Thursday, July 17, 2008

Point-by-Point: Near Dark 6/10

A young cowboy-type immediately falls for a girl he sees at the local drug store. Turns out she's a vampire, and quickly makes him one. He's forced to join her gang and must either adapt to the new lifestyle or die. Well, die again.

The Good: The movie has lots of style and an interesting cast of characters. The story is interesting if only because it addresses vapirism as a disease - you're still you, you're just superstrong, can't die, are allergic to sunlight and need blood to live. Plus, I always like Lance Henrikson, who plays the head of the vampire clan.

The Bad: There are a few ridiculous events that just make you wish the writer wasn't quite so lazy. The acting is a bit over-the-top, but it's a vampire movie, so it's to be expected.

The Ugly: The vampires have a tendency to catch fire while outside in the sun. But it's a slow burn, so think charcol more than POOF.

Points Pondered

  • The vampire life is a bit more realistically portrayed than the uber-romantacised stuff of Anne Rice. Really, these are killers who are constantly on the lam. They must murder to eat, and convince themselves they're not human to do so.

  • I'm not sure I buy blood transfusion as a cure to being a vampire.

  • The clan gets into a shoot out with perhaps the most inept police department ever. If you see a bad guy making a run for a car, you should probably disable the vehicle.

  • Apparently vampires prefer shaved victims. Seems fair.

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