The Reel Rejects - VAN HELSING (2004) MOVIE REVIEW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING!

Episode Date: October 23, 2024

WHERE'S THE SEQUEL?!! Van Helsing Full Reaction Watch Along:  https://www.patreon.com/thereelrejects Save & Invest In Your Future Today, visit: https://www.acorns.com/rejects Follow Us On Socials: h...ttps://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  https://www.tiktok.com/@thereelrejects?lang=en Before Hugh Jackman returned as everyone's favorite X-Men in Deadpool & Wolverine...Van Helsing Reaction, Recap, Commentary, Analysis, & Spoiler Review! From the director of The Mummy & The Mummy Returns comes an action adventure horror flick that sees the crossover of Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Werewolf, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Vampires, & MORE as they fight against Hugh Jackman & Kate Beckinsale (Underworld). Greg Alba & Roxy Striar watch and react to the best action scenes / movie clips such as Final Battle With Dracula, Fighting Dracula's Brides, Vampire Battle, Dracula Kills Dr Frankenstein, Werewolf On The Loose, Welcome To Transylvania, Here She Comes, I Am Count Dracula, He's Alive, Save The Monster, I'll Set You Free, & MORE! Follow Roxy Striar YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@TheWhirlGirls Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roxystriar/?hl=en Twitter:  https://twitter.com/roxystriar Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Music Used In Manscaped Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:25 It hasn't gone long enough yet. It's been a long enough intro. We're good. No, got to keep going. We're good. No, we're good. And let's go Van Helsing. All right.
Starting point is 00:01:38 So we did it. We just watched Van Helsing. We watched Van Helsing starring Hug Jackman and Cape. Oh, Chadstallisky was the stunt coordinator. You know, Chad Stilisky? Yeah, Chats Salisky. Oh, I say it wrong? What'd you say?
Starting point is 00:01:55 Stilisky. How are you saying? Stilisky? Stilisky, Chad Stahelsky. Like John Wick? Yeah. Chad Stilisky is what I say. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:02:12 I mean, there's clearly a Stah. Stylisky. You're skipping to H and the E. Stah. You're skipping like two letters. Am I wrong about that? I don't know. I've always said, Chad Stilisky.
Starting point is 00:02:25 You sound like there's things, Chad Stilisky when it's like there's They're not pronouncing the H and the E, Chad Stahelsky. Yeah, but you're trying to say it like Helsing and it's Stilisky. How do you know that? Let's ask you to. Yeah, before we talk about anything else, there's no fucking way we're moving on past this like Stilisky shit. Okay. We just got to hear him say like, hi, I'm Stats, Chad Stahelsky, and this is the Google, Google questionnaire or something.
Starting point is 00:02:55 Chad Stilisky. We just got to hear him say, oh, no one's like, hi, I'm here. with chats the hellsky why does they want to say that so stupid okay here we go oh shit he's already on stage there
Starting point is 00:03:05 okay Josh Horwitz is going to introduce him oh yeah yeah sure gosh yes we know yes we know yes we know
Starting point is 00:03:20 it is of course the one and all chats the hellsky well I've been saying that wrong publicly for a long time that's why you couldn't ever land the interviews with him that you kept trying to land
Starting point is 00:03:33 I have to say that I've probably said his name like on air a couple dozen times and I say Chad Stiliski well now you know that you you're sounding real stupid yeah apparently my bad Chad Chad Salski loves these
Starting point is 00:03:50 reactions like oh my God Van Helsing now I know if this movie taught me anything it is how to say Chad's to Helske's name all we needed and really come out of it. Okay, so we just watched fan housing. We watched fan housing. I had minimal expectations going into it. Why? Why would you have minimal? I specifically wanted you for this one. I said I want, I want, I want to Roxy for this one. What do you mean? What's going on with you right now? I don't, I'm looking up the year it came out. 2004. And what year were the underworld movies? Okay, yeah, that's a great question. 2003 was the first one.
