Van Helsing Season 1- Review

“Van Helsing” is an American fantasy horror drama television series on Syfy, and was inspired by Zenescope Entertainment's graphic novel series, Helsing. The show stars Kelly Overton who plays the protagonist, Vanessa. ("Van" Helsing the descendant of Abraham Van Helsing of a zombie stricken wasteland in 2019.)

Now, to start off, the first and second episodes do a great job of reeling you in with its fast paced and mysterious aura. The action is entertaining and manages to keep the audience in suspense and ready to watch the next episode throughout the entire series, and the series is well paced. Furthermore, the mood for the most part is very dark and gloomy. However, it fluctuates in different scenarios and environments, some are darker than others, some are a bit more lighter, but this constant change in ambience elevates the show just enough to make it some what watchable, which leads me to my next statement-many will sit down and think that this is just another show about another group of a ragtags trying to survive with another cliche riddled plot. There is nothing fresh and creative in any of the characters, and “Van Helsing” features your typical post apocalyptic survival team. Here is a list of the actors/actress and their characters along with a short profile which results in a bland kick off to a television series:

Kelly Overton as Vanessa Helsing, the strong female lead who can clearly take care of herself and is the “savior” of the human race, but is completely glossed over for the entirety of the season. The fact that her abilities are so evident yet ignored, may be infuriating.

Jonathan Scarfe as Axel, the marine who’s got the firepower and knows how to use it. He emits leadership qualities, and acts upon it by calling the shots. Scarfe fits the stereotypical gung-ho military man that any group needs to survive. He seems to have boundless supplies to fortify hospitals and EMS trucks and endless amounts of knowledge to build and operate his booby traps and defense mechanisms, all from his marine training course.

Christopher Heyerdahl as Sam, the deaf old man who brutally kills zombies, but also has great affection for others. He shows love for everyone and protects them while putting his life at danger. Most would perceive the crippling effect of not being able to hear as a burden, however Sam is one of the more resourceful and tactful teammate out of the group. He is one of the very few characters that’s actually interesting and mysterious rather than another walking cliche..

Trezzo Mahoro as Mohamed, the young sprily teenager who follows orders without a second thought and top-notch skills in killing and surviving vampires. Mohammad may not be a cliche, however he is still bland and his personality and choices have no depth. He seems like a robot with clear goals, and clear means of achieving them..

David Cubitt as John, the know-it-all jerk who goes against everything Axel says. He is the main source of conflict that doesn’t come from outside the group. The tedious refusal to do the obviously right thing becomes not just boring, but also aggravating. It is not possible for one person to be so unreasonable and impervious to logic and truth. There was no balance, John is just John, nothing more and nothing less, he was the real encumbrance to the group without ever needing to be.

Vincent Gale as Flesh, the recently turned vampire and the more shy and timid one of the bunch. He is also one another one of the few complex and interesting characters who has more to give to the story, rather than be a burden for the audience to remember and acknowledge. He has a backstory, and a mysterious one at that.

Rukiya Bernard as Doc, the doctor who got bit, turned into a vampire, and then turned back into human. At first glance, she is the stereotypical medic of the group, and one could easily argue that she is excessively complex with for no reason or end. Her troubles are unprecedented and come from nowhere, with no backstory or explanation. And the writers seemingly feature her at the worst of times, perpetuating the story.

The dialogue is another issue. The way the characters communicate with one another is not how any living human on Earth would speak. The colloquy between the characters would be something you read in a comic book, rather than hear from actual human beings in the situation that they are in. And another strikingly noticeable negative are the terrible special effects, and honestly, using ketchup would have been a better representation of blood.

All this being said, “Van Helsing” season 1 gets a 6/10. For the some part, the show can be entertaining with its incredible hook and decent pacing, however, it lacks elements that make a show great with its bland storytelling and characters.