"Walking the streets of Moscow, indistinguishable from the rest of its population, are the Others. Possessors of supernatural powers and capable of entering the Twilight, a shadowy world that exists in parallel to our own, each owes allegiance either to the Dark or the Light"
'Night Watch' is based on the first book of a trilogy of bestsellers by Sergei Lukyaneko about supernatural beings, the 'Others', in modern day Moscow. With the film becoming a huge hit in Russia, and only coming in at a cost of a mere $4 million to make, it was quickly bought for world distribution by Fox. Yet can this foreign, gothic feature live up to the hype it has caused?
The Feature
The film begins with a battle scene between the armies of Light and Dark in the year 1342, eventually ending in a truce. 'Night Watch' then fast forwards and focuses on the main character of both film
and book, Anton Gorodetsky. Whist visiting a witch to perform a magical abortion, on his ex's unborn child, the Night Watch, the protectors of the Light (with their opposite numbers the Day Watch being protectors of the Dark), burst in on the scene. The film then comes up to date with the present day, some 12 years later, and Anton has joined the Night Watch and is investigating some Dark vampires that are tracking an innocent young boy. Within the boundaries of the Truce between the Light and Dark killing another 'Other' is prohibited, with the Night and Day Watch policing each other. Yet can Anton save the young innocent without breaking the Truce and risking his Watch being severely reprimanded?
The film leads on to the main theme that runs throughout the films and the books alike, and that is the 'prophecy'. It tells of a Great Other who will break the equilibrium the Truce holds over the Watches, and so will tip the balance of power one side or the other, depending on which side they happen to choose. And when the largest Vortex either watch has seen in centuries emerges, it looks like the prophecy is in the final stages of its happening. But who will the Great Other side with?
Set in modern day Russia, 'Night Watch' portrays a world that is very close to our own, making it all the more intriguing for the audience. It's filmed and acted in Russian, giving it a very unique edge over it's Hollywood counterparts, and this just helps the film play out the basis of the original books brilliantly. Original Russian locations really makes the film more watchable, adding to the good script, brilliant filming and great acting. Added to this is the fact that the film declares that neither the Light or the Dark are in the right and it is totally down to the audience upon which side to support. It's certainly a moral dilemma as both sides take underhanded approaches to gaining their overall goals.
The special effects are also quite impressive. They are done well in the sense that they do not overwhelm the feature, but are very impressive when they arrive and truly add to the film and the story alike. Its typical of the film that the story is the main priority and it shows with the special effects team being used almost sparsely but very well.
DVD extras
The DVD that I purchased was one of the early ones and there is not much bonus material that is added on. There is the option whether to view the film in subtitles or with English dubbed over the top. I would definitely suggest the subtitles if you are up for it as it just adds to the original feel of the film. There are also a couple of commentaries but apart from that there is really nothing special to note.
Verdict
My only disappointment was that I had read the books first. As they are one of the best fantasy trilogies I have read then the film had a lot to live up to for me when I decided to purchase it. The film does get a little complicated but there's nothing a second viewing won't help sort out. There just seems to be some of that magic, that was so present in the books, absent from the film.
Yet this is still a very good action/fantasy film with lots of appeal for most audiences. Taken in itself the plot is good and the originality of the Russian settings really add to a great viewing experience. Overall, this is a great film that I would recommend to fans of similar genres. 'Night Watch' is definitely one to add to the DVD collection, especially if you don't mind subtitles.
Running Time: 114 minutes
Certificate: 15
Score: 4/5 (would definitely have been 5/5 had it lived up to the book)
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