DRACULA WEEK
When we first see Gabriel Van Helsing in “Van Helsing,” he’s on the pursuit of Mr. Hyde, a hulk-ified version of Dr. Jekyll. While the Stephen Sommers movie was a bust, “The London Assignment” at least takes its best shot at filling in the gaps. “The London Assignment” is an okay attempt a prologue for Gabriel Van Helsing, where we follow him in his efforts to stop the vicious murder spree of Dr. Jekyll and his monstrous alter ego Mr. Hyde.
Monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing and his assistant friar Carl travel to London to investigate a series of supernatural murders being committed by Dr. Jekyll. In his horrible alter ego Mr. Hyde, Jekyll is murdering local women, and sapping their youth. Through this he’s invented a potion to give to his beloved Queen Victoria as a means of keeping her young. After kidnapping her, Van Helsing and Carl track the pair down, hoping to return Victoria back to the kingdom before daybreak.
“The London Assignment” is still just an okay animated prequel, but Sharon Bridgeman at least offers a more coherent story. The concept and narrative for this short is darker and much more Gothic in tone, and garners a much more coherent narrative. The choice of using one monster as opposed to the six or seven we saw in the movie is a wise choice, as Mr. Hyde allows for a fascinating and menacing villain. I just wish we could have taken some time to learn more about Gabriel Van Helsing, where he trained, how he came upon his profession, and how he relates to Abraham Van Helsing.
If he is related to Abraham Van Helsing, that is. The animation, on the other hand, is mediocre at best, with some scenes looking sleek, while other scenes look half complete. When all is said and done, Gabriel Van Helsing is still a cheesy rip off of Hideyuki Kikuchi’s “Vampire Hunter D” and James Bond, but Hugh Jackman is at least fun in his voice performance. I also quite liked David Wenham as Friar Carl; As well, the appearance of heavyweights like Tress MacNeille, Tara Strong, Grey DeLisle, and John DiMaggio, respectively, help lend some support. “The London Assignment” isn’t exactly a home run, but it’s a decent bridge to the otherwise lousy 2004 film.