But Reed ... didn't you ever see interviews with Sommers saying how all of us old monsterkids who love the classic 30s and 40s Universal Monster Movies will appreciate VAN HELSING? I've seen him in between clips (maybe some of these were on those Legacy DVDs?). This guy claims he's a big fan of the old movies and that he did, in fact, intend to make his movie worthy of the old films!

Nah, I'm one of those guys who rarely watches extras, or even the commentary over the films. And I hold less of a personal brief/attachment to the Universal oldies than some (or most) of those here on the board -- they were great when I was younger, but the industry has moved on, and while the oldies are still enjoyable to some degree, and stimulated my love for the entire genre decades ago, most of 'em aren't the emotional attachments they once were.

My comment to Herr Sknaggs was directed more at Sommers' The Mummy than at Van Helsing. I can see the problems with the latter (while, as I mentioned, some of the film works okay for me), but I really, really liked the Brendan Fraser Mummy (the 2nd and 3rd were lesser films, but still enjoyable).

If you feel that strongly about The Mummy, I caution you against viewing Van Helsing.

... Reed