I did a search for a thread related to this movie and came up empty handed, so here goes:
I just received the Anchor Bay Hammer Collection VHS copy of this in the mail the other day. As a supplement, it apparently also contains its chopped down U.S. release Seven Brothers Meet Drac counterpart. I started watching the uncut version on Tuesday nite, fell asleep halfway thru, and managed to finish viewing it on Wednsday eve.
What can I say? Aside from the ever captivating performance given by Master Thespian Peter Cushing in his final appearance as Van Helsing, this film is, in my opinion, one of the worst that I've been subjected to in the illustrious Hammer cannon. I mean, what's with the paper mache facial masks covering the vamps and zombie minions faces? What are those zombie minions doing in the film to begin with?
I was hoping the cross-cultural kung-fu meets gothic vampire tale would be fun, but instead found the never ending, sub-par (even for a Shaw Bros. release) martial arts choreography scenes to be so tedious as to induce several trips to the fridge in search of a tasty snack in an attempt at rendering the experience a little more palatable...
No wonder Chris Lee turned down the offer for a part in this disastrous attempt at entertainment...Even his added presence couldn't have salvaged this one...
The only highlight for me was the auditorium scene where Van Helsing tries to convince his Asian peers as to the existence of vampires.
I haven't viewed the Seven Brothers Meet version yet, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to muster up the courage to sit through what promises to be an even more rigourous and time-consuming visit to dullsville...
Disclaimer: Because of my admiration for Peter Cushing's work, I almost feel guilty in giving this movie such harsh criticism. However, the truth of the matter is that I really didn't enjoy this film...I guess Hammer really was going up the proverbial creek without a paddle at the time of its production...
I just received the Anchor Bay Hammer Collection VHS copy of this in the mail the other day. As a supplement, it apparently also contains its chopped down U.S. release Seven Brothers Meet Drac counterpart. I started watching the uncut version on Tuesday nite, fell asleep halfway thru, and managed to finish viewing it on Wednsday eve.
What can I say? Aside from the ever captivating performance given by Master Thespian Peter Cushing in his final appearance as Van Helsing, this film is, in my opinion, one of the worst that I've been subjected to in the illustrious Hammer cannon. I mean, what's with the paper mache facial masks covering the vamps and zombie minions faces? What are those zombie minions doing in the film to begin with?
I was hoping the cross-cultural kung-fu meets gothic vampire tale would be fun, but instead found the never ending, sub-par (even for a Shaw Bros. release) martial arts choreography scenes to be so tedious as to induce several trips to the fridge in search of a tasty snack in an attempt at rendering the experience a little more palatable...
No wonder Chris Lee turned down the offer for a part in this disastrous attempt at entertainment...Even his added presence couldn't have salvaged this one...
The only highlight for me was the auditorium scene where Van Helsing tries to convince his Asian peers as to the existence of vampires.
I haven't viewed the Seven Brothers Meet version yet, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to muster up the courage to sit through what promises to be an even more rigourous and time-consuming visit to dullsville...
Disclaimer: Because of my admiration for Peter Cushing's work, I almost feel guilty in giving this movie such harsh criticism. However, the truth of the matter is that I really didn't enjoy this film...I guess Hammer really was going up the proverbial creek without a paddle at the time of its production...
