over a steep cliff.
Grateful that Van Helsing saved her life and destroyed Marishka, Annatakes Van Helsing and Carl back to the castle where the Valerius familyhas lived for hundreds of years following Dracula's human death. Thatevening, Anna wants to go out vampire hunting, but Van Helsing, preferringto wait until daylight, sprays her with knockout spray. When Anna laterawakens, the halls are dark and Van Helsing is nowhere to be found. Still,someone is there. It's a werewolf, but not just any werewolf. It's herbrother, Velkan. Apparently, Velkan was bitten by the werewolf on the waydown, survived the fall, and now he is a werewolf, too. When the moonsuddenly goes behind a cloud, Velkan changes from werewolf back to himselfjust long enough to warn Anna. Then the moon comes out, and he changesback into a werewolf and lunges at her. Van Helsing appears and fires ashot at Velkan, but he leaps out the window. Van Helsing follows. Justwhen Van Helsing gets a clear shot at Velkan, Anna stops him to let himknow that Dracula supposedly has a cure for werewolfism. Van Helsingagrees to help Anna look for the antidote and try to save her brother.
Velkan's trail leads them to Castle Frankenstein where Dracula, Igor (Kevin J. O'Connor),and the Dwergi [ugly little creatures that work for Dracula] have strappedVelkan to Dr Frankenstein's machine and are trying to harness his lifeenergy to animate Dracula's babies. Lightning strikes and Velkan'slifeforce flows into the baby vampires who start to hatch. Thousands ofthem. Van Helsing starts shooting at them. Dracula gets really mad andstarts attacking Van Helsing. Van Helsing stabs Dracula with the silverstake, but it doesn't work. (The stake needs to be made of wood.) Aleera,Verona, and the babies fly into the village so that the brides can teachthe babies how to feed. Suddenly, all the vampire babies start to explode.The animation hasn't been successful.
Dracula orders Velkan to kill Van Helsing and Anna. In their escapefrom Castle Frankenstein, Anna and Van Helsing fall into a subterraneancave where the Frankenstein monster (Shuler Hensley) has been hiding. Van Helsing shootshim with a tranquilizer dart but refuses to kill him because he can sensethat the Monster is not evil (Van Helsing will only kill evil beings).Before he passes out, the Monster explains that he is the key to Dracula'sresearch, that he is the one thing that Dracula needs in order to bringlife to his brood. Even though the last hatchlings died, Dracula hasthousands more waiting birth, he says.
Suddenly, they notice that they are being watched by Velkan. Knowingthat Dracula will soon know their whereabouts, Van Helsing tries to takethe Frankenstein monster back to Rome for protection, but they areattacked by Verona, Aleera, and Velkan. Van Helsing destroys Verona andgets a silver bullet into Velkan, who later dies in Anna's arms.Unfortunately, Velkan also managed to bite Van Helsing. Aleera picks upAnna and flies her back to Dracula while Van Helsing, Carl, and theMonster are forced to walk. They meet up with Aleera again in Budapest.She invites them to a Halloween masquerade ball during which they cantrade the Monster for Anna. Van Helsing tranquilizes the Monster and lockshim in a church while he and Carl go to the ball.
At the ball, while Dracula dances with Anna, he tries to talk herinto becoming his bride, but Anna will have none of it. Van Helsingrescues Anna, but their escape is thwarted when Igor triumphantly bringsin the Frankenstein monster. Everyone at the ball turns into vampires andgoes after Van Helsing, Carl, and Anna, forcing them to jump out a window.By the time Van Helsing, Anna, and Carl get back to Transylvania, Draculahas cleared out of Castle Frankenstein and moved...to no one knows where.They go to the library where Carl has done a bit of research anddiscovered that Dracula is really the son of Valerius the Elder. The wholeproblem started when Dracula was murdered in 1462 by "the left hand ofGod." When he died, Dracula made a covenant with the Devil and was given anew life that could only be sustained by drinking blood. That's whenValerius the Elder went to Rome and bargained away his family's right toenter heaven until he killed Dracula. Dracula being his son, however,Valerius was unable to kill him, so he banished him to an icy fortressthrough a door with no means of escape...until the devil gave wings toDracula. So where is this door?
