OK. This is going to be a bit of a stretch because of the lack of space, but I’m going to be covering two completely unconnected things. The first topic is the remake of “Friday the 13th”. The other topic will be “Last Watch,” the most recent edition to Sergei Lukyanenko’s internationally bestselling “World of Watches” series. For more in-depth reviews of these two releases, visit Independent on-line at www.neiuindependent.com.
“Friday the 13th”
To get right down to the point, I was taken completely by surprise with the remake of “Friday the 13th”. It looked like it was going to be pretty bad because it looked like it was trying to mix the first three movies, which were solid movies, into one film. It also looked like it would generally be a shot that hit the wrong target entirely, and would make Jason Vorhees look more farcical than he did in the most recent films he was featured in. Boy, was I wrong. Much like Rob Zombie’s remake of “Halloween,” this might have just revitalized its respective dying franchise in a darker, more brutal light.
This movie has Jason as a quicker force of nature than he was in the previous films. Before, Jason just trudged along like a downtrodden worker, who popped up where he needed to and killed all things in his way, and quite a few things that weren’t. Now he moves with speed, elegance and deadly precision. It’s like a ballet with machetes.
Lighting and camera work is spot on, so as to be familiar with, but not the same as, the original product(s). It heightens emotion and tension beautifully. The biggest complaint I have about the movie is the soundtrack, which is largely manufactured club music, and the drivel that rock music is passed off as. It’s just a poor attempt at backing up the story with music.
The bottom line is that the remake was a big surprise. It’s given a lot of credit to the original three films, and is a powerful addition to the series.
“Last Watch”
The “Night Watch” series is a good example of good, contemporary, dark fantasy. Even though it is good, and delivers its punches in almost lyrical ways, the series is an acquired taste which is, pretty much, indefensible. If you like it, you know there’s a reason why. You just can’t put a finger on what it is that catches and keeps your attention.
“Final Watch” is good, but it’s pretty rough. They may have had a new translation editor working on the book. Don’t get me wrong, the book is good, but the translation makes this edition of the continuing one of the least accessible. It would probably be easier reading in its original Russian.
The series took your standard dark fantasy, horror stories and then mixed them all together in a recklessly ambitious epic tale (that is currently up to four books). There are Light and Dark Others. They are your normal fantasy beings, like shapeshifters, mages, seers, vampires, ghouls, etc. After a war that nearly wiped out Others, they set up a truce and three organizations to keep Light and Dark in balance. These organizations are the Night Watch (Light), Day Watch (Dark) and The Inquisition (impartial judge, jury and executioners).
The entire series follows Anton Gordetsky as he rises in the ranks of the Others, while learning about his newly harnessed stronger powers. He’s also struggling to find that one, illusive thing that some people never get throughout life: love. Mind you, this is not a romance story. It is a dramatic story that a love story works with. Where the earlier books had to do with searches for magical artifacts (The Chalk of Fate for example) or rare magical beings (Mirrors), this book really stays consistent. “Final Watch” covers the search for an artifact made by Merlin. Yes, like the one from Arthurian legend, known as The Crown of All Things.
If you’re going to read this book, don’t buy it unless you’re a diehard fan of the series. If you aren’t a diehard fan, borrowing it from a library will suffice.
So February had some good horror and dark fantasy releases under its belt. Sure, one of them is an acquired taste, but still. If there’s any questions or you want something in particular covered let me know.
Jonathan Gronli will let you know what goes on during the watches of the night if you contact him at jon.gronli@gmail.com