Big thanks to regular ScreenAnarchy reader Jarrett for sending this in ...
"Why the wind is coming?"
Like a lot of you, I found myself looking at the Fox Searchlight Logo, expecting a story about a girl learning the ways of the world, a sweeping drama by Jane Austin, or any other sort of Indy Fluff Piece the FSL puts out on a regular basis. Instead what we got was a gripping, visually stunning trailer to a film that was described as an "Epic Horror Trilogy." Needless to say I was sold.
Of course I'm talking about Night Watch. Director Timur Bekmambetov's magnum opus, caught the world by surprise, annihilating all previous box office records in Russia. An epic blend of fantasy, horror, and science
fiction, the film weaved a world of heroes of good and evil, populated by shape-shifters, vampires, witches, and warlocks. Leaving any major spoilers out, we followed the lead Anton, as he faced the end of the world as we know it.
So far, the reviews for Night Watch have been somewhat mixed, but I for one was entranced by the film. The solid direction, the interesting characters, and the amazingly fresh mythos that was established, all enveloped me. I honestly enjoyed each and every frame. I felt like I was discovering Star Wars or Lord of the Rings for the first time. I loved it just that much.
Now you can understand my frustration at the cliffhanger ending. The tension all built up to a somewhat less than solid conclusion, leaving me wanting more.
Much to my surprise I got the chance for just that. You see I was given the opportunity to see the next film in the trilogy, Day Watch.
**To properly discuss this film, we may have to delve into spoilers, just warning you ahead of time**
Day Watch begins much like Night Watch. An ancient land and an ancient battle. This time we're told the tale of a noble warrior who must run an impossible maze of death for....wait for it.....a piece of chalk. Not just any chalk though, no this little white stick can alter time.
We then flash forward to modern day Moscow, one year after the events of Night Watch. The Light Others are in deep, as the prophecy of their destruction has played out before them. Anton, the film's lead, must face the consequences of his actions from the first film, and erase those mistakes by finding the elusive Chalk of Fate.
But the Dark Others have other plans. Including a frame-job that could eradicate the fragile peace that has held so long.
Needless to say, there's a lot more to that, but getting too descriptive might ruin all the twists and turns the movie has in store for us.
While the first film seemed large in scale, Day Watch is utterly epic. It encompasses all unanswered questions, then changes the way we seemed to perceive the original answers we had in the first place. It manages to take
advantage of every facet of the Night Watch world and magnify it ten fold.
One of the main differences from Night Watch is the tone of the film. This feels far more like an epic fantasy story told in current times. While Night Watch had a darker tone, Day Watch actually uses comedy to liven the situations that seemed so dire before hand. This, in part, is a very funny movie. The use of a certain trick****SPOILER: Anton must switch bodies with Olga**** allows moments of levity that the earlier film did not.
Day Watch is also very much a bright film. It uses brighter tones and colors, even in some of the more dark moments. One great example is a weapon that originally was a Russian version of a Yo-Yo. It's almost like a
Christmas Ornament, but is used in a very deadly manner.
I think that people will be able to understand Day Watch better than Night Watch. While the film is more epic, the main story thread is very easy to understand. At no point do you feel lost in what the character motives are.
One of the main problems with Night Watch, was a sense of confusion to what Anton's mission really was. That never occures in Day Watch. You know what he needs to do, even if you can't even fathom how he will accomplish it.
Needless to say I loved this film just as much as Night Watch. I found it utterly incredible. It was entertaining (watch for the red car), exciting, and spell-binding. I became entranced in the mythology of this world, and can't wait to enjoy it time and time again.
Review by Jarrett Dobson.