Tags:
Film: Fright Night
Year: 2011
Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Marti Noxon
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant
Review:
We begin this film with a boy trying to escape from something inside his house. His family is dead and he hides underneath the bed. He tries to slide out his father’s gun from under the mattress above him and unlocks the trigger guard. Before he can use it, he is killed. In school the next day, we learn that a lot of students are missing.
We meet the main character, played by Anton Yelchin. He is a dating the most popular girl, played by Imogen Poots, and he was a former loser. We learn that his former best friend, played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, is still weird and they have a little bit of an argument in the hall. Mintz-Plasse tries to convince Yelchin that his other old friend has been killed by a vampire. Mintz-Plasse threatens Yelchin by saying he’ll show everyone an old video they made if he doesn’t come to investigate.
Yelchin goes home with Poots and we meet his mother, played by Toni Collette, talking to their new neighbor, played by Colin Farrell. He has that bad boy attitude and flirts with Collette. Poots and she walk away, talking about how hot he is, while Yelchin tells them that he has to run and do something.
Together they investigate to find nothing in the house, but when they go home, Mintz-Plasse is ambushed by Farrell, who is a vampire. He turns Mintz-Plasse.
Yelchin then begins to believe when he finds the evidence Mintz-Plasse had gathered. It now becomes a mission of proving that Farrell is a vampire, finding out how to stop him before he kills him and everyone he loves. Yelchin tries to enlist the aid of a Las Vegas magician played by David Tennant, who is regarded on an expert on this stuff, even though he is a drunken Vegas act.
I have to say, being based off a cult 80s vampire movie, this one is actually a pretty solid vampire film. It doesn’t take too long to get going, the story progresses well and it is actually quite believable if vampires attacked the suburban area. Farrell plays his role very well and which is quite different from Chris Sarandon, who actually has a cameo in this one. Yelchin, Poots, Mintz-Plasse, Collette and Tennant all turn in good roles as well.
The only problem I found was this film was done in 3D, so there are times and certain things that you can see play up to that. Many aren’t bothered by it, I do not care for 3D, but it doesn’t necessarily take away from the film.
I would recommend this one if you’re interested in a good vampire movie that has good action, solid acting and is entertaining. There is some gore, but most of it is CGI, so it isn’t too much. A solid vampire film that is worth a view, it can be a little unrealistic at times, but for the most part a realistic for a film about vampires.
My Rating: 6 out of 10