Premise
In this animated prequel to Van Helsing (2004), Van Helsing travels to Victorian London to catch the mysterious, inhuman serial killer, Mr. Hyde.
Overview
Release – 17 April, 2004
Runtime – 33 minutes [animated short film]
Genre – Action/Animation/Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Review
Non-Spoiler section
I have always been awed by the Victorian era London. Always. I can’t really point a finger as to why exactly, but yeah! Maybe it’s the gaslights, the cobbled streets, the foggy nights, or maybe because of ‘Jack the Ripper’, who caused havoc in the streets of London back in the late 19th Century, and has since become an infamous “icon” in pop culture. Whatever the reasons, a steampunk, Victorian era London is definitely a great background to setup a story either way. And this being the same backdrop for this animated movie made me excited instantly.
Check out the review for ‘Jack the Ripper‘ (2016).
Not only is the setting great, but to add to it, the movie involves the quite iconic monster hunter –Abraham Van Helsing (named ‘Gabriel’ Van Helsing in the movie). With Hugh Jackman providing the voice for the monster hunter, this short, animated movie actually acts as a prequel to the live-action movie ‘Van Helsing’ (2004), starring Hugh Jackman himself. And I must say, the prequel does its job of introducing us to a world full of monsters, and in need of a hero like Van Helsing.
Here’s what it’s all about –
Just to give you a quick teaser of the same –
Victorian London is gripped by the gruesome killings of women at night-time. To catch this ruthless and ever elusive killer, Vatican City sends Van Helsing to get to the bottom of this never-ending case, hoping to bring the killings to an end, and eventually the killer to justice. Will the killer be caught, or has Van Helsing finally met his match?
Got you excited enough yet?
So, the movie starts on the gas-lit streets of Victorian London, where a woman is seen wandering at night. The streets are dark and empty, having been enveloped in a deathly fog (or smog in case of London at that time). Suddenly, out of nowhere, she is brutally murdered by an unknown figure, who collects her ‘soul’, and disappears into the night.
The authorities are baffled beyond reason. Ultimately, with the body count increasing, with no solution in sight, and no concrete suspect to the whole mystery, there’s only one man for the job – Gabriel Van Helsing. Meeting up with the Pope at Vatican City, he and his trusty companion Carl, an inventor (whose latest invention is the ‘la santa pistola de aqua’ – the holy water pistol), are immediately assigned to London to bring a halt to the killings.
What follows is a cat and mouse chase through the London rooftops, the underground rail network, the smelly sewers, and even the sky, to catch the killer. In doing so, Van Helsing comes across the most shocking reason behind the brutal killings, trying in all his might to stop the killer once and for all… before it’s too late.
What was great?
- The animation was absolutely amazing! (love this animation style personally).
- The Victorian era London was excellently depicted, to say the least.
- Voice acting was pretty good.
- Characters were very well shown.
- The plot itself was pretty good too.
- The ending was satisfactory, and also paves the way for its live-action counterpart – ‘Van Helsing’ (2004).
What was bad?
- Honestly, nothing bad about this at all whatsoever.
Some standout quotes/dialogues
“Not every soul deserves to be (saved).”
“We must believe all souls are worthy of salvation.”
Van Helsing to Pope/Cardinal Jinette; and the latter’s reply
“… in our line of work, there’s dead… and there’s dead.”
Van Helsing on what a typical day out in his job looks like
“Who are you?”
“What you fear most.”
The killer (whose identity I won’t be disclosing, of course!) to Van Helsing; and the latter’s savage reply
Final thoughts
Off the bat, what I really loved most about this short, animated film was the depiction of Victorian era London (I just can’t get over this, I’m sorry!). It really was very well done in every aspect. And it also does setup the live-action sequel ‘Van Helsing’ (2004) pretty well, with the events to follow directly being connected with those that are shown here. Overall, a great watch. I highly recommend it!
Rating: – 10/10! (MUST WATCH!)
Spoilers ahead!
‘Jack the Ripper’ references present (from the real-life events that unfolded in London, 1888) –
- The killer is depicted as JTR (Jack the Ripper) in Victorian London.
- The killings/MO (Modus Operandi) are similar to JTR.
- Targets mostly prostitutes (as in the opening scene).
- Murders committed in the same small section of the city, all with a surgeon’s scalpel.
- Murderer hides in the same area.
- Has some connections to the Royal Family.
- Apparently involved in the study of medicine.
- Uses a carriage to travel, manned by a servant.
