A rattling good yarn...

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2007)

Strong performances, a taut storyline and well-handled direction make this an excellent action film. Beckinsale shines as Selene, and Nighy's turn as Viktor has me halfway convinced that he actually IS a creature of the night. The effects are thorough without being intrusive, and there's no sense of "CGI overload". Scott Speedman handles the role of Michael well, conveying the character's disorientation and confusion excellently, as well as bringing real presence to the dénouement. I'm going to mention Beckinsale again, because she's simply fabulous; coolly distant one minute, furiously impassioned the next, she brings a welcome range and depth to a role that could so easily have been botched (sorry Alba, there's only one Dark Angel, and she drives a Maserati... *grin*). A film that doesn't pretend to be anything other than excellent entertainment, and it doesn't have to. Thoroughly enjoyable throughout.