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Midterm season has come and left, at least for me, with the past two weeks. Now that's "first midterms", for some reason in this crazy quarter system it's standard for some classes to contain two midterms. And though I have only a momentary pause of two weeks or so between first and second midterms, I am still enjoying this brief respite I have from test taking. I'm also happy to report that I now have an actual bed in my room at home. Part of the ordeal of moving left me temporarily bed-less, making me resort my own devices as far as my sleeping situation (basically, a sleeping bag on top of a mattress). Now that I have a real bed, with a frame and everything, I'm truly living large.
On to Van Helsing. Justin is right, the movie is no Kill Bill, and Hugh Jackman is quite "tough guy". If I had to sum up the movie in one word, it would be: "rediculous". But if I had to sum it up in seven words, it would be: "so rediculous that it was super entertaining". I suppose that I can count my prediction as pretty much on the mark. Putting the one dimensional characters and the standard movie model aside, the film does have some great special effects and watching it is true entertainment. Over the course of the movie, Van Helsing battles all sorts of infamous, legendary foes, including: Count Dracula, some she-vampires, werewolves, and even Mr. Hyde (Frankenstein's Monster is in there too, but not really as a foe). These fights are action-packed, elaborate, and exciting. And as Anna Valerious, Kate Beckinsale is basically just eye-candy throughout all this. So I guess by the end, my male movie watching instincts felt very fulfilled. But while the film does a good job satisfying the Average Joes like me out there, I doubt very many movie critics were impressed. Some aspects of the battles were so extraordinary and random that I felt they were unlikely even in the amazing world of Van Helsing. Also, the movie does little to promote any kind of intellectual response from its viewers. I walked away thinking "Van Helsing is hardcore", there wasn't much in the way of open-endedness or unanswered questions, at least in my mind. All in all, I think if you're planning on seeing it you should know what you're getting into beforehand. It's not complex and it isn't thought provoking, but it is a fun movie and you're likely to have a good time watching it.
- Patrick
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