Not great; not bad

Rating: 6/10 (10 October 2007)

Set in Barrow, Alaska, the most remote location in the United States, "30 Days of Night" is what happens when you take John Carpenter's "The Thing" and throw it into a blender with "Dracula." The film begins just before, yes, you got it, 30 days of no sunshine are about to arrive, and a large number of residents are making a mass exodus. They apparently can't "handle" the long month. A number of people stay behind, but they have more to worry about than seasonal affective disorder; they have vampires waiting to feast on their blood. Playing the sheriff is Josh Hartnett, who is frequently maligned for his lack of facial expression. He's not too bad here; he has a few good moments. His character is going through a separation of sorts from his wife. That whole relationship situation takes up more screen time than necessary. The first part of the film drags a bit. Ben Foster gets a lot of extreme close-ups in the first five minutes. He must be a sort of Renfeld, complete with shabby dress and horrible hygiene. I'm still wondering where he got that God awful accent. Once the vampires descend, fronted by Danny Huston, most recently of The Number 23. He speaks two words in English - No God - and then the rest of the time in a foreign tongue. It sounded Eastern European. His sidekicks, and there are plenty, have very strange, almost funhousesque faces. Not sure why that would be. If you like violence, well this should be a treat. There are some pretty graphic scenes, especially towards the end. And some good support from lesser known actors. You can't compare this film to something like "Michael Clayton," so why bother? You know if this film will appeal to you or not. Do you like vampires? Like to watch some people fighting for their lives? Like that Gothic edge? Well, then you won't cringe too much during "30 Days of Night."