Sundance '14 Review - WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS - Vampire Comedy
Finally, a great Sundance comedy that made me laugh my ass off from beginning to end! I've been waiting to see great comedy up at the festival, and What We Do In Shadows delivered a ton of hilarious laughs! Right off the bat, I'm going to tell you that this is a must see film for anyone looking for a good long non-stop laugh.
The movie is a mockumentary film that follows a small group of vampires that reside in Wellington, New Zealand, and how they live their lives. The movie was written and directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. This is the team that brought us the films Boy and Eagle Vs. Shark. It stars a great cast of fantastically funny actors, including Clement, Waititi, Jonathon Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Rhys Darby, and Stu Rutherford.
These vampires aren't the kind of vampires you would expect to see, though. Over the years they've lost touch with society and are still trying to adapt to modern life. There are four main vampire characters in the story who are roommates. They are Viago (379 years old), Deacon (183 years old), Vladislav (862 years old), and Peter (8,000 years old). "Unfortunately for them, it’s hard to make new friends due to their constant thirst for blood. Without any mortal chums left to invite them in to all of the hip establishments around town, they’ve lost touch with the current social scene."
They are forced to put aside their differences as they try to make it in this world. The movie parodies everything that we know and love about vampires, and it's done in very creative and funny ways. There are a lot of great things about the movie. I don't want to give any spoilers, but I will say that the accents are hilarious. It's a New Zealand accent mixed with Slavic one, and it's just amazingly funny. It also gives us a look into the worlds of werewolves, zombies, and other supernatural creatures.
There's nothing I can really say about the movie that would do the comedy any justice. It's one of those things that you just have to experience for yourself. This is a must see movie that I would excitedly recommend to anyone, I promise that you will be gleefully entertained.
This movie will get a release, and when it does, you need to watch it!