Van Helsing(2004) continues to hold up today when it comes to stunning visual effects. The movie was inspired by Bram Stoker’sDraculanovel, and its leading character, Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) faces off against Universal’s various monsters and attempts to kill Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). The movie was generally panned by critics but limped along at the box office, earning $300 million on a budget of over $160 million. WhileVan Helsing’s upcoming rebootremains in development, the new movie has struggled to gain traction over the years.
TheCorridor Crew, a team of visual artists, recently revisited the movie through their “VFX Artists React to Bad & Great CGi” YouTube series.The movie’s intro was the major source of praisefrom the artists. They isolated two black-and-white scenes, and then walked through what made them so compelling. The first scene featured a man walking into a sword. Artist Wren Weichman attempted to explain the visual effect, which was potentially done by using a retractable sword in the front and a CGI blade in the back, but he was too stunned:
Weichman:I mean we’ve done this shot before. Lots of people have done this shot before. But it’s another thing to do it so effectively that you’re like ‘how?’
The next scene featured a skeleton in a suit, standing while burning with real fire. He shakes the flames away, and his face quickly transitions from a burning CGI skull to the real actor. Artist Niko Pueringer attempted to explain the stunt:
Niko Pueringer:The fire is like interacting with the fireplace. I think a lesser VFX team would have just not done that, but it also tells me they probably havea real person on set with the real fire. Just the way it’s moving, the way it wraps around him… like even CGI fire these days has a tough time looking that good.
What Van Helsing’s Excellent Visuals Mean In 2024
They Ensure That The Movie Has Rewatchability
Visual effects have come a long way since 2004. Entire franchises, including the DC Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, depend on the incredible leaps that CGI has taken since the early 2000s. EvenDisney has a variety of live-action remakeswhich would never have been possible before CGI became so realistic. Yet, even before the tool was practically perfected,Van Helsingmanaged to feature a stunning and realistic image of a man on fire.Fire is notoriously difficult to realistically portray, but the movie managed to excel with it twice in just the introductory scene.
It was an incredible accomplishment, made better by a black-and-white style that could hide any imperfections.
The Corridor Crew praised the transition from the burning Universal logo into a torch, though they acknowledged that the torch flames were much smaller and did not come from the same flames. They also praised the ability to portray the human eye through CGI, as they acknowledged that they managed to scrape away shadows from the visual without the eye appearing dull or lifeless. It was an incredible accomplishment, made better by a black-and-white style that could hide any imperfections. The visuals mean thatthe movie is still watchable today, even 20 years after it was first released.
Our Take On Van Helsing’s VFX
The Introduction Can’t Save A Critically Panned Movie
While the visuals are impressive,the rest of the movie is not especially notable. That explains why the Corridor Crew ended their analysis after the introduction. It has aTomatometer score of just 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. Universal only intended to return to the franchise to add credence tothe Universal Dark Universe, which failed before it even launched. The visual effects are impressive, but a short scene is not nearly enough to draw viewers to the rest of the movie. As fun as the introduction toVan Helsingis, it isn’t enough to save the rest.
Van Helsing
Cast
Van Helsing is a 2004 action-adventure film directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Hugh Jackman as the titular character, a monster hunter tasked with defeating Dracula. Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, and Shuler Hensley co-star in this gothic horror-inspired tale that explores the battle between good and evil in Transylvania.
