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Release Year : 2007 Directed By : David Slade Written By : Steve Niles, Stuart Beattie Starring : Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Manu Bennett *contains spoilers - they are tagged with **spoilers** so avoid if you want. Have you ever been to a party where everything seems like it should be so right and you should be having a great time....but you're not? You know, the music is banging, everyone there is decent enough, it's promising, but it ain't got that spark, it's just a damp squib that leaves you feeling disappointed and cheated? Well, if you have then you'll certainly be familiar with the feeling I walked away from 30 Days of Night with. The story - people trapped in a snowed in village, a night that lasts for errr look at the title lol, and a posse of blood hungry Vampires who can move like an olympic athlete on amphetamines and fight like Bruce Lee with a rocket up his arse? Chuck in the townies fighting desperately for survival and to avoid being a Vamps main course, it sounds like it should be a treat. And, it does have a lot going for it. There are some nice set piece action scenes, the story in itself is nothing truly special but adequate, special effects are fun, and in typical horror tradition there are plot holes you could drive a snow plow through. But, it is marred by idiocy and cliche. Proceeding with a feel of John Carpenters The Thing meets Stephen Kings Salems Lott (the Vampire through the window at tea time scene really did make me think of the similar scene from Kings classic with David Soul) it did have promise. It could have been so much more than the limp effort it developed into. The Vampires themselves look pretty good in a way very reminiscent of the Blade movies I thought, though they don't seem to be the cleverest bunch. Still, their scenes worked, there are some nice enough throwaway set pieces. *spoiler start* But.....the ending. Christ did that leave one feeling robbed. Yes, there are a lot of other problems with the film, but the ending was the real kicker. What a piece of crap with its washed down love conquers all even the vampire infection type message. Even by the standard of mainstream Hollywood gems of the 70s and 80s where everything has to work out for the hero and the sexy lady, where hero battles through hell itself to save his love, this was corny. You wouldn't even believe it if I typed it here, just watch for yourself. Not only that, it also involved plain stupidity on the heros part. As well as his love, he was spurred on to action by the fact that next year the vampires would be back to destroy a neigbouring town and munch on its denizens. With that in mind, when he gets opportunity to do so, he briefly ponders destroying all the bloodsuckers, then decides fuck it, he'll watch the sunset and chill out instead. Way to go Mr Hero, sure the next town will thank ya for it. Course, it also paves the way for the inevitable sequel. **spoiler end** What we end up with is that party I mentioned in the beginning. It's got many of the right ingredients for a good night, but it's just a wash out, it leaves that sour feeling of "well, it could of been worse I guess, but it also coulda been so much better". Shame, I had much higher hopes for it. |
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