Starting point is 00:04:24 Okay, so this was between the underworld movies. I mean, yeah, this was the first one. I mean, Underworld was 2003. Right, but then there was this and then there was another Underworld. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean, there's actually a couple more that you guys didn't react to. We did three of them, I think. Yeah, there's four and five. Yeah, but this, so this was between one and two.
Starting point is 00:04:43 That is true. What year was the first X-Men movie? 2000. And this is 2004 you said? Yeah. Okay, wow, damn. So I had minimal expectations because, not because you said, what do you mean? I wanted you for this.
Starting point is 00:04:57 Thank you. I appreciate that. But I just mean I had minimal expectations for this because I, if it was supposed to be amazing, I would have, like, heard people talking about it a little more, so I just didn't know. Sure. I was actually pleasantly surprised by this movie. I thought that it was a lot of fun. And again, like, sometimes it dragged a little bit, but really, I loved these characters in the world that they built and it looked awesome.
Starting point is 00:05:17 How did you feel about it? Oh, dude. I thought it was a fun movie, Roxy's... Have I lost you? Huh? What do you mean? Have you lost me? Are you here?
Starting point is 00:05:25 I'm still here. I'm still your friend. Oh, dude. My name's Greg. oh dear and van helsing is a film that i really uh thought was fun did i was i like hardcore emotionally invested in anyone not at all oh um i like the monster frankenstein monster and also that one jump scare really got me roxy had a great jump scare she got really scared i got really scared i know i'm surprised how scared you got i was so weird and that was so gross with the
Starting point is 00:05:57 It was the vampire baby, the first vampire baby that we see. Babies freak me out, bro. I appreciate it's weird. There was like, the opening scene, the black and white scene, fantastic. Because it's a perfect encapsulation of what I believe they wanted to go for. For, oh my God, Samantha Summers. He totally put his daughter in there as a vampire child. Anyway.
Starting point is 00:06:20 Or niece. Or niece. So the opening, Stahelsky. scene was great like the amalgamation of like old school universal monster horror movies with some like modern day touches I wouldn't have minded like this
Starting point is 00:06:37 movie if they're like there's no way it would have made any money but but if they had made it all in black and white that flavor of black and white I thought really complimented the movie well and and I I think sometimes it kind of loses a bit of that is that with Chowsky
Starting point is 00:06:52 no no no that's Wodji Chousi Chowsky, Wichowski is W-A-C-H. So I think the... I've interrupted you 17 times. Don't worry about it. I got this on the down, though. So the rest of the movie, I feel like,
Starting point is 00:07:12 does sometimes kind of drag a little bit in certain points. What you do for breakfast? Well, what's funny? It actually didn't have breakfast today. Oh, no, no. I think... I don't know. I just worked out on an empty stomach,
Starting point is 00:07:23 and then I went and had a shake later. I didn't even finish my shake because I got to have to film. penguin the how good is that show that's a really good show but the performances by Hugh Jackman are is fun he's like British
Starting point is 00:07:36 Wolverine in this one so you his accent you thought was kind of like in out and out yeah it was a little bit of in and out sometimes it sounded British sometimes it sounded American her Kate's was a little in and out towards the end too but I didn't mind it yeah they're both very attractive
Starting point is 00:07:50 yeah exactly they have chemistry what do you think they got chemistry or no sure yeah I didn't even know that he was married now I was shipping him with... You know, another huge act when thing? He's, like, married to that woman for, like, like, decades. And then they got a divorce, like a little, like... Is she an actress?
Starting point is 00:08:08 When they met, she was an actress, and they got divorced before Deadpool and Wolverine came out. That's what the joke in Deadpool and Wolverine's about. Oh, I do remember that. When he's like, yeah, he let himself go since the divorce. Yeah, yes, yes, yes. I remember the joke, and then I remember being like, oh, I didn't know he got divorced.
Starting point is 00:08:22 Yeah, so, anyway, it's because of cave back. It's not. Start the rumors. Spread the rumors. I'm going to look some stuff up about this. Wait, hold on. We're talking. I'm having a conversation.
