Review of Fright Night starring Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots and Toni Collette
This predictable, paint-by-the-numbers remake of the scarier ‘85 cult classic is chock full of moments that may have proven suspenseful or hilarious had they not been so sloppily timed. Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin and David Tennant’s characters are all dreadfully dull, the dialogue is trite and multiple details go unexplained in a script not too different from the original (with a few modern touches such as iPhone apps and Real Housewives), yet still somehow worse.
Charley Brewster (Anton Yelchin) is a semi-geeky teen in puce-colored sneakers living in a remote desert McNeighborhood bordering Las Vegas. Imogen Poots plays his gorgeous girlfriend Amy, and unlike most nerd-and-a-hot-girl film items, they’re believable together. His spurned childhood friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) rightly suspects a vampire behind the growing number of classmates’ disappearances, a disparity not necessarily easy to gauge given the many strippers and other nocturnal entertainers who hide away in daytime.
The vampire in question is the wonderfully named Jerry (Farrell), a sexy new neighbor Charley’s single mom Jane (Toni Collette) and Amy have a thing for -- it’s genuinely funny watching them go gaga, as Charley writhes in agony. Then Ed disappears, and Charley jumps into action, starting with tiptoeing into Jerry’s home…
Farrell’s constant sneers and plodding footsteps are anything but frightening. Antagonizing Charley with fratty language in his doorway (that ‘ol invite rule for vamps…), emphasizing how “ripe” Amy is and that Jane “puts out”– is an amusing play on the actor’s foul-mouthed, lothario reputation but also gross as you begin imagining Farrell talking that way for real.
As with Johnny Depp’s twist on a traditional pirate (and perhaps his vampire portrayal in 2012’s DARK SHADOWS), Farrell could have had a blast milking the well-worn bloodsucker archetype for laughs or adding new dimensions. But he takes Jerry much too seriously, perfectly encapsulated in his unintentionally hilarious hisses at the sunlight penetrating his basement.
The Russian-born Yelchin, who’s proven his talent in such films as STAR TREK and CHARLIE BARTLETT, here plays an unsmiling milquetoast who transforms overnight into a vampire-stabbing stud muffin. Compare this to Jesse Eisenberg’s dorky monster-slayer in ZOMBIELAND, whose remarkable lack of confidence and machismo made his character not only more relatable but infinitely funnier.
Mintz-Plasse is the real star of the show, reprising his stereotype-busting performance as a feisty, quick-witted nerd -- but unfortunately his screen time is minimal. Poots does what little she can with her independent-minded but still relatively undeveloped sweetheart. Collette’s (who Gillespie directs in Showtime’s The United States of Tara) cluelessness about her son and even basic mothering is a head-scratcher, and her cool mom schtick gets old.
David Tennant’s tepid interpretation of Goth magician/illusionist Peter Vincent may leave his fan base cold as he passes up one creative opportunity after another. He’s unrecognizable in a black wig and stick-on facial hair, then changes after a “Fright Night” rehearsal, and poof! Dr. Who has teleported to Vegas! It’s inconceivable that anyone would actually pay to see Vincent’s silly act -- Roddy McDowell’s late-night TV show in the first film would have made more sense here as well.
Cool 3-D effects include a bird’s eye view of the neighborhood -- the roofs poke up at you -- sprayed blood, dead vamps’ embers and a rock hurled through a window, which actually made me flinch. Otherwise, the 3-D label’s simply a money grab, as it often is.
I enjoyed the Vegas setting, lonely desert roads and ominous sunsets. Jerry seductively soothing a character’s insecurities leads to a vaguely sexy underwater feast and a cross floating toward you. A vampire-to-be explodes in daylight. Creatures claw through dirt walls. And a snarling, squealing baddie contorts his injured frame into a bizarre, double-jointed dance. There’s a fun cameo, too.
Ramin Djawadi’s creepy original music is impressive, although a crescendo during a kissing scene feels wildly off cue. Menacing techno drowns out evil deliberations in a dance club, and Hugo’s vivacious “99 Problems” dances over the blood-soaked, fun-to-watch end credits.
But wooden stakes (from “House For Sale” signs) and an unimaginative vampire speech from Ed are thrown at us in a much too early and obvious intro to the macabre. The maddening action-prolonging device of villains toying with instead of killing their victims (and thus losing the fight) abound. And the trailer’s inclusion of a giant explosion (that in reality would have incinerated everyone) and Jerry’s terrorizing of Charley & Co. on the road sucks the fun out of both scenes in the film.
Also, how does Yelchin not know how to kill a vampire? Does he not have access to the Internet, or, for that matter, popular culture? When Charley reports screams coming from Jerry’s home to the police, how can Jerry’s crack, “You bet I made her scream” send them away laughing? And I know they’re off the beaten path, but wouldn’t someone dial 911 when a house explodes? Call me a nitpicker.
(And why would a vampire eat apples, for God’s sake? I’m a nitpicker about vampire lore as well.)
Craig Gillespie directed LARS AND THE REAL GIRL – impressive! Also MR. WOODCOCK -- not so impressive. This falls somewhere between the two. (But closer to WOODCOCK.)
Genre/s: Horror Comedy
Release Date/s: August 19, 2011 (Showtimes & Tickets)
Distributor: DreamWorks Pictures
Production Company: DreamWorks SKG,Gaeta / Rosenzweig Films, Micahel De Luca Productions
Official Site:
Alternate Titles: Fright Night 3D
CAST and CREW FOR Fright Night
Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant, Toni Collette, Dave Franco
Directed By: Craig Gillespie
Written By: Marti Noxon
Produced By: Michael De Luca, Michael Gaeta and Alison Rosenzweig
Fright Night SYNOPSIS:
PLOT: Senior Charlie Brewster (Yelchin) finally has it all going on: he's running with the popular crowd and dating the most coveted girl in his high school. In fact, he's so cool he's even dissing his best friend. But trouble arrives when Jerry (Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there's something not quite right—but everyone, including Charlie's mom (Toni Collette), doesn't notice. After observing some very strange activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone, Charlie has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself in this Craig Gillespie-helmed revamp of the comedy-horror classic.