"Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" is an extreme underdog of a movie. It doesn't have an A-list cast. Its budget is small for a wide-released genre film. It even has the dubious distinction of being badmouthed by the Italian press well before its North American release. But, don't let any of this fool you, it's still an entertaining movie.
First off, this isn't the character created by Tiziano Sclavi. This is an approximated, overly americanized version of his seminal creation. London isn't the backdrop and there is no Groucho. So, if you grew up reading the comics, you might not recognize the character in anything other than name. However, if you never heard of Dylan Dog before, this flick, made purely for fans of the genre, should do you just fine.
Taking place in Louisiana, the story involves an impending war between varying supernatural factions over an object of great power. Some want it to ensure its safekeeping. Others want to use it to overthrow the natural order. In the middle of this is the eponymous character that gets caught in the middle, all while trying to solve a murder.
With a running time of 107 minutes and so much material to cover, it might seem things would become unbearably muddled. Thankfully this is not the case. Following Dog's investigation, we're introduced to many of the supernaturals that call the Big Easy home in a brisk, yet naturally flowing manner.
There are the werewolves headed by Gabriel (Peter Stormare). A lycanthropic man of honor, you could see how, full moon or not, he was literally fighting back the darkness just under the skin. The vampires were led by Vargas (Taye Diggs). A polar opposite of Gabriel, Vargas was gleefully opportunistic and, ultimately, a charming parasite. And then there was Big Al (Dan Braverman). He was an absolute hoot as the ever so humble owner of Zombie Mart—think of an auto supply store, but for body parts. Watching his undead clientele casually peruse the selection of arms, legs and scalps available for purchase was surreal and really conveys the tone of the movie.
Leading us through all of this was Dylan Dog (Brandon Routh). Despite being human, he was the most dangerous and resourceful person in the film. A highlight of this was when he shot his way into the vampire's stronghold in broad daylight. Cornering Vargas in his bedroom with the sunlight directly behind him, Dog used his shadow to shield Vargas from the sun. Every time the vampire lied or refused to answer a question, Dog simply moved and let him burn to force the truth—right awesome. His assistant, Marcus Adams (Sam Huntington), added some much needed comedy as he slowly came to terms with his newfound status as a zombie. He went from refusing to accept his condition, to wanting to die with dignity and, finally, to acceptance. He even gets to be the hero by wielding his own, severed arm as a club. The client, Elizabeth Ryan (Anita Briem) at first seemed to be a typical dame in peril. But, as the story progressed, it became apparent she was hiding a secret—one which provided the best fight scene in the film.
So yeah, some of the creature effects were a bit less than inspired—werewolf designs have been in decline since Landis' 1981 masterpiece. Dog lived through so many hard, bone-rattling and body flying through the air blows, it started to become a little bit too unreal by the film's end. Also, while he's come a very long way since "Superman Returns", I felt Brandon Routh came off as playing himself pretending to be Dylan Dog instead of just being the character. It wasn't a big deal here, but it was noticeable. All he needs to do is completely let go of himself and, between the calls of action and cut, simply be whoever he's signed on to play.
Despite these minor nitpicks, Dylan Dog is a good movie that never once lost sight of what it was or what it was supposed to be. I'm pretty sure it won't do much business in this day and age of animated features, rom-com's and remakes. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a blast watching this in the theater and won't be waiting for this on DVD. If you're a fan of properties like "Men in Black", "Hellboy" and "Ghostbusters", you owe it to yourself to check this out on the big screen—it was tailor made for people like us. No, it's not a flawless film. But, it is still one hell of a fun ride that never once drags.
First off, this isn't the character created by Tiziano Sclavi. This is an approximated, overly americanized version of his seminal creation. London isn't the backdrop and there is no Groucho. So, if you grew up reading the comics, you might not recognize the character in anything other than name. However, if you never heard of Dylan Dog before, this flick, made purely for fans of the genre, should do you just fine.
Taking place in Louisiana, the story involves an impending war between varying supernatural factions over an object of great power. Some want it to ensure its safekeeping. Others want to use it to overthrow the natural order. In the middle of this is the eponymous character that gets caught in the middle, all while trying to solve a murder.
With a running time of 107 minutes and so much material to cover, it might seem things would become unbearably muddled. Thankfully this is not the case. Following Dog's investigation, we're introduced to many of the supernaturals that call the Big Easy home in a brisk, yet naturally flowing manner.
There are the werewolves headed by Gabriel (Peter Stormare). A lycanthropic man of honor, you could see how, full moon or not, he was literally fighting back the darkness just under the skin. The vampires were led by Vargas (Taye Diggs). A polar opposite of Gabriel, Vargas was gleefully opportunistic and, ultimately, a charming parasite. And then there was Big Al (Dan Braverman). He was an absolute hoot as the ever so humble owner of Zombie Mart—think of an auto supply store, but for body parts. Watching his undead clientele casually peruse the selection of arms, legs and scalps available for purchase was surreal and really conveys the tone of the movie.
Leading us through all of this was Dylan Dog (Brandon Routh). Despite being human, he was the most dangerous and resourceful person in the film. A highlight of this was when he shot his way into the vampire's stronghold in broad daylight. Cornering Vargas in his bedroom with the sunlight directly behind him, Dog used his shadow to shield Vargas from the sun. Every time the vampire lied or refused to answer a question, Dog simply moved and let him burn to force the truth—right awesome. His assistant, Marcus Adams (Sam Huntington), added some much needed comedy as he slowly came to terms with his newfound status as a zombie. He went from refusing to accept his condition, to wanting to die with dignity and, finally, to acceptance. He even gets to be the hero by wielding his own, severed arm as a club. The client, Elizabeth Ryan (Anita Briem) at first seemed to be a typical dame in peril. But, as the story progressed, it became apparent she was hiding a secret—one which provided the best fight scene in the film.
So yeah, some of the creature effects were a bit less than inspired—werewolf designs have been in decline since Landis' 1981 masterpiece. Dog lived through so many hard, bone-rattling and body flying through the air blows, it started to become a little bit too unreal by the film's end. Also, while he's come a very long way since "Superman Returns", I felt Brandon Routh came off as playing himself pretending to be Dylan Dog instead of just being the character. It wasn't a big deal here, but it was noticeable. All he needs to do is completely let go of himself and, between the calls of action and cut, simply be whoever he's signed on to play.
Despite these minor nitpicks, Dylan Dog is a good movie that never once lost sight of what it was or what it was supposed to be. I'm pretty sure it won't do much business in this day and age of animated features, rom-com's and remakes. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a blast watching this in the theater and won't be waiting for this on DVD. If you're a fan of properties like "Men in Black", "Hellboy" and "Ghostbusters", you owe it to yourself to check this out on the big screen—it was tailor made for people like us. No, it's not a flawless film. But, it is still one hell of a fun ride that never once drags.