Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Little bark and no bite
What's the best way to follow-up a video game review? A comic book review. Personally, I'm a Marvel Comics fan. DC comics and their characters never interested me. I'd pick up the occasional indie release if the subject interested me or the hype was too much to ignore. Unfortunately, comic books are far too expensive nowadays to keep up. Who wants to spend $3-5 per comic when the story only contains 15 pages and most are splash art? The way things are going, it's easier and cheaper just to wait for the movie to come to theaters. If you're even cheaper, you wait for Netflix and Redbox.
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night stars Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) as the title character. Dog is an ex-paranomal P.I. That decided to leave the ghouls and goblins behind when his former love was killed by vampires. He is thrust back into the world of horror when a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Ryan (Anita Briem, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Tudors) comes to his office looking for help. Her father, a wealthy importer was brutally murdered by a werewolf and only Dog can help. Joined by his apprentice Marcus Deckler (Sam Huntinton, Not Another Teen Movie, Superman Returns), Dog scours the city for clues and encounters vampires, werewolves, and unfortunately for Marcus, zombies. Dog crosses paths with his old nemesis, a vampire by the name of Vargas (Taye Diggs, Malibu's Most Wanted, The Wood). A war is brewing between the vampires and the werewolves over an ancient artifact that will shift the balance of power and make Vargas unstoppable. How does this all relate to Elizabeth and will Dylan and a zombified Marcus be able to stop Vargas or will vampires and monsters bring hell on earth?
No, you touch the creepy looking butler holding a cross!
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is based on the Italian comics series, Dylan Dog. In the past few years, it has been adapted by Dark Horse Comics, but it still eluded my radar, so I have absolutely no idea if the movie is faithful to the material. The story is just okay and I have the strangest feeling that I have seen a very similar movie plot before. It's as if someone mashed up Underworld with The Maltese Falcon and added a dash of humor to the mix. Brandon Routh and Sam Huntington have good chemistry, almost reprising their roles as Clark Kent and Jimmy Olson. Routh has his moments, but Huntington does very well in his comedic role. Scenes where he is coping with being a zombie are good for a few laughs. Kurt Angle (TNA, WWE wrestler) also does well a tough werewolf named..wait for it...Wolfgang. Yeah, I know.
There are some decent action scenes, but nothing extraordinary. The film had a relatively small budget, which is unfortunate, because you can really tell. I would have liked some flashbacks of previous cases or some more creative monsters. Heck, I like zombies, vampires, and werewolves, but why not stray from the standards and have some fun? Why not try something with a troll, or a Wendigo, or hell, even a unicorn. It would break up a bit of the monotony and could even be funny. The ending feels cheap and tacked on, making you feel like you just wasted the past 90 minutes.
Lousy zombie hipsters
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night has a few entertaining moments, but not enough to make it a truly enjoyable watch. It tried to include monsters from different genres, but came off like a cheaper Van Helsing. Routh is decent and Huntington is enjoyable in their respective roles. If you're a fan of the comic book, then by all means check it out. Otherwise, you may want to just read a graphic novel at your local book store instead.
5/10
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