Promising Idea, Disappointing Vampire Movie

Rating: 7/10 (31 May 2008)

In Barrow, Alaska, seventy percent of the population of five hundred and some dwellers travels on the day of the last sunset, since the town will stay along the next thirty days without sun light. Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) and Deputy Billy Kitka (Manu Bennett) find many cell phones burned on the road. Then they receive a phone call from the local creator telling that his dogs have been slaughtered; later Eben finds the operator of the cell tower decapitated. He arrests a troublemaker drifter (Ben Foster) and the stranger frightens him telling that "they are coming and the locals will be dead". Sooner Eben discovers that the town is under siege and attacked by a gang of bloodthirsty vampires, and together with a few survivors, they hide in a empty cellar expecting for the next sunrise.
"30 Days of Night" has a promising idea, reasonable beginning and development but a disappointing conclusion. The stupid decision of Sheriff Eben, injecting the contaminated blood to fight the leader of the vampires, is one of the most ridiculous situations I have ever seen in a movie. The guy transforms himself into a vampire, and after a fight where he is beat-up, he destroys the evil leader. Then the other vampires simply leave the spot and a few minutes later the sun rises. But the hideout where Stella was has not been destroyed by the fire and the vampires had not noted her presence. Therefore his attitude was absolutely unnecessary – he should only wait for a couple of minutes to save the whole team; further, how could the gang of vampires survive to the sun light if they burned the whole town? Why didn't they leave Barrow before? Why did they kill most of the inhabitants in the very beginning in bloodshed if they should stay for thirty days in the town and the dwellers were stranded, with no place to go? The strength and the speed of the vampires in the beginning of the story are also very silly. My vote is five.
Title (Brazil): "30 Dias de Noite" ("30 Days of Night")
Note: On 15 Sep 2017 I saw this film again on Blu-Ray and I liked more. (my vote was seven despite the flaws).