Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011)

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010)
Directed by: Kevin Munroe
Written by: Joshua Oppenheimer, Thomas Dean Donnelly, Tiziano Sclavi
Starring: Anita Briem, Brandon Routh, Kurt Angle, Peter Stormare, Sam Huntington

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011)

(15) Running time: 107 minutes

Director: Kevin Munroe

Writers: Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Tiziano Sclavi (comics)

Starring: Brandon Routh, Anita Briem, Sam Huntington

Reviewed by: Matt Wavish, official HCF critic

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is based on an Italian graphic novel, something I have never heard of and sure as Hell have never read. However, there seemed to be a lot of fuss surrounding the release of this film, so I assumed this would at least be half decent. Reading over numerous reviews now that I have seen it, many are complaining at the film not being faithful to the source material and ignoring some major characters from the comics. Having not read the comics, I cannot comment on that, but I can agree that this movie is dreadful!

I watched it about an hour ago, and I am actually struggling to remember anything about it, that’s how much of an impression it left on me. Sure, I remember Anita Briem playing Elizabeth, but that’s because she was rather fine looking. However, as for the rest of the characters, they all pretty much came and went, or tried to steal the show (Taye Diggs as a horrendously irritating vampire named Vargas), and the central character Mr Dog himself was as dreary as a rainy day. He had barely any characteristics, and just existed in the film, waffling about philosophies and crap about his past as if the viewer gave a shit. What made it worse was that it felt like the film was either trying to be too cool for its own good (a pathetic attempt at a sort of Sin City creation) or trying to be far too noir, and it fails, miserably, on both counts.

From what I can piece together, Dylan ‘Dreary’ Dog used to be an investigator, a private eye who worked to keep the supernatural world (filled with vampires, werewolves and monsters) and the human world in perfect balance as to not disturb each other. Now, considering in the beginning Dreary Dog tells us this is what he used to do, and the fact he looks about twelve years old, begs the question of just how authentic this silly, boring film actually is. It seems his girlfriend was murdered by some vampires (I think) and he is bitter about it (why wouldn’t he be). Anyway, some vampires kill another human, a rich man whose daughter is the gorgeous Elizabeth (Briem), and Dylan Dog has another case which leads him into danger. However, there never feels like there is any danger, he continues to waffle on voiceover, and just when you think things couldn’t get any worse, Dylan’s friend ends up dead and in the morgue and comes back as a Zombie. He attempts to be the comedy in the film, but instead will simply make you hate him with each and every painful line he delivers. The stupid bastard even takes himself off to a bloody support group for zombies, something which I can only presume was supposed to be funny?

The special effects are pretty horrendous, and each and every character deserves a slap in the face for over acting, and delivering their lines with so much bloody cheese you will feel like vomiting. Christ, even the great Peter Stormare appears as a vampire or werewolf (I can’t bloody remember but his eyes turned yellow and he had silly plastic fangs), and loses all credibility by over acting and actually making you want to run away from the TV until it is all over! I really do not have anything good to say about this great big pile of nonsense. Awful, awful film!

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