30 Days of Night

Rating: 6/10 (9 March 2008)

The tiny community if Barrow, Alaska, are on the verge of 30 long days of night as various citizens head for the airport to get away before the town is overcome with darkness. What the remaining citizenry doesn't expect is an accompaniment of blood-thirsty vampires, ready to feast on the town with a vengeance. Somehow, sheriff Eben Oleson(Josh Hartnett)and estranged wife Stella(Melissa George)will have to band the remaining survivors together awaiting the sunlight to shine once again. But, that will not be an easy task as the vampires will always be on the hunt for fresh victims to supply their blood-lust..
I loved the predatory look of the vampires, Danny Huston is terrifying as the leader(..loved that one scene where the big tractor guy tries to blow himself up and Huston's vampire ridicules him as taking an easy way out since his inferior abilities could not match their own), and I found some interesting similarities in tone to John Carpenter's THE THING. I found the opening scene, with the ship afar as their human slave is about to remove the abilities of the town's escape and cry for help, startlingly effective. Love the closing scene as a major character begins to ash as the sun rises. I really like Melissa George. Liked her in the blah AMITYVILLE HORROR remake and found her very good here as well. Hartnett is just too young for his role. He's too handsome, as well. I agree with Leroy..too many attractive folks in a town such as Barrow so removed from society. And, too many "suggested" gore scenes. I want to see head chopping(..well, maybe not towards the one man, bitten by the girl)and this film delivers it perhaps once..I did like how the film shows that head chopping isn't as easy as you'd think. And, I was never quite convinced of the whole "30 days" concept. I think they would've been a little more worse for wear if they would've been stuck within the confines of such a ravaged town with limited means to sustain them, coupled with an intense fear and little obvious rest considering you have to always keep an eye out for the baddies. Liked that the vampires communicate in a foreign language. My favorite sequence is an aerial shot showing the vampiric rampage on the township as the slaughter commences with lots of screaming and bullet-fire. Love how the vampires are so carnivorous.