30 Days of Vampires Standing Around In The Cold

by Daniel Scillieri

Personal Grade: C / C-

My partner in crime said it best in the previous posting. The concept is a classic horror story, Gang of bloodsuckers attacking a no name town where the remaining survivors fight to stay alive. BUT in my opinion the movie came up lacking in several areas. A few too many times were we sitting in the theater quietly shouting "WHAT" or "WORST MOVE EVER" and the occational "really?...really vampires?".

The Pros:
Its a cool story, vampires are a trademark to scary movies and 30 days of no sunlight (the #1 killer of suckheads) makes for one tough survival experience. The film has the classic horror sequences that make any movie give you chills, the infamous dragging of a screaming victim into a dark hole or the always popular sudden shadowy figure darting infront of the camera. The movie also provides a very good amount of the bloody gore that makes anyone cringe. When the Vamps hit the town, they hit it hard with great camera work. One scene shows an over-head view of blood soaked snow with terrified people screaming through the streets only to get taken down and eaten. Josh Hartnett plays a pretty good hero while saving those who he loves against overwhelming odds, even a few times during the movie he can work the pissed off badass.

The Cons:
Oh man, where to begin...This movie is ripe with a little thing I like to call "survivor stupidity". The first problem would have to be the amount of time left out or just plain skipped in the movie. The vampires get to the town and kill almost all of the humans in what seems a hour at most. Suddenly, after the initial chaos, it is Day 7 and the survivors are struggling to stay alive. 7 days, and entire week...what were they and the blood thirsty vampires doing the whole time? Having bloody snowball fights or making snow deamons? Staying on the topic of vampires...how come only the lead vampire spoke in some strange language, while the others just screeched and screamed like birds of prey. When he did speak in his strange tongue it was very philosophical phrases which made you think a bit to much while reading the subtitles. Back to the strange time changes, the survivors did not seem to change as the sunless days carried on, they didnt get skinnier or grow facial hair. They appeared to remain the same as if it were the same day the vampires attacked. One big thing that my friend and I called out several times was the ridiculous attempts at the love story between Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. (Survivor Stupidity at its finest) Dozens of vampires around and they try and find time to sort out there problems and rekindle a lost love. Just not the thing i would have on my mind when death is around ever corner. There are a few more kinks in the machine that I could write about but I dont want to bash it to much.

Finally, My friend and I agree that 30 Days of Night earned itself a "C" for having a groovy concept but left a few things up in the air and definitely several things making you scratch your head. Perhaps this is a movie to wait until it is available in your local blockbuster.