Anna reveals that her father spent hours staring at a particularpicture. Perhaps that picture holds the key to the door? On the door is aninscription in Latin which Carl tries to read but cannot finish because apiece is missing. Van Helsing remembers the scrap of picture that CardinalJinette gave him before he left Rome. Sure enough, it fits. When they readthe inscription aloud, the picture changes into a mirror which allows themto walk through into the snowy fortress which is Dracula's true castle.They enter a long hallway in which the ceiling and walls are lined withpods containing vampire offspring waiting to be animated. They also seethe Frankenstein monster encased in a block of ice with only his headsticking out. The Monster sees Van Helsing and tells him that Dracula DOEShave a cure for werewolfism. Van Helsing wonders why Dracula would have anantidote. Carl remembers seeing another painting that showed a werewolfkilling a vampire. Now it all becomes clear. Only a werewolf can killDracula, and Van Helsing is scheduled to turn into one tonight at thestroke of midnight. The plan is to let Van Helsing transform and killDracula, and then Anna and Carl can inject him with the antidote at thelast minute.
While Van Helsing goes in search of Dracula, Anna and Carl force Igorto lead them to the antidote. Igor shows them a syringe stored in a jar ofviscous liquid. Indeed, it is the antidote, but before they can retrieveit, Igor locks them in the room. Aleera suddenly appears. Anna tosses thejar at her. It crashes on the floor, and the splash burns Aleera's face.Anna tosses more of the liquid at the bars on the door, and it eatsthrough them. While Anna keeps Aleera busy, Carl takes the antidote andgoes looking for Van Helsing. Van Helsing has discovered Dracula'slaboratory. The Frankenstein monster has been hoisted to the roof, andDracula is attempting to drain his life into his infants. Van Helsingmakes his way to the roof, but before the Monster can be freed, lightningstrikes and sends his lifeforce down through the infant nursery. The babyvampires begin to awaken.
Just as the Frankenstein Monster gets free, Dracula changes into abat and attacks Van Helsing. The Monster is struck again by a bolt oflightning that sends him flying over the edge of the roof. On his waydown, he manages to grab onto a cable and knock Igor off the bridge wherehe's been chasing Carl with a cattle prod. The Monster swings through awindow into the room where Anna and Aleera are fighting. As the Monsterholds Aleera at bay, Anna uses the cable to swing back to the laboratory.On the way, Carl tosses her the antidote. Aleera catches up with Anna.While Aleera gloats about how she's going to drink Anna's blood, Annagrabs a spike and thrusts it through Aleera's heart.
Just then the clock strikes midnight. Van Helsing changes into awerewolf and attacks Dracula. Just as Van Helsing has Dracula by thethroat, the moon goes behind a cloud and Van Helsing changes back intohimself. Dracula takes this moment to inform Van Helsing that it was he (Van Helsing)who murdered Dracula back in 1462. Suddenly, the moon comes back out. VanHelsing turns into a werewolf again and chews up Dracula's neck. Draculacrumbles into dust as do all of his baby vampires (once Dracula isdestroyed, all his creations are also destroyed). At that moment, Annaruns into the room with the antidote. Van Helsing leaps at her. Carl alsoarrives and opens the silver stake, ready to plunge it into Van Helsing.But Anna was successful. She injected the antidote into Van Helsing justbefore she died, and Van Helsing is returning to himself.
Van Helsing and Carl hold a cremation for Anna at sea. He sees her spirit in the sky alongwith those of her ancestors. She smiles and realises that she is at peace and with her family. Heading out to sea in hopes of a sanctuary, we see Frankenstein's Monster on a raft looking towards the flaming beacon and the two heroes.
