Review of "Van Helsing: The London Assignment" (2004) DVD
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Were you one of the ones who helped make Van Helsing #1 on its opening weekend? If you were and you are thirsty for more, then a great companion piece to the movie is hitting stores today. It's an animated horror adventure called Van Helsing: The London Assignment, and it features Hugh Jackman in the title role. If you haven't seen the movie, then better yet; this DVD will be perfect stepping-off point.
This short animated movie runs a half hour long, which is just about right (although I could easily have stayed with the characters for another 15 minutes or so). It serves as a prequel to the Van Helsing motion picture, filling in some of the blanks as to who the infamous vampire hunter is, who he works for, and how he came to track the murderous Mr. Hyde. The movie also shows Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde's back story, and it's really quite clever.
Although I am seldom a fan of the animated medium, I must say Van Helsing: The London Assignment is a worthy rental or keeper for horror fans. While the story doesn't shy away from blood and violence, there is also a crafty plot at work, the actual voices from actors in the film, and simple but elegant animation put forth in clean, handsome lines.
Almost as good as the cartoon itself are the extras loaded on this DVD. First there is a look at the feature film Van Helsing, hosted by one of the actresses who portrayed a bride of Dracula's in the film, Josie Maran. There are clips from the movie, plus interviews with all of the actors and the writer/director, Stephen Sommers. It's really interesting to learn how the idea for Van Helsing evolved.
The second featurette concentrates on Van Helsing: The London Assignment, in which he get to see Hugh Jackman articulating his character in the studio, and see interviews with him about doing voice work on a character he's already played in the physical aspect. He has some interesting things to say about playing the same character in different mediums.
There is also a film-to-storyboard comparison, and a look at the Van Helsing computer game. I am not a gamer by any stretch of the imagination, but I must say it looked pretty inviting -- if I ever get the chance, I'll definitely try my hand at it.
Review by Staci Layne Wilson for Horror.com