Surprisingly strong fantasy movie

Rating: Null/10 (3 October 2003)

When I first saw the previews, I immediately thought, okay, THE MATRIX with vampires and werewolves. I must admit, I only went to see it because my wife wanted to. I was quite surprised at how entertaining it was.
There's some great effects, some terrific action sequences, but the story itself is actually intriguing. I could have done without one or two (or five or six) of the gun battles, as more hand-to-claw combat would have been much more satisfying. I'm also a tad tired of seeing characters (vampire or not) dressed in black leather. That whole clichÃ© has really worn out its welcome. So, for that matter, has the "gothic, rainy city" locale. But, it serves a purpose in the opening scenes, as, apparently, you can tell werewolves from regular people because they don't use umbrellas.
Despite these nitpicks, I enjoyed the movie immensely. It was intense, fun, even scary at times. I was also VERY pleased to see such spare use of CGI. Other than the scenes of the werewolves scurrying down walls (since when can werewolves defy gravity) or transforming, most of the werewolf effects are done with make-up and prosthetics. It just proves that computer animation is no match for talent and ingenuity with some foam rubber and latex.
Great movie, check it out.