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reviews /  editor film review
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night watch
night watch
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Russian shapeshifters.

Who said Hollywood had bragging rights on grungy, SFX-driven fantasy trilogies? Russia’s homegrown all-time box-office champion is an unholy amalgam of Matrix-style portentous waffle, Blade’s blustering B-movie vibe, with a kiss on Peter Jackson’s Ring for good measure. Basically it’s vampires versus shapeshifters in modern-day Moscow, with a Chosen One set to shift an age-old, fragile balance, and enough plot, characters, and CGI to outfit a dozen such epics. Eminently proficient and stylish, disappointingly derivative and slavish to US hegemony.


Leigh Singer 06 October 05 rating of 3
Night Watch, on national release 07 October 05.
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Read members' comments related to this film.
Kicks The Matix in the backside and more! post 6
comment by Pushka    Jul 11, 2006
I'm not comparing it to The Matrix, but if I did, I'd say it was infinite times better! Brilliant film, loved it from start to finish and I love the storyline and the characters are wonderful.

It contains everything you need and want in a film. Rocket powered yellow trucks, ultra violet torches, shape shifting Russians, guys with visions of the future, a cursed woman surrounded by a Vortex, a cuddly truck driver who cleans the Kremlin Stars and an amazing sound track. If you want to see a good video, watch the music video of Shatter by Feeder; it's based on Night Watch.

The good guy Light Others working for the Night Watch, an underfunded Government Light Company really captured my heart; I would love to join the side of Light. The Dark Others of the Day Watch; pop stars in fast cars, really made me want to cheer for the good guys! Anton is quite hot, Olga is really cool, Semyon is so lovable, Bear has a wicked hair do, Tiger Cub is pretty and Gesser is the best Lord of Light in any film based on the 'good vs evil' line.

Thumbs up to Timur!
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Don't watch the trailer! post 5
comment by Vahva    Nov 5, 2005
Don't watch the trailer first. I went to see this film just on word of mouth and as you can see from my comments above, I liked it. I just watched the trailer out of interest and it gives completely the wrong impression about this movie. For one thing I would not call it a 'horror' film and for another it seems really obvious that whoever made this trailer was trying to appeal to an American market who would be 'put off' by anything in subtitles. Don't watch the trailer first whatever you do!
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Do watch it, if you liked Matrix, Casshern... post 4
comment by Vahva    Oct 26, 2005
Sorry I meant Underworld, not Dogville (I don't know why I got those movies muddled up) although Night Watch is tonnes better than Underworld!
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Do watch it, if you liked Matrix, Casshern... post 3
comment by Vahva    Oct 25, 2005
I was really entertained by this film. It has some quirky ideas in it.

There's a cool nitrogen fuelled big car thingy (ok I'm a girl, I don't know much about cars, it was yellow and a bit like a Hummer) that the gang go around in. The film rests on this idea of there being 'light' Others and 'dark' Others that exist in the world (normal people can't see them) that are locked in this truce to avoid all out war. The light Others police the dark Others. The film is very thought provoking and begs the question 'Are the light ones really any better than the dark ones or are we all really just two sides of the same coin?'

If you've seen Casshern, I liked it more than that, far less preachy and much more likeable characters.

Also just refreshing to see a film in another language for a change and the subtitles are so well done - they are often in blood red and fade onto the screen in different ways depending on what's being said.

It is very long and started to drag a bit at the end but I would say that if you like post-apocalyptic type films like Matrix, Casshern, Blade, Dogville etc it's worth watching. I'd give it 3 1/2 - 4 stars.
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i would ... i did post 2
comment by weegie     Oct 10, 2005
i rather enjoyed it. i thought it was inventive and different.

as for the lack of plot development, i thought that nightwatch was the first of a trilogy, so big plot developments coming up (unless of course, they just make the same film three times - could happen)

the more i think about the film, the more questions i have - i like that.

biggrin
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Don't bother watching this post 1
comment by phillustine    Oct 9, 2005
Errrrr, where's the plot? Nice idea but it just doesn't develop. Characters are the same people as when they start. Nothing stands in the protagonist's way of achieving their desires. Revelation/turning points are predictable. One of the most painful 2 hours I have spent in a cinema. I was toying with the idea of sticking my fingers into my eyes so that I am at least moved in one direction. Ugh!
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