“Welcome to frrrr (Spanish ‘R’ roll) rrright night…FOR REAL!” Ohoo…Damn! Remember that line from 1985’sFright Night version? That freaky cold line, delivered by Jerry Dandridge (Chris Sarandon) during a freaky scene towards the end of the film…? It was pretty chilling. For a B-movie which starts off slow and not pieced too well…it picked up during the middle and does what it had to do—Entertain, scare, develop a little horniness, cringe and start dwelling on Vampire flicks a bit differently than what Hollywood had presented in its earlier years. During 1985, Fright Night became a cult classic which generated most of its fan-base during the ever-so-famous VCR years, and for a film that blended cheesy humor, along with horror, this was one I never thought would wind up a remake. It’s happened, it’s 2011 and here we are with "Fright Night 3D."
Senior Charlie Brewster (Yelchin) finally has it all—the cat's running with the “in crowd” and ATM’ng the hottest girl in high school. In fact, he's so money; he's even dissing his best friend Ed (Mintz-Plasse a/k/a McLovin’). But trouble stirs when an intriguing, handsome, mysterious, stranger Jerry (Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there's something not quite right—and everyone, including Charlie's mom, doesn't notice. After witnessing some very unusual activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a motherf-en’ vampire preying on his neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone that he's telling the truth, Charlie takes matter into his own hands, and decides to rid of this creature of the night by his damn-self!
I’m sure there will be mixed verdicts once reviews are unleashed come release day of August 19, 2011. My feelings for this film weren’t over-the-roof, but I didn’t walk out feeling sick. I could sure do without all the 3D crap, but on the contrary, there were elements which worked and I found quite entertaining. Contradiction? Perhaps…but this is America, and I have full rights when it comes to being a little of this and that! Therefore, is it possible a 3D comedy/horror be a thing of beauty? Sure. Why not?! This gory funny vampire tale covers nothing new, however, if there’s something about it that stands out…is that Director, Craig Gillespie, nailed it when tapping the Irish Wonder of Hollywood (Colin Farrell) to portray the role of a blood-sucker.
Of all roles I’ve seen this bushy-eye-brow bastard play, this is by far one of the best. Perhaps it won’t snag any Oscar or Golden Globe nods come 2012, but when it comes to playing a creepy, scary, vile, dude/vamp…this is it! Nothing about this role would entail any kind of artistic approach, but there’s always a movie which captivates due to a striking performance, and I can’t think of another actor that could have pulled this cheesy rehash off. No, not Pattinson (Twilight) or Skarsgard (True Blood), so spare me those names. Whether money or simply really having interest within the role, I thought it was cool. I was taken more by Farrell’s malicious antics, rather than all which stood peripherally!
Chemistry between Yelchin and McLovin’ seemed pretty stale. Lots of scenes shared between the duo were ok and mildly funny, but it remained a simple flat-line at moments, and I guess for writing purposes…their characters are quickly stamped, and actions follow through when Yelchin decides to go for a hoe rather than a bro!
Tying in the remake with supporters are David Tennant, Imogen Poots and Toni Collette. The film also provides the typical rules to fighting a vamp, and this is where the film sets itself aside from being carried by Farrell. Why? Well, this is where all the 3D comes into play. Javier Aguirresarobe, who shot Twilight Saga: New Moon, utilized 3D camera magic/sweeps into smoky, shadowy rooms, lit only by candles or a flickering TV screen, through the empty streets of a Vegas suburb. So get ready, folks, the screen will hurl blood, guts, shattered glass, arrows and crucifixes right in our FACES! AHHHH! WATCH OUT! OUUUCH! (Pulling the bottom part of a crucifix out of my left eye-socket)
At best, the film’s entertaining. Nothing to do back-flips for, but not bad for a flick to start embracing the end of summer…its got a little of everything and would go awesome with some pop-corn, a coke and perhaps a box of peanut M&Ms.
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GRADE: C+ / GENRE: Comedy, Suspense/Horror and Remake / RUN TIME: 2 Hrs. / RATED: R
STARRING: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
DIRECTOR: Craig Gillespie
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