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Is it worth $14? No
Is it worth $10? Yes
Contrary to what “Twilight” fans believe, vampires are not constipated teenagers who yearn for whiney women with the personality of a damp mop. Rather, vampires in their purest, most villainous cinematic form are hunters who prey on innocent human blood. Thanks to Colin Farrell’s chilling performance, “Fright Night” has a bad boy vamp that’s so different from “Twilight” he’ll have you believing vampires are cool again.
On the outskirts of Las Vegas, teenager Charley (Anton Yelchin) lives with his mother (Toni Collette) in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Their new neighbor, Jerry (Farrell), seems nice enough, though Charley’s friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) thinks Jerry’s a vampire because his windows are shuttered and he only comes out at night. But this is Vegas and Jerry works nights on the strip and sleeps during the day, we learn. I’ll bet he does.
Once Charley discovers Jerry is a vampire an interesting game of cat-and-mice ensues, as Charley’s girlfriend Amy (Imogen Poots) also gets dangerously involved. Thankfully, a scene in which Charley sneaks around Jerry’s house plays with tension rather than predictability, even though someone with Jerry’s heightened sense of smell and hearing should obviously know he’s there.
For help Charley consults with vampire expert Peter Vincent, who’s played by David Tennant as a cross between Russell Brand, Jack Sparrow and Criss Angel. It’s an odd combination I grant you, but it provides a certain kookiness that offsets the dangerous fight for survival.
The film is being released in 3D, and to see it in that format is a mistake. Here’s a rule for any filmmaker or studio wanting to release a movie in 3D: If most of the story takes place at night, don’t use 3D. Far too many theaters still project 3D without enough light, meaning the image is darker than it should be. As a result the visuals in “Fright Night” don’t resonate with the depth that’s intended and the appeal of the format is lost. This is especially a shame because director Craig Gillespie clearly has fun with the 3D by spraying blood and having numerous objects hurl toward the screen. If only we could see them better.
Seeing the film in regular 2D will also allow you to appreciate Gillespie’s craftsmanship. Note the little touches: The way he uses eerie music every time Jerry speaks, the quick flashes of visual effects before a vampire takes a bite – flourishes like this make the film more dynamic and engaging, and therefore more enjoyable. What’s more, the best scene comes as Charley, his mother and Amy are escaping Jerry and an unbroken shot holds much longer than we expect as it moves the camera around the car with ease. Whether you like the film or not, it’s hard to dispute that it’s very well made.
Because “Twilight” has literally sucked the fun out of vampire movies, it’s refreshing to see some fang-toothed predators on the prowl as we do in “Fright Night.” This is nicely crafted escapist nonsense fun.
Did you know?
The star of the original “Fright Night” (1985), Chris Sarandon, has a cameo here.
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toroj
said:
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... I really did not enjoy the movie...... I thought the original version was better.... |
shine16q
said:
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... I thought good! Colin Farrell played a good vampire. Had to watch this remake of a classic  |
jmford4
said:
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... I thought it was just OK. Entertaining but not the best I've seen. I would take the tip and only see it in 2D. Save the extra money. |
joshhollywood
said:
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... Now this remake was good.but they couldve edited some scenes though.Perfect actor to play Evil Ed.  |
Sonic
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... Yeah, I thought that ash looked amazing. It reminded me "Oh yeah, I'm watching this in 3D." I wish I could have taken Dan's advice and seen it in 2D but only 3D was available at the West Palm Muvico. I really loved this movie. I hope I'm as pleasantly surprised by the upcoming "The Thing" remake. |
Bunnygod
said:
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... The 3D Ash effect was pretty cool... other than that... didn't really notice the 3D. |
Sonic
said:
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... I've watched the original Fright Night more times than I care to admit. Fright Night 2 isn't bad either. I'm really happy to see this remake get good reviews. I'll have to check it out this weekend (in 2D--thanks for the tip). |
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