"Van Helsing" is a visually dazzling horror/action mishmash that is more exciting than frightening. It has stunning cinematography, a competent cast, gorgeous sets, and one of the dumbest, most convoluted scripts of the year.

The story pits a blade wielding warrior named Gabriel Van Helsing against all the major Universal Studios monsters including Count Dracula, The Wolfman, the Frankenstein Monster, Mr. Hyde, and even Igor.

The film was directed by Stephen Summers. His previous big films, "The Mummy Returns" and "The Scorpion King," share many of the same weaknesses and strengths as this film. All the creative energy is focused on visuals and very little on story or dialog.

Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley, the authors of "Frankenstein" and "Dracula," would be turning over in their graves if they knew what Hollywood is doing to their creations.

In "Van Helsing," the elderly, erudite, and bookish Dutchman, Van Helsing is transformed into a quasi literate, 30 something acrobatic muscleman (well played by the Australian Hugh Jackman), who speaks with his fists and weapons most of the time.

In Stoker’s novel, there were some interesting connections between the real historical Dracula and fictional one. They are all dropped in this film, and Dracula doesn’t even get a good origin story here. But Richard Roxburgh does make a decent count, and he does a fine Bela Lugosi imitation.

The Van Helsing character in this film (named Gabriel) has more in common with Blade or the old Hammer Pictures character, Captain Kronos, than Stoker’s Van Helsing.

The scene opens with a great looking, black and white creation scene, which pays homage to James Whale’s original 1931 classic, "Frankenstein." However, Dr. Frankenstein is killed instantly, and the monster becomes a mere prop and pawn for Count Dracula.

Dracula needs to use the monster in a ridiculous plan to create vampire offspring that is less plausible than anything in "Abbott and Costello Meets Frankenstein."

By the end of the film audience members will probably give up on making sense of the poorly constructed, illogical story. But the film does provide some goofy fun, if you take your thinking cap off for awhile.