Movie Review: Dylan Dog Dead of Night

Dylan Dog Dead of Night (2011) 

Directed by Kevin Munroe 

Written by Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer

Starring Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Anita Briem, Peter Stormare, Taye Diggs 

Release Date April 29th, 2011

Published April 30th, 2011

Detective Dylan Dog (Brandon Routh) has a dark and disturbing past. Yet, as we listen to his bemused voiceover narration, ala classic detective movies of the 40's and 50's, he's remarkably well adjusted. Dylan used to be a paranormal investigator and more importantly, the one human being standing between humans and the undead.

Vampires, Werewolves and Zombies

In the universe of Dylan Dog, settled perfectly in the haunted streets of New Orleans, vampires, zombies and werewolves are real and living mostly peacefully among humans. When one of the undead got out of line it was Dylan who stepped in to investigate and correct matters. However, when things got personal and someone Dylan cared about was murdered he walked away.

Now, Dylan is being called back to action after the murder of a smuggler who has brought to New Orleans a deadly device that could mean the end of human and undead kind. With his trusty sidekick Marcus (Sam Huntington), a zombie after being attacked early on by one of the film's big bad guys, Dylan must re-enter his former life and stop a possible apocalypse.

Noir Mystery meets Horror movie monsters

The premise of "Dylan Dog," which is based on a wildly popular (in Europe) Italian comic book by Tiziano Sclavi, is a tribute to classic noir murder mysteries. Brandon Routh doesn't exactly embody hard boiled detective ala Humphrey Bogart but Routh's off-hand voiceover and quirky approach to the role give the film flavor if not the most accurate homage to classic noir mystery.

The notion that vampires, werewolves and zombies live among us is not new, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which gets an almost subliminal shout out in "Dylan Dog," carried a similar premise on television to great success. That "Dylan Dog" came along first, the comic book began in the mid-eighties, matters little, the movie is clearly influenced by Buffy and pales in comparison.

Superman Returns wasn't Brandon Routh's fault

So, the noir homage is weak and the premise isn't new, what's left to like about "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night?" The only thing I can recommend is star Brandon Routh. Unfairly maligned for the failure of "Superman Returns" Routh is a clever and handsome actor with a great sense of humor, a strong instinct for deadpan line delivery and the physical presence to dominate a scene.

My affection for Brandon Routh is limited to liking his performance but not the movie in which it's trapped. The premise about one person standing between the world of the undead and the rest of everyday society is derivative and the homage to noir mystery is weak at best. The direction is at times sloppy, as is the script which attempts to honor the comic book but doesn't have enough detail to make any of the references meaningful to anyone but a very small cult.

Maybe catch "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night" on cable someday, late on a Saturday night when there is absolutely nothing else on worth watching.

Movie Review Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D

Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D

Directed by Eric Brevig

Written by Mark Levett, Jennifer Flackett

Starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Seth Meyers 

Release Date July 11th, 2008

Published July 10th, 2008

3D remains nothing more than a novelty at the movies. An amusement park attraction that can thrill briefly but only occasionally. For every Robert Zemeckis who wants to use 3D to its most artistic limits, as he attempted in Beowulf, there is a movie like Journey To the Center of the Earth which brings nothing but amusement park thrills to the table.

Brenden Fraser stars in Journey to the Center of the Earth as Dr. Trevor Anderson. A geologist, Trevor has spent recent years tracking the path of his late brother who disappeared as he searched for entry to the center of the earth using the text of Jules Verne's legendary novel as a real life guide.

With funding for his experiments dwindling, Trevor is facing the prospect of losing his brother's legacy forever when his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) arrives. Sean couldn't care less about geology, his dad disappeared when he was very young. However, it is on a tour of Trevor's lab that Sean stumbles on a clue that may lead them to the place where Dad disappeared.

Taking off for Iceland, Trevor and Sean follow Jules Verne's novel and find themselves climbing the side of a possibly active volcano. Finding his brother's former campsite, Trevor and Sean encounter Hannah (Anita Briem) whose father also disappeared in the same pursuit. She offers to be their guide and quickly the trio are repelling into a hole in the earth that leads to an astonishing adventure.

Directed by Eric Brevig, making his feature filmmaking debut, Journey of the Center of the Earth makes no pretense of being anything other than a series of amusement park thrills. The use of 3D is often forced and at times awkward but once we are in the center of the earth encountering chases and dinosaurs and other such dangers, you likely won't care about the forced moments.

Brenden Fraser is the perfect actor for this role. Both a big galoot and a goofball, Fraser has the good nature and the action chops to make this journey a lot of fun. I am getting excited for his next battle with Mummies coming in August. Journey to the Center of the Earth is the perfect reminder of why I'm so excited.

Like the Mummy movies, Journey to the Center of the Earth is pure fun and excitement. Cheap amusement park thrills? Definitely, but who cares when they are real thrills.