Kim's Movie Review: FRIGHT NIGHT

Those who consider themselves Fright Night purists should have known from the trailers that this film isn't a shot-for-shot remake. It does however, take the spirit of the 80's original and transplant it successfully into the twenty-first century.

Again for the purists: this is Fright Night. We have Jerry the Vampire. We have Charlie Brewster. We have Peter Vincent and Evil Ed. This is basically the same story of a cat and mouse game between a teenage boy and his vampire neighbor. Once said teenage boy starts prying into vampire neighbor's business, s*** gets real and the body count starts rising.

The film itself had a much better balance in action and story telling than what I remember from the original. Having said that, it doesn't make the remake better than the original but it does help it stand on it's own two feet. The younger crowd might get a few actual scares from the film and anyone thirteen or older will definitely have a good time.

Overall, casting choices were made well and the actors delivered strong performances. Even people who didn't have a lot of screen time made the most of what they were given such as Toni Collette; whose turn as Mrs. Brewster while minimal was memorable. Anton Yelchin as the film's hero was relatable; high school kid struggling with his new found popularity, dealing with hormones, and stepping up into the role of a hero he's not sure he's ready for. The interplay between Yelchin, Tennant, and Farrell was perfect, had it not been it would have destroyed the film's third act. David Tennant, most well known as the time traveling Doctor Who, really made Peter Vincent his own, even stealing a few scenes. Christopher Mintz-Plasse also makes the best of his role as Charlie's friend Ed in the minimal time he was on screen. Lastly, while Farrell as Jerry the vampire lacked the menace that most “evil” vampires would have, you still had the sense that being in a room alone with him was not a good idea.

The effects for the film were solid all around. Nothing was too over the top or took away from the scenes. Jerry's “vampire form” was a great homage to the original and delivered one of films few real chills. This film also had one of the best uses of 3D that I've seen in recent memory. It added to the story's sense of fun rather than taking away and made it feel much like a two hour amusement park ride.

If I had to sum up the movie in three words, I would quote the original Fright Night's Evil Ed, “It's so cool!” While not a horror film it's still an enjoyable piece of escapist cinema that is more than worth the (3D) ticket price. A must see for this Summer/Fall season and I personally can not wait to see it again.

Senior Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) finally has it all going on: he's running with the popular crowd and dating the most coveted girl in his high school. In fact, he's so cool he's even dissing his best friend. But trouble arrives when Jerry (Colin Farrell) moves in next door. He seems like a great guy at first, but there's something not quite right-but everyone, including Charlie's mom (Toni Collette), doesn't notice. After observing some very strange activity, Charlie comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on the neighborhood. Unable to convince anyone, Charlie has to find a way to get rid of the monster himself in this Craig Gillespie-helmed revamp of the comedy-horror classic.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, the film stars Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Colin Farrell, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Sandra Vergara. Fright Night comes to theaters August 19th, 2011.