Van Helsing
I had no idea this flick was by Stephen Sommers, who gave us stuff like The Mummy, because now I completely understand why it was so funny. However, unlike The Mummy, where the intended humor worked for the movie, it worked against it here. Plot? What plot? If Dracula's "Master Plan" was supposed to be a plot, then I have the wrong definition of the word. It was as though Sommers read/saw League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and went, "Hmmph! I could do that and make it funny, too!"
Most people who saw the movie complained about plot holes. Yes, it did have them. One that I kept seeing mentioned was the fact that they didn't get into the mysterious past of Van Helsing himself. Dracula called him "The Left Hand of God". Being a fan of Carnivale, I was able to draw a small idea of where Sommers may've been going with this character. This is only a workable theory if you believe in the duality of God and nature, in general.
On Carnivale, Brother Justin is referred to as the "Left Hand of God". From the Right Hand of God comes all good things, while from His Left Hand comes His wrath. Justin is the "evil" character, the dark force. Ben, the main character, is the "good" one, the life-giver, who is destined to face off with Justin before the end. They balance each other's existence. Justin sees himself as doing God's work in cleansing the Earth of evil. Having the ability to do so, he judges the sinners and doles out punishment - this is his right as the Left Hand of God.
Dracula referred to Van Helsing as "Gabriel". Gabriel, as most of us know, is one of the archangels in Judeo-Christian faiths. Throughout the Old Testament, God's angels were sent to punish the wicked of the earth - at which point, they were the "Left Hand of God". Van Helsing has the curious ability to "sense the evil in beings". Even though Frankenstein's monster looked evil on the outside, Van Helsing detected no evil-will on the inside of him. This is part of his power to properly identify the wicked and punish Evil while sparing the innocent. That's why he had such a problem with the death of Hyde, because Jekyll - a good human being - was trapped inside of the beast of Evil. Still, he had to kill the good man in order to stop his evil.
As for the man's mysterious past, it's implied Van Helsing's supernatural himself. He relates to another character that all of his dreams are of wars and killing. Van Helsing recalled a battle against the Romans in 73 AD. Every dream he can remember is about murder. This would make sense if he were a sort of embodiment of an angel on earth - in its Left Hand of God state -, for the one job at which he excels is dealing death. He's notorious all over Europe as a result. His reputation preceeds him. He could be called the "Angel of Death", he's so proficient at it. Which is why I think Van Helsing is more than likely a reincarnation of this form of the archangel. The Vatican, esp. at this point in history, is God's authority on Earth over mankind. They employ Gabriel to do their dirty work, and he follows their orders with little to no question. An angel's purpose is to serve the will of God. On Earth, the Vatican = the will of God.
If you're interested in reading more about "The Left Hand of God", you can go to this site. I found it a few months ago, when I researched this very topic because of Carnivale.
Despite the attempt at "deep" religious junk, the movie was just plain bad. A "good" bad. A bad I could watch over and over again. Still, I've mentioned every person in this movie except the one that made it shine, saved it from being an utter failure: David Wenham. His Friar Carl, the character who was meant to be the comic relief, was absolutely hilarious. I loved every bit of dialogue that came out of his mouth. "Why does it smell like wet dog in here?" If there's one saving grace for an otherwise poorly constructed and executed flick, it's this guy.
You're probably wondering if I'm rec'ing the movie or railing it. It's a bit of both, really. If you're into bad movies, like I am, I highly recommend it. If you want to see Richard Roxburgh take on Gary Oldman's record for scenery chewing as Dracula, I highly recommend it. If you want to see Hugh Jackman with a look on his face of "I went from X-Men 2 to THIS?", I highly recommend it. If you're into cheesy endings, I highly recommend it. If you want to see Kate Beckinsale in a corset that makes her waist look like Barbie's (so skinny that it's unreal), I definitely recommend it.
Most people who saw the movie complained about plot holes. Yes, it did have them. One that I kept seeing mentioned was the fact that they didn't get into the mysterious past of Van Helsing himself. Dracula called him "The Left Hand of God". Being a fan of Carnivale, I was able to draw a small idea of where Sommers may've been going with this character. This is only a workable theory if you believe in the duality of God and nature, in general.
On Carnivale, Brother Justin is referred to as the "Left Hand of God". From the Right Hand of God comes all good things, while from His Left Hand comes His wrath. Justin is the "evil" character, the dark force. Ben, the main character, is the "good" one, the life-giver, who is destined to face off with Justin before the end. They balance each other's existence. Justin sees himself as doing God's work in cleansing the Earth of evil. Having the ability to do so, he judges the sinners and doles out punishment - this is his right as the Left Hand of God.
Dracula referred to Van Helsing as "Gabriel". Gabriel, as most of us know, is one of the archangels in Judeo-Christian faiths. Throughout the Old Testament, God's angels were sent to punish the wicked of the earth - at which point, they were the "Left Hand of God". Van Helsing has the curious ability to "sense the evil in beings". Even though Frankenstein's monster looked evil on the outside, Van Helsing detected no evil-will on the inside of him. This is part of his power to properly identify the wicked and punish Evil while sparing the innocent. That's why he had such a problem with the death of Hyde, because Jekyll - a good human being - was trapped inside of the beast of Evil. Still, he had to kill the good man in order to stop his evil.
As for the man's mysterious past, it's implied Van Helsing's supernatural himself. He relates to another character that all of his dreams are of wars and killing. Van Helsing recalled a battle against the Romans in 73 AD. Every dream he can remember is about murder. This would make sense if he were a sort of embodiment of an angel on earth - in its Left Hand of God state -, for the one job at which he excels is dealing death. He's notorious all over Europe as a result. His reputation preceeds him. He could be called the "Angel of Death", he's so proficient at it. Which is why I think Van Helsing is more than likely a reincarnation of this form of the archangel. The Vatican, esp. at this point in history, is God's authority on Earth over mankind. They employ Gabriel to do their dirty work, and he follows their orders with little to no question. An angel's purpose is to serve the will of God. On Earth, the Vatican = the will of God.
If you're interested in reading more about "The Left Hand of God", you can go to this site. I found it a few months ago, when I researched this very topic because of Carnivale.
Despite the attempt at "deep" religious junk, the movie was just plain bad. A "good" bad. A bad I could watch over and over again. Still, I've mentioned every person in this movie except the one that made it shine, saved it from being an utter failure: David Wenham. His Friar Carl, the character who was meant to be the comic relief, was absolutely hilarious. I loved every bit of dialogue that came out of his mouth. "Why does it smell like wet dog in here?" If there's one saving grace for an otherwise poorly constructed and executed flick, it's this guy.
You're probably wondering if I'm rec'ing the movie or railing it. It's a bit of both, really. If you're into bad movies, like I am, I highly recommend it. If you want to see Richard Roxburgh take on Gary Oldman's record for scenery chewing as Dracula, I highly recommend it. If you want to see Hugh Jackman with a look on his face of "I went from X-Men 2 to THIS?", I highly recommend it. If you're into cheesy endings, I highly recommend it. If you want to see Kate Beckinsale in a corset that makes her waist look like Barbie's (so skinny that it's unreal), I definitely recommend it.