An enjoyable remake that manages to stand on its own from the original, ‘Fright Night’ is an action/horror/comedy hybrid that entertains on all fronts. It’s got plenty to remind you of the 1985 cult classic, but if you’ve never seen the flick, it won’t impede your enjoyment of this movie one bit. I might even argue that you’d like it more, but that’s neither here nor there. This film keeps its tongue planted firmly in cheek and never takes itself too seriously, but it doesn’t skimp on the tension or gore either. It’s most effective as a vampire horror movie, but the comedy isn’t bad either (though occasionally out of place). Anton Yelchin makes a surprisingly effective action hero of sorts, and Colin Farrell chews the scenery (sometimes literally) in a way that you can’t help but enjoy. This is a better film than the release in the month of August would suggest.
Charlie Brewster (Yelchin) is a former nerd who now is hanging with a cooler crowd, mostly due to his new girlfriend Amy (Imogen Poots). This doesn’t sit well with his former best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who feels ignored. Ed also is worried that the recent spate of disappearing students in their small community not far from Las Vegas isn’t just normal school cutting. He’s convinced that Charlie’s new neighbor Jerry (Farrell) is actually a vampire. Charlie dismisses it and insults Ed, but when he sees Jerry in action one night, he’s convinced and aims to keep Jerry away from Charlie’s mother Jane (Toni Collette), not to mention Amy. For guidance, he seeks out an “expert” in illusionist Peter Vincent (David Tennant). As Jerry begins to realize Charlie is on to him and begins the hunt, Charlie must figure out a way to defeat an ancient vampire with a taste for his girlfriend. A stand-off is inevitable.
The acting by both Anton Yelchin and Colin Farrell is noteworthy. Yelchin plays the closeted nerd part very well, but it’s his surprisingly tough moments when he goes into battle that impressed me. He’s got even more range than I realized. As for Farrell, he’s having a blast as the blood-sucker, adding little touches to the
character and embracing both the humor and the horror of the character. He’s easily the best thing about this flick, and you’ll definitely smile whenever he’s doing his thing. David Tennant is channeling a poor man’s Russell Brand, but he still manages to entertain as a cowardly vampire expert of sorts. Toni Collette isn’t give much to do as the mother, but she doesn’t do a bad job at all. Imogen Poots continues to show she’s one of the more interesting young actresses out there, and
Christopher Mintz-Plasse does another variation on “McLovin”, though it does kind of fit here. There’s also small parts for Sandra Vergara, Emily Montague, Lisa Loeb, as well as a cameo by Chris Sarandon (which should be a treat for fans of the original), but if you’re seeing this for the acting, see it for Yelchin’s lead role and Farrell’s scene stealing villain.
In terms of the visuals, director Craig Gillespie has made a nice looking flick. While I didn’t think much of his earlier work on ‘Mr. Woodcock’, he made a great movie that same year in ‘Lars and the Real Girl’. This film isn’t on that level, but it shows he knows how to handle a budget and short continue to make his mark as a potential upper tier filmmaker as time goes on. His pacing for the film is pretty good, though there are some moments in the first act that drag a bit. He mixes the laughs and scares pretty well, with only a few instances of the humor seeming to be out of place, but mostly they offset the terror. The script by Marti Noxon (with a story credit given to original scribe Tom Holland) isn’t anything special but it’s got a bit of wit to it and is easily the best thing she’s ever done (and is leaps and bounds better than her script this year for ‘I Am Number Four’). Don’t expect a new classic with this one, but Gillespie and Noxon took the premise for the original, played with it a bit, and made both a faithful enough remake and a stand alone summer flick that is hard not to enjoy.
‘Fright Night’ doesn’t aim to do too much, and that helps to allow it to succeed. If you like this type of hybrid flick, it’s very likely that you’ll get a kick out of it. Colin Farrell does such a fun job with his part that I’d almost recommend it just for his work, but the movie itself is plenty good and sells itself. Check it out, as it’s one of the better films of the summer. It’s got a lot going for it.
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