Rating: PG-13
Starring:
Brandon Routh as Dylan Dog
Sam Huntington as Marcus
Peter Stormare as Gabriel
Anita Briem as Elizabeth
Taye Diggs as Vargas
Brian Steele as Tatooed Zombie
Andrew Sensenig as Rosenberg
Kurt Angle as Wolfgang
Kimberly Whalen as Kelly
Randal Reeder as Bob the Mechanic
Courtney J. Clark as Ally
Ashlynn Ross as Werewolf
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg as Zombie Priest
Kent Jude Bernard as Slake
James Hébert as Lorca
Directed by Kevin Munroe
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Widescreen (2.35:1)
5.1 Dolby Digital Sound
Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 108 Minutes
The Details:
The following is the official description of the film:
“Brandon Routh stars as Dylan Dog, a supernatural detective who will go where the living dare not – facing friend and foe alike in the monster-infested backstreets of New Orleans. Armed with an edgy wit and an arsenal of silver and wood-tipped bullets, Dylan must solve a series of murders before an epic war ensues between his werewolf, vampire and zombie clients. Based on one of the world’s most popular comic books, this inventive horror comedy will slay you with tongue-in-cheek humor and genuine frights.”
“Dylan Dog: Dead of Night” is rated PG-13 for sequences of creature violence and action, language including some sexual references, and some drug material.
Mini-Review:
“Dylan Dog: Dead of Night” certainly has an interesting concept. The premise is a lot like “Men in Black” but with monsters instead of aliens. In this world vampires, werewolves, and zombies live among us as average law abiding citizens. But occasionally there are problems. And like the “Men in Black” intervening with the aliens, it’s the job of Dylan Dog to intervene with the monsters. The script does a good job building a very rich world of zombie diner cooks, werewolf mobsters, human monster hunters, and ghouls addicted to vampire blood. So from a world building aspect, “Dylan Gog: Dead of Night” does a lot right. The rest of it is kind of a mixed bag.
Brandon Routh is re-teamed with his “Superman Returns” co-star Sam Huntington for this movie. I like Routh a lot, but his performance is a tad inconsistent as Dylan Dog. There are times when his line delivery is really flat, but there are times when his cold stare fits the moment perfectly. There are times when Routh seems to perfectly fit within this world, but there are times when a grittier and darker actor would seem more appropriate. So I’m kind of on the fence about whether I liked him in this role or not. But his scenes with Huntington are a lot of fun. Marcus at one point is killed, then resurrected as a zombie. This leads to all sorts of comic potential as Huntington plays a non-traditional, intelligent zombie. Many of his scenes reminded me of “Beetlejuice” as he learns to deal with life after death. Huntington ends up being the MVP of this film though I also have to give credit to Peter Stormare as the werewolf version of the Godfather.
Fans of practical effects are going to enjoy “Dylan Gog: Dead of Night.” There’s very little CG in this movie and the makeup effects are solid. There’s a lot for them to do with vampire hybrids, zombies, and other creatures. That being said, the one good look we get at a transformed werewolf is a tad weak.
While this movie is a mix of “Blade,” “Men in Black” and “Beetlejuice,” it’s a bit weaker than that pedigree might indicate. It never quite lived up to its potential. The final result feels more like the start of a good Sci-Fi Channel (I refuse to call it ‘Syfy’) TV series than a theatrical film. This is more in the spirit of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” than anything else. But if you’re into horror comedies, monsters, and Brandon Routh, then this is a film you’re going to want to check out despite the ridiculous name.
Unfortunately there are no bonus features on the DVD. It’s a shame because a discussion about the makeup would have been quite interesting.
