Certificate:

Director: David Slade

Release Date: 1 November 2007

Main Cast:

Josh Hartnett … Sheriff Eben Oleson

Melissa George … Stella Oleson

Danny Huston … Marlow

I love vampires, and am frustrated at the fact that ‘Hollywood’ doesn’t seem to be able to make the most of them. So many vampire films portray them either as little more than a glamorous pain in the neck (heh!), or as pretentious bores. I went to see this with a low expectation, so that anything better than ‘average’ would be a pleasant surprise. And I was pleasantly surprised! At last, a film that depicts vampires as savage, soulless beings with enough humanity to serve as a reminder that these creatures were once like you and I.

I really liked the plot; an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, and is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires, resulting in an unrelenting and agonising fight for survival by the residents.

It is generally well acted, though Josh Hartnett delivers another bland and expressionless performance. I was also a bit disappointed by the timeline holes; there were times where it seemed that we had suddenly jumped a week or two, and I found myself being unaware of how many days had passed.

30 Days of Night is an intensely violent vampire flick that, thankfully, stays well away from cheesy stereotypes and pretentiousness.

One last thing… Does anyone else think that Marlow looks like a cross between Neil Tennant and Norman Cook?!

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