LOGIN
REGISTER
RSS
HOME
All that description above--I don't fucking need it. I AM GOING TO SEE THIS FILM. PERIOD.
ON a side note, just got Underworld: Evolution. I'll watch and reserve my judgement.
Based on a novel by Sergei Lukyanenko, NIGHT WATCH has a somewhat worrying beginning, where English-language narration explains to us that the powers of light and darkness got into a fearsome battle many centuries ago. However, to counteract the upfront exposition, we see the battle, which looks quite cool. The upshot of this conflict is that the generals on both sides, the Light's Gesser (Vladimir Menshov) and the Dark's Zavulon (Viktor Verzhbitsky), call a truce, agreeing to a set of rules. Officers of the Light, called Night Watch, will make sure that those of the Dark obey these laws, and officers of the Dark, called Day Watch, will do the same for their opposite numbers.
All of these beings, most of whom look human, are known to their society as Others. Others are born human, but manifest abilities (each one different) at some point. Every Other must choose whether to follow Light or Dark. Both sides are waiting for the prophesied coming of an Other who will tip the balance and end the truce. Meanwhile, a young man named Anton (Konstantin Khabensky), oblivious to all of this, goes to a witch in the hopes of getting his girlfriend back. Instead, he finds himself a pawn in a Light/Dark sting and, thanks to a sudden series of visions, discovers he's an Other. Cut to 12 years later. Anton is now a rather grumpy officer of the Light, living in a cramped Moscow apartment no different from those of his wholly human neighbors. Somewhere in the city, a vampire is trying to break the law by summoning a human child and Anton is part of the squad trying to break things up before damage is done. There is unexpected fallout from the incident, while at the same time, everyone is trying to track the source of a curse-based vortex before it spreads and destroys everything.
NIGHT WATCH will remind viewers of everything from X-MEN (people with suddenly-manifesting powers) to 24 (the frantic scramble of law enforcement albeit supernatural to identify and locate a threat before all hell breaks loose), but it's got a pleasing personality of its own. With a combination of new mythology, dialogue that is subtitled and intelligent, a very good cast especially the empathetic Everyman Khabensky intriguing locales and a willingness to have a whole lot going on, thereby trusting the audience to be invested and pay attention, the film creates a universe that sticks with you after the film ends.
Director Timur Bekmambetov, who adapted the screenplay with Laeta Kalogridis, has a flair for startling spectacle and the writers do a very good job of structuring their story, so that loose ends are adroitly woven into the heart of the piece. NIGHT WATCH is satisfying and memorable. A sequel has been filmed it's something to anticipate happily.
