Movie Review: FRIGHT NIGHT
As a fan of the original Fright Night film, I was a little apprehensive about seeing this remake. I know know there are people out there that didn’t care for the original film, but I use to watch it growing up, and even though it may not have stood the test of time for some people, for me it still holds that nostalgia awesomeness. That being said, the remake actually ended up being pretty entertaining, and it turned out to be a great film. It had a good mix of horror and comedy which is one of the main things I was worried about, but this new version is a bit more grounded in reality when it comes to the characters and emotions. I will say that the horror aspect of the film was a little bit more hardcore as well, and I liked that about it.
One of the major things that I really enjoyed about this movie were the performances... they were awesome! Anton Yelchin really did an incredible job in the role of Charlie. He brought an emotional weight to the role that would be just as amazing in any other non-vampire movie, it was just a solid performance. Seriously, the guy brought something special to the role and it sure packed a powerful punch, you believed what this character was going through was real! Then there’s Colin Farrell who gloriously played one hell of an awesome mean-ass vampire. Not only did he play it mean, but he played it with style. I enjoyed seeing how much fun he had with the character, it was both funny and frightening. And How can I forget David Tennant!? Like I thought, he stole every scene he was in, the guy was hilarious in this movie, and I’d love to see him start getting more and more film roles because of it. Toni Collette and the beautiful Imogen Poots also did a great job in their roles.
I think one of the most disappointing aspects of the film for me was Evil Ed. Evil Ed who was played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse. This was my favorite character in the original film, and it’s not that Mintz-Plasse did a crappy job playing the character, it was the character itself. He had a much bigger role in the original film and Evil Ed barely had any screen time in the movie, there was just enough time to introduce us to the vampire version of Evil Ed before they kill him off. Unfortunately, It was pretty anticlimactic, I think he could have used a bit more screen time. Other than that one complaint I enjoyed everything else.
The special effects were great, there was a good amount of gore and 3D crunching blood splatter, and the vampires are represented as being horrifically badass. I loved how creepy the look of these vampires were! They took the original look from the film and just upgraded it, and it turned out really awesome. The movie is is also full of great moments and surprises that I thinl audiences will get a kick out of.
I did see the movie in 3D and it looked fine, but it’s one of those flicks that you will enjoy just as much without it, so I recommend you save yourself the $5 extra dollars and use it to by a soda or something.
At the core of this Fright Night vampire horror film remake was a good story, with a solid script, and amazing performances. You can’t go wrong with this one, even if you’re not into horror films it’s still just a solid well made entertaining movie that I think most people will be able to enjoy. I reccomend that you check it out.
Here’s the Official Synopsis for the film:
Senior Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all—he’s running with the popular crowd and dating the hottest girl in high school. In fact, he’s so cool he’s even dissing his best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But trouble arrives when an intriguing stranger Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there’s something not quite right—and everyone, including Charlie’s mom (Toni Collette), doesn’t notice. After witnessing some very unusual activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone that he’s telling the truth, Charlie has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself in this Craig Gillespie-helmed revamp of the comedy-horror classic.