Starting point is 00:08:35 This is the back and forth that you and me is always this. I always want to know more. It just seems like you're not really paying attention when you're just on your phone talking, like, look at stuff, you know. What makes you think I'm not paying attention is the fact that I've interrupted you seven times? Are we really having a conversation if you're just on your phone? I'm not on my phone like dicking around. I want to know about Van Helsing. All right, I got this covered.
Starting point is 00:08:58 The set designs were awesome. The production design was so cool to behold. The action scenes were fun. I mean, like, the action scenes were fun, you know, like, it was all, like, a cheesy romp. Sometimes I did crave, like, I wish they didn't just get rid of Jekyll and Hyde, because I think that's a really compelling character, you know? And also, I think that the actual death of Dracula happened a little fast. It's a little underwrap. Yeah, like, I was ready for this big.
Starting point is 00:09:26 big epic fight and it lasted so short like i would been okay if that was like a 25 minute like final uh i won't tell you any of this you have to block your ears i want to tell the people why you don't get to listen to it that's weird you didn't want it um okay what do i do sleep deprived number one sleep deprived number two Stephen somers yeah he deliberately chose to avoid the style of transformations from other werewolf films where the character would usually grow hair as part of the change said the decision was made to have the
Starting point is 00:10:03 character rip his skin off to reveal the werewolf from underneath going with the idea that do I need that I do what need this yeah so I was taking out the gum was not because I was like
Starting point is 00:10:17 ocean fucking rocks I need some gum right now I might do I no I was just I was I was doing it for me. I was just a habit. Are you going to have a lot of caffeine and sugar? That's amazing. So what was the fact you were eating? I'm really sorry if I was dragon breathing on you.
Starting point is 00:10:34 No, I just, what was the fact you were reading? What was I dragon breathing on? No, I can't smile at the thing. I got deviated septum. So what were you saying? Students. They chose a different way for the werewolves. They rip off their skin and so the werewolves are underneath. That's gross.
Starting point is 00:10:53 It's the idea that the beast comes from within. Are they the ones who started that? Because I feel like that's what people do now sometimes. Really? I mean, at least when I see it more with shapeshifters. I don't know, but 500 people thought that was interesting. 500 are good Samaritans out there. 435 people think this is interesting.
Starting point is 00:11:10 Let's hear it. The place where Van Halzing and Anna fight, Dracula's Three Brides, is the same place where Frankenstein 1931, Dracula, 1931, and the Wolfman, 1941 were filmed. The set is called The Court of Miracles, and it's part of the studio tour at Universal Studios, I've done that to her. I don't remember that.
Starting point is 00:11:27 That's cool. I think I know which part they're talking about. I do. Actually, now, I think I have a visual life. That's like trivia is cool, dude. Because we have a conversation. I'm not objecting against the trivia.
Starting point is 00:11:39 It's just, you know, since we're talking in like two minutes in, you're like, I'm going to look stuff up. I'm like, well, shit, I barely just started talking. Okay, bro. Cut me off, man. Keep talking. Tell me more. No, I'm done.
Starting point is 00:11:49 I don't care. Let's hear more trivia. Is it about his divorce? What's your mouth? Remember I wanted to watch the credits and you were like, it's lame. Let's pass forward. I don't think I would say that. It's lame?
Starting point is 00:12:03 Late. Oh, yeah, okay. You did say that. I might have said late. I would never say lame. I didn't say lame. I don't think I've ever used that to describe anything. Name one thing you think is lame.
Starting point is 00:12:15 Name one thing you think is lame. Um, um, the series season. finale of Dexter the OG Dexter yeah I thought that was like too and the reboot oh I see they're both lying ladies and gentlemen I'm excited to shout out today's sponsor because it is an app that I have been using since before we partnered with them which just makes my job easy and I just get to share with you something I really do love and that is the acorns app because
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Starting point is 00:14:51 I'm one of them. During filming, Hugh Jackman accidentally broke an expert's hand. Oh, wow. What do you do? I don't know. That's all it says. Crazy. Stephen Somers wanted Kate Beckinsale for the role of Anna, but feared it was too similar to the tone of vampire whirl from Underworld, which she was shooting at the time.
