I admit to being a sucker for epic battles between good and evil. It appeals to the romantic in me, the 12 year-old who still wants to run off to a far-off kingdom, slay evil wizards, and woo beautiful princesses. The same goes for vampires, really – it’s just such a great premise when it’s done correctly; immortal life, eerie powers, dark and mysterious warriors.
I’m by no means alone in these affections, which doubtless explains the enormous number of books and movies about these subjects. Sadly, most of them are awful, based on a cool idea or two with little in the way of emotion or intelligence involved. Underworld, to name just one, was such a great-looking movie with a fascinating premise that it was quite disappointing when one realized how little thought went into the plot and characters.
Night Watch, the first of a Russian-made trilogy, at least tries to get it right. Adapted from a series of books (the first of which is only seeing an English translation this June), it sees a vast war of good and evil, of the supernatural Others, being waged in the streets of Moscow.
Anton is unwittingly awakened to the struggle between Light Others and Dark Others when he visits a psychic in a last-ditch attempt to win back his girlfriend, who has left him for another man. When he sees what is really going on, and the Others recognize him as one of their own, he joins the cause of the Light.
Twelve years later, he’s trying to protect a young boy following the lure of two vampiric Dark Others. When the boy is revealed to be more than he seems, and a seemingly unstoppable curse vortex begins to form over an apartment building, the two sides realize the Apocalypse may be near.
Night Watch is immediately remarkable for its visual style. Like David Fincher, Timur Bekmambetov uses CGI to pan through walls, zoom through subway cars, and generally take the camera anywhere he chooses. One particularly nice sequence sees a bolt shaking loose from an airplane, falling several thousand feet, and clattering down a ventilation shaft. The visual effects are taken even further, though, with characters half-disappearing into blood vessels and cells, as well as traces of blood following characters around. The most interesting visual effect is largely a product of the North American release: The subtitles are frequently given a life of their own, changing colour, appearance, even placement as the scene dictates. The vampire calls fade away into red, panic scatters words across the screen, words spoken by an injured man fade in and out. It’s a fascinating innovation that might have some luck in converting those who find subtitles frustrating to read.
There’s also a strong resemblance to the films of Terry Gilliam and Jean-Pierre Jeunet: While the world of Night Watch is dark and disturbing, it’s also quite whimsical from time to time. Anton’s backup team and their super-powered truck are particularly odd, while a curse-fuelled string of coincidences could come almost directly from Jeunet’s Amelie or Very Long Engagement. There’s a dark sense of humour to the film, a recognition that while everything is quite serious, it’s still a film about psychics and shapeshifters fighting vampires with juiced-up flashlights.
As the first part of a trilogy and the adaptation of a book, Night Watch doesn’t quite stand on its own. Not unlike the Harry Potter films, one gets the impression that there are a good many things that are either meant to be explained later, or are simply reference points for fans of the books. Anton’s partner, Olga, for example, is given a great introduction, a hint of a dark past, and is then pretty much ignored for the rest of the film. The ending, too, suffers from a feeling of too much editing, or an attempt to cram too much in. The curse plot is fascinating up until the end, at which point it doesn’t seem to have much, if any payoff.
Still, Night Watch wins points for it’s unabashed ambition in creating a huge and complex world, full of characters that are obviously loaded with backstory even if it’s not always fully explained. While there are a number of holes and loose ends, it leads one to anticipate the sequel (Day Watch, already released in Russia), read the book, or hope for a director’s cut of the film. It’s not a perfect film, but it’s a hypnotic and addictive one with a clear and well-defined vision that offers a lot of promise for the future.
