30 Days of Night

Very entertaining horror flick. Sort of Aliens meets The Thing.

I like how fresh this movie is. The "hero" has both physical and emotional weaknesses (he has asthma, and he is visibly frightened throughout the movie). The vampires are so atypical that I hesitate to call them such; they're more like psychopathic demons. They have a merciless, shark-like quality to them that makes them truly horrifying. The camerawork is effective in augmenting the mood, alternating between graceful pans of the snowy landscape and shaky hand-held to heighten the tension. The creepy, almost ambient music really adds to the mood, as well.

That being said, 30 Days of Night is not without its flaws. While it's cool that the "vampires" speak their own language, seeing them verbally communicate with each other detracts from their creepiness. There's also some forced emotional conflict that doesn't fit in with the main conflict. The climax, however, is the ridiculous-flavored icing on the cake; I won't spoil it, but you'll see what I mean if/when you see it. (On a more minor note, the movie is about twenty minutes too long.)

All in all, I would say 30 Days of Night is above average. It's a new take on an old idea that delivers what it promises to. Though its weaknesses make it less than what it could have been, its strengths make it well worth a watch or two.