30 Days of Night
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Movie Reviews of 30 Days of Night
Movie Review: "That cold ain't the weather . . . "
Summary: 5 Stars
Tired of "sexy" vampires? Been waiting for some kill-or-be-killed, blood-and-gore style vampire action?
Your wait is over.
I, for one, have never had a problem with the afrementioned seductive-style vamps, but occasionally, I'm also in the mood for, as one of the extras on this DVD puts it, "blood, guts and the nasty @!?*".
Residents of the town of Barrow, Alaska - those, that is, who have chosen to stay - find themselves under siege by a pack - and "pack" is exactly the right word - of bestial, VERY hungry vampires, who have come to take advantage of the town's annual winter month of constant darkness (hence the title of the graphic novel/movie). The two main human characters are Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett) and his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George). Both give fine performances, and have a strong supporting cast, especially Ben Foster as a mysterious drifter who turns out to be the vamps' Renfield-type disciple.
Now, on to the vamps. They are quite unlike any vampires I've seen in any other film (and I've seen my share). They have a somewhat Nosferatu-like, almost-but-not-quite human look about them. Other than their leader, Marlow (the excellent Danny Huston), they do not speak except in primtive growls and shrieks. Marlow himself speaks in a language that is unrecognizable - perhaps a throwback to some time before recorded history began? They are humans transformed into a pack of hungry animals whose food happens to be US. Their teeth are shark-like (no delicate fangs here). Their eyes are solid black. All in all, downright eerie.
Stunts? Gore effects? Check. All excellently done as the battle between vampires and remaining humans escalates. A real pulse-pounder of a movie.
Even better? Save it for a cold, snowy night.
Cheers.
Movie Review: Salem's Lot in Cicely, Alaska
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't believe vampires really exist (although I'd like to think that if one dark night, I ran into someone with glowing red eyes and fangs, I wouldn't stupidly say "that can't be" until I got my throat ripped out). But if they did exist, I have a feeling that they'd be a lot more like the horrific, bestial creatures in "Thirty Days of Night" and "Salem's Lot" than the prettified vampires that Hollywood most often produces for us.
Thirty Days of Night really is an excellent horror movie. The monsters are truly frightening (but not conjurations of special effects). The setting, a small Alaskan town plunged into a natural darkness that is made unnatural by the presence of the vampires, and the frenetic pace of the action scenes really do work together. The actors who play the heroic sheriff and the lead vampire give outstanding performances, making the most of relatively thin characters. My favorite single scene is when a soon to be killed survivor pleads for God's help when she is about to be attacked by the vampires only to be told by their leader that divine intervention is not forthcoming.
I only have two criticisms. First, this movie probably would have done better as a mini-series given the fact that it transpires over thirty days. Second, it is hard to believe that an Alaskan town, even one as remote as Barrow could fall completely off the grid the way it does in the movie without anyone taking notice in the outside world and coming in to help (perhaps parachuting chaplains from the 82nd Airborne Division in to help).
But those are minor criticisms. See it on Halloween, but don't answer the door if the lights go out.
ps. This is ABSOLUTELY not a movie that a child or a teenager who is easily troubled should see because it is extremely bloody.
Movie Review: We should have come here ages ago.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read most of the reviews on here, and really you either love movies like this or you hate them. I happened to have loved it.
I read all the graphic novels before seeing this, and was skeptical that they could pull off the stark terror, the coldness of isolation, and the feeling of utter helplessness the novels are made up of. When your eyes feast upon the artwork in them you can see smell, hear and taste that bright and dark blood splattered all over that blue and white city of barrow. The filmmakers captured that visual, and that's part of why this movie worked for me.
I don't go into movies like this, as other reviewers have, wanting my hand to be held. I don't NEED an explanation for everything; I don't puzzle on the why where and wherefore art thou. It's magic to let yourself be free to believe your eyes, and leave your quizzical mind on the shelf for 90 minutes. The people who obsess on the details usually get left behind on the fun.
AND 30 days of night is pure fun, to someone like me who loves the myth of the vampire. I love that they were more animal than humanistic, that they spoke in some weird Amazonian dialect or just grunts and screeches at times. The town of Barrow and its inhabitants aren't just a fast food stop to them, they are ecstatic that they get to play with their food for 30 days interrupted. They aren't just "letting" people survive because they are stupid, they are toying with the ones who are left because its fun!! My own cat will capture a lizard and keep it alive for days, chewing legs off, playing with it while in its death throes because he loves it. Animals are like that, apparently vampires can be too.
Movie Review: The Horror movie of the Decade! Vampires are Back!
Summary: 5 Stars
This comic adaptation is right up there with the original Blade. David Slade did an amazing job directing this piece, along with his previous film, Hard Candy. This is one of the best vampire movies out there, folks. 30 Days of Night is to vampires as Dawn of the Dead is to zombies. This movie is Blade 2 meets The Thing.
The story is about a town in Alaska that is bombarded by vampires during a 30 day period of absolute darkness. I have to give credit to Steve Niles for originating the story, because I think the premise is just genius. Vampires are much more horrifying in this film than previous ones, where they're almost always corny or not intimadating. The movie gives great scares.
Ok, I have to say that the sound editing and production was Uh-Mazing. The unique pulsating music was such a great addition to the film. Along with this, the cinematography was comparable to 300 and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Fantastic!
Actors did a great job for a horror film. Josh Hartnett really took this seriously and did his best job since Sin City. Ben Foster, as always, gave a great supporting role. And the villains were actually terrifying. Melissa George did a decent job as did the rest of the cast.
Vampires make an excellent return in this classic. The story is thrilling and the action is astounding. If you have the stomach to bear the brutality of this terror, then sit back and enjoy the horror masterpiece that is 30 Days of Night.
Movie Review: Fast and Furious!
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is a taut, fast moving picture that grips you from the beginning and doesn't let up! Shortly after a stranger enters a small town in Alaska, right around the time they will have complete darkness for 30 days, a horde of vampires ravages the town, and it is up to Josh Harnett and a small band of survivors to rid the town of the vampires before they are killed themselves and the vampires can move on to another town.
The vampires in this movie are almost zombie-like. We are not told how they came to be vampires, and although they look human, were they a normal human at some point? Gone is the typical two fangs in the mouth, and the normal yet ghostly eyes. These vampires have pitch black eyes and a mouth full of pointed fanged teeth. Except for the leader, who speaks in a foreign language, they communicate via shrieks and screams. With the theory that crucifixes and garlic and holy water will kill them usually seen in most vampire movies, they are not seen here. What does kill them is ultraviolet light and cutting the head off the body. This movie takes an idea from Resident Evil, in that being scratched by a vampire will eventually turn you into a vampire.
The fast pace and the action of the movie kept me glued to my seat and my not wanting to move. It was refreshing to see a movie that had new standards and tones not previously seen.