Van Helsing: The London Assignment

Being a Hugh Jackman fan and having only recently heard about "The London Assignment," the short animated prequel to the film "Van Helsing," I decided to see what it was like. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The animation was better than I expected and much easier to watch than the animation in some of the segments of "The Animatrix." I also was intrigued by the story of Van Helsing's struggle against Mr. Hyde. It gave much needed background and meaning to the Paris chase sequence of the film and introduced viewers to Van Helsing's connection to Carl. I really wish that I had seen "The London Assignment" before I saw "Van Helsing" in theaters. However, the most enjoyable aspect of "The London Assignment" was the fact that the principal actors (Jackman, David Wenham, Robbie Coltrane) lent their voices to their respective characters. The dialogue was similar to that in the movie, especially between Van Helsing and Carl. :-)

Also worth mentioning are the bonus features on the disc. There is a fairly good making-of documentary that is approximately thirty minutes long. It has plenty of snippets of cast/crew interviews. There is a *very* brief (as in three-four minutes:-() interview of Hugh Jackman as well as another short documentary about the making of the "Van Helsing" video game. The only truly "London Assignment"-related bonus feature contrasts the early storyboard sketches with the final product.

Bottom Line: Entertaining for Hugh Jackman fans and "Van Helsing" fans. Definitely worth renting at least once, but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it (well, not yet at least;-)).

better acting (well voice acting anyway), played serious instead of campy, gore & plenty of it. VH works much better in animated form instead of live action. The super-human type of behavior is more believeable in this media than the other. Only complaint is that i wish the feature was a little bit longer, as it's only 33 minutes. hopefully more will come.

Preferences going in:

I enjoyed the Van Helsing (2004) feature film, and am a fan of classic horror films of the 20th century. I watch all types of animation, from short cartoons to Japanese animated movies.

This Van Helsing prequel short film has become a favorite of mine, along with the feature film. As some have said, this might have made a nice addition to a special edition blu-ray disc, since it is 33 min. in length. The historical fiction involving Queen Victoria and Dr. Jekyll's age-reversal elixir was fun. To me, this is the stuff of classic horror. And, as with the movie, the filmmakers clearly love the material and enjoyed making the piece. Voices from actors I enjoy like Hugh Jackman, Robbie Coltrane, and Dwight Schultz were a real treat. As a Star Trek fan, I was attracted by the writer's names: Canadian-born writing duo Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, who have many respected Trek credits to their names.

DVD: The unique bonus features were a treat.
28-min. making-of documentary on Van Helsing feature film. This one is quite good, and not on the DVD or BD versions
7-min. making of the Van Helsing videogame. I have not played the game, but the interviews with the actors (incl. Jackman, who lends his own voice) were great. Again, this featurette is unique to the VHLA disc.
7-min. animatics comparisons. Not so thrilling for me, as I have watched similar material on other discs in the past, but a nice inclusion.

Nice to have subtitles in Eng, Fre and Spa, and the 5.1 Dolby Surround soundtrack sounded great from my sound system.

This short film package comes highly recommended for fans of classic horror. As of 2009 it is no longer in print. I got mine for a very low price at a discount retailer in one of their large sales bins that you have to rummage through. Well worth seeking out.