One of my all time favorites.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I enjoy all sorts of shows, I knew I was not getting an 1800´s elegant and dark Van Helsing story, and also aware it did not have the best actors, so I watched it without any high expectations and oh men!! this was nonsense still, most of the time people are just spitting, breathing heavily close to each other and screaming for bloody anything... to be honest, at the end I was screaming at the scenes for being so damn silly character construction has no logic, not sure which vampires are worst, twinkeling ones or this zombie/vampire.

Yes. I only watched the first episode. I used to watch 3 to 4 episodes before rating a series. But after watching the first episode of Van Helsing I already was done for. The first episode showed me clichéd characters, bad acting, extremely bad camera-work and an aftertaste of a really bad 70's B-movie. There is stuff out there more worth your while. The take on the Van Helsing story had me checking it out. But it is really that bad. I will not bother with any more episodes than the first.

At first the show didn't do a lot for me. I know, it's weird to rate the show so highly and start with a comment like that, but hear me out. Like any new series, it took a while to find its feet, in the beginning it felt like a B grade vampire flick. But its off charm kept me watching as slowly but surely the show began to reveal more and more.For most of the first season the character development seemed weak. Vanessa goes from being a blunt ass-kicker to being in the exact same position at the end of the season. No real growth. And as a personal gripe I felt that Susan left the show too soon. I don't know if she was given enough of a chance to grow. But that's just me. Sam's character, and perhaps Axel's being the nony exception. I remember feeling bitter at the end of season 1 because of that. Also I'm not sure Vnessa's anger toward Axel is entirely deserved, her reaction felt forced. And not a consequence of the acting, but rather the writing of that moment.Despite that criticsm though, the series was nonetheless engaging, I felt pulled into the world they lived in. I feelt for the characters and believed their struggle in the midst of an apocalypse. I cared about what happebed and that alone should speak to the show's ability to create a contained and believable world.Then came season 2 and oh boy was that an improvement on season 1!!! I was surprised by the move to no give ANY of the characters wha they wanted, and I loved that. The development of Vanessa's character had greater potential because of it, not being pulled along by a single specific directive. Though she is still a blunt ass-kicker, the advent of blood relatives serves to normalise her eccentricities rather than making her as a character seem forced. The development of both the charcters ad the world itself was fantastic. I will forever sing the praises of the writers of this show for making te decision to turn Julius human! Instead of just killing him off, this gave us al an opportunity to see what it would be like for someone to be human again for the first time in nearly a century. The scene with him and Doc eating is perhaps the most heartwarming and ingenious scene of the entire eason. It's such a simple scene, but incredibly powerful in terms of story. The positioning of the characters both in terms of their individual development, and where they are left at the end of season 2 is exciting. Each of the characters has faultered and lossed greatly. Redemption, loss, victory, life and death. The stage is set for season 3.I like what is happening with Sam and Mo. I've loved the fear and pai n of his character and hope to see more. My pesonal hope/challenge to the creators would be to take Sam's journey ina way that presents a meaningful challenge for him. He owes much of his pwer to the control he has over his victims. His fall wouldidealy come manifest from losig that control. His fear should coe fro 0m first seeibgit, feeling it. That is my hope snyway, wat happens happens really.That's about it, I think. If you're looking to watch this series. Give it time. It may not grab yo immediately. But it is worth warchi g the first few episodes at the very least. And if you can stick it out the first few. You may well end up liking it more and more as it goes on. I look forward to season 3.

I am not familiar with the graphic novel upon which the tv-series is based, but the whole affair reeks of a blatant rip-off from The Walking Dead, and a smidgen of Game of Thrones....with less budget.I watched the whole 1st season. What a slog, crawling -in a snails' pace- through about every Walkin Dead trope the writers could think off. Apocalyptic world made with some cardboard car-wrecks here&there. check. At least one character has to die every episode. Check. there has to be treason by a character You'd "never" thought treasonous (riiiight) Check. The 'heroes' have to battle paranoia and the results of idiotic choices..check, check & check.Oh, and don't forget the age-old trope of may, many "survival" series -and a fair bit of Star Trek- the "to-good-to-be-true-comune-of-peace&tranquility" -episode. Really?? Ugh!I gave it 3 stars for of cinematography here & there. On Blu-Ray some of it looked exellent, though some of the outdoor scenes looked a tad too much like Fallout-4 with an ENB that cranked the coloured fog and saturation to the max.And the story? Forgettable Vampires take over the world and Buff... ehh, sorry Ms van Helsing, as the vampire killer in chief, will save it while searching for her daughter who -how predictable- SPOILER!!!!!!!..is turned into a vampire, as revealed in the lst episode. Oh, as is the "hero marine boy"/SPOILERdouble " ugh".All in all, a nasty combi of ripped-off story telling, unsympathetic cast, and trodden-to-death tropes and cliche's.Tip: Avoid!