Starting point is 00:15:11 And he didn't ask her. Eventually, her agent got Somers to send the script, and Beckinsale immediately signed on. Yeah. I like his style. He did like the Mummy movie. You've seen the Mummy? But Brandon Frasier? Yeah, but not in years.
Starting point is 00:15:24 I like those movies a lot. He's got this. What are those movies? They're just, again, those movies are based on a classic monster, the mummy, but they have that swashbuckling action adventure. I think they're way better than this movie, but I like the. But you still dug this? I still dug it.
Starting point is 00:15:44 It was a really fun film. And it's one of those movies that I imagine probably didn't get a sequel because of box office. I can speak to you on that. This looks like a very expensive movie That probably did not make its money back But it feels like if they had a sequel They could have easily improved upon
Starting point is 00:15:58 What some of its shortcomings were You know? Because I like some of this stuff Except for Kate being dead What do you mean? But Hugh Jackman is alive He's Van Helsing. I know, but I'm just bummed that she wouldn't be there For the sequel because he should improve on
Starting point is 00:16:11 Yeah, but they can still approve upon it Get a new girl Not all women are replaceable, Greg Almost In interview, oh wait, on what you just said the film was intended to start a series of Van Helsing adventure movies. However, the reviews were bad, and box office returned were far below expectations.
Starting point is 00:16:28 All plans for a sequel were dropped within several days of the films open it. Oh, that's terrible. That sucks. I feel like this movie's had a big... I feel like it's had a research since over the years. Well, the North American DVD sales were $65 million in the first week,
Starting point is 00:16:43 which is more than half the revenue from the theater runs. Dude, this feels like the kind of movie that, you know, families would love we're like dad's in the Midwest, you know. It's one of those films that I think people who just love watching movies, but aren't like, I'm going to review this thing or a real.
Starting point is 00:17:01 It's not like a joke or folly of a new audience. Like, this is the kind of movie. I can literally feel like, oh, it's Arizona. This family had a movie on his van else. Like, it's one of those movies. Totally. But there's also, I could get why, because, like, this wasn't close to as good as Dracula.
Starting point is 00:17:14 You know, I just watched that, and that was like, ah. You're comparing this to, like, Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula? Only because there's Dracula in this. Oh, I mean, yeah, but I don't think anyone walked in expecting the adore Francis
Starting point is 00:17:29 For Coppola to do like a Van Helsing movie. I'm pretty sure the advertising conveyed what kind of movie it was. No, I'm just saying, I'm comparing it because you're saying like a filmmaker, film people love this and it's like, yeah, but I would put on Dracula. I wonder why it failed, though. I mean...
Starting point is 00:17:47 Well, I can tell you some more things. I like things. In interviews, Kate Beckinsale's and she hated the corset she had to wear for most of the shooting. When the film finally wrapped, she wanted to burn it all. I thought about that and like a lot of the, especially the shots behind her when she's running because like her hips looks so out. Yeah. And I was like, that looks very uncomfortable. I have a couple things to tell you still. I like that.
Starting point is 00:18:12 Dr. Rangestine's lab was equipped with antique medical equipment purchased on eBay. No shit. They had to cut costs somewhere. we're like um and ebay this is cool the second to last scene of x2 x-men united cyclops wolverine and professor x discussing jean gray the film was filmed while hugh jackman had a day off from this movie oh really yeah oh so he definitely did have a wig for sure dude his hair wasn't have a ball good x2 xmen but also it looked like a wig i know that was just faster movie It is a ridiculous looking wig. Like, it is the most fake part of it. All the CGI they throw in this movie. And I'm like, that freaking wig is just, no, I know, I was messing with you.
