7.26.2006

russian sci-fi gives me the creeps

Last night I finally got around to watching my latest Netflix delivery Night Watch, or Nochnoy Dozor for the linguists. This is a film that Netflix practically screamed at me to watch on their recommendation page, based on the fact that I liked The Matrix and I have an interest in foreign films. And if you liked The Matrix (an even better example starring Keanu Reeves would be Constantine) and you can tolerate subtitles (or bad voice-over acting) then I would highly recommend this movie.
The story is about a handful of characters who are "Others", humans with special gifts and powers (Shapechangers, Sorcerers, Vampires and the like) who are in a millennium old battle between light and dark. When you are discovered to be an "Other" (you may not know you are one) you choose to join a side. If you choose dark you become a member of the Day Watch, however if you choose light you're added to the Night Watch. The film centers around a new "Other" that's been discovered, one that is very powerful. Of course both sides are trying to find him/her first to maybe tip or break the balance of the delicate truce they have all agreed to uphold.
Night Watch is full of special effects that will only make you want more and the acting is flat but not boring just like The Matrix. The look of the film is very dark (duh!) and the editing is a little hyper but you get used to it. I would however, recommend watching it with the English audio track turned on as the subtitles would probably distract from the action on-screen. Apparently when Night Watch was released it broke every Russian box office record there. I've read that this is the first in a trilogy based on novels by Sergei Lukyanenko, so hopefully we'll get to see the rest of this story on film.

1 comment:

meryl321 said...

Brandon just watched that movie! He really liked it and said I should watch it. He said he thought Quentin Tarantino had described it as the Russian equivilent of the LOTR trilogy, but this claim doesn't sound like it matches well with your description...