Rare Gems: Night Watch
Here’s a movie rental for you this weekend.
I remember seeing trailers for this in early 2005. It looked amazing. Urban fantasy the way it always looks in my head, and that movies and TV never get quite right. Hollywood versions always look a little too polished, the leather is unscuffed, and everyone looks so pretty.
But these clips looked gritty, depicting a world (Moscow, in reality) that might have been right on the edge of falling into a deep abyss. I couldn’t even tell the story, just images: magicians, shapeshifters (a real shapeshifter, morphing seamlessly into her tiger form thanks to CGI. None of that mutant rubber suit crap), vampires, and terror.
The film advertised a Summer 2005 release, which never happened. I gnashed my teeth.
Finally, early in 2006, the film got a limited art house release, and I made sure to see it. And it lived up to all its potential. The setting is modern urban, but the story is ancient, a battle between dark and light (though not necessarily good and evil), and about how deep the roots of fate really go.
If you like the works of Neil Gaiman (especially the Sandman comics), Night Watch is right up that same alley. It takes myth and folklore and plunks it down in a modern setting, with modern people having to deal with it, mixes in a dash of humor and a whole lot of wonder.
If I haven’t convinced you, see for yourself at the Fox Searchlight website.
There is a sequel to Night Watch: Day Watch, released in Russia last year, which continues the story of the balance between the forces of darkness and light.
The official website has word of a June 1, 2007 U.S. release date. I’m all atwitter. Another summer movie to look forward to!
Jared said,
Wrote on April 14, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
Huh. I remembering watching that movie last summer on DVD. I really loved how the subtitles were handled :-). I must admit, though, I was disappointed that the film didn’t have more shapeshifting, as the one time they did have it was amazing. Hopefully there will be more of that in the next two movies.
I also agree with your thoughts on how urban fantasy (or indeed, any kind of sci-fi/fantasy) is usually depicted in Hollywood: waaaay too manufactured-looking most of the time. This is one of the many reasons why the Lord of the Rings films won me over: it’s level of detail and grittiness helped make me forget I was only watching a movie. The same goes for Peter Jackson’s King Kong, which managed to create a version of Skull Island just as stylized and larger than life as the original film’s, yet so detailed that one forgets that the island and its prehistoric beasts don’t exist.
WTL said,
Wrote on April 18, 2007 @ 12:32 am
Funny - I just picked up this movie last weekend. I really enjoyed it.