Starting point is 00:18:58 It was a really, that was a real big decision they had on that wig. This is the first movie other than Lord of the Rings films to use the massive software program developed for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I don't know what it was. I imagine like the mocap that they did with Ghalm that they would probably apply. I think the mixture, especially on Frankenstein's Monster, what I thought gave a great performance. That was what I was trying to say at the very beginning when you were interrupting me nonstop.
Starting point is 00:19:26 Was that? That was so annoying with me. Sometimes I'd be annoying. Go ahead. Hugh Jack and came back in sale were so serious. Yeah. Which at times works. And other times I'm like,
Starting point is 00:19:39 yo, I don't think you guys realize what genre film here in because this is like not that movie. Yeah, but I kind of like when they do that. Yeah, I know. But I feel like the one who had the pitch perfect performance was the Frankenstein monster character. Yeah, he was. I thought that out. And the other dude.
Starting point is 00:19:56 Carl? Carl. Carl's tone was perfect. And like Dracula was like a little too one note over the top for me at times. I'm like, oh my God, all you're doing is yell. Like every scene, you're just like he's bound to yell. It's like listening to Scarface. Like you just know at some point he's going to start yelling.
Starting point is 00:20:10 But I thought it worked for this, but I do feel you. It was that's the part that starts to drag when somebody is a little bit. One note. yeah i could have used a little bit more actual good character stuff because i i feel like the mummy movies because only comparing it because it's there's similarities in terms of like that that's why i compared it to dracula because the similarities yeah because the eras that it's in yeah totally similarities uh the the era that it's in and uh the director but i feel like the writer director that one who's the same guy here probably had a more of a
Starting point is 00:20:46 passion for it and then he was brought on like hey you did the mummy you want to do van helsing now and so a lot of the hollywoodisms of the archetypes and stuff and the beats felt very you know like someone read a screenplay book and then applied that for what they needed to do so some of it will ring hollow whereas in mummy at least rings genuine even though it's like similar in the beats but you know who they should have brought on chad's the liskey Francis Ferguson The Covilla
Starting point is 00:21:16 Yeah, you would have really made this fun Do you have anything else you want to add? What Rotten Tomatoes score did he get? I don't know.
Starting point is 00:21:26 I'll look it up. What's the whole backstory with him in this movie? I already forgot it. Who? Ben Helsing. What?
Starting point is 00:21:34 What's his backstory? What do you mean? I forgot what we learned about him already. Wait. His name's Gabriel. It's all remember. He's the hand of God.
Starting point is 00:21:46 What does that mean? No, we're pulling up the AI. No, don't. I'm going to pee my pants. What is why? Because I got to pee. What is Van Helsing's? You got like one minute.
Starting point is 00:21:58 What is Van Helsing's backstory in the Van Helsing movie? He killed Dracula previously as the hand of God. And then his memories all went away and he works for the church. Uh, or it's really asking history. Wait, speaking. Bad Jagler calls Van Halson Gabriel and he's been the one who originally
Starting point is 00:22:19 come centuries ago. This plays Van Halen has an ancient connection. Yeah, prosely and angelic warrior. Uh-huh. Mumble City, bitch. Yeah,
Starting point is 00:22:27 I mean, okay, we didn't really learn much about him. But yeah, he's like, there's more to explore about him. We should have gotten a sequel. We should have gone a sequel,
Starting point is 00:22:34 Roxy. That's all I'm saying. Maybe Sophia Copla should do a sequel. did he make the scorpion king too i don't think he made the scorpion we've gone off topic and here's the deal when you don't sleep for enough hours you watch the movie and you lose all your powers hey hey Greg where are you going today hey hey Greg thinking we should hit the hey hey hey Greg yeah man you gotta edit your shit hey hey Greg i gotta go home and get lit hey hey yeah yeah homie let's do it okay all right i'm good man i do i think life is beautiful and we should end this video
Starting point is 00:23:24 thank you for being here roxy see you later rejects

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