Review of Day Watch

I recall being let down and confused by NIGHT WATCH (2004); while no less muddled, this sequel is possibly more entertaining – but, at nearly 2½ hours, it's hellishly overlong! When I watched it, I couldn't say I recalled much of the previous film's events – though some faces looked familiar enough: anyway, here once again the stage is set for the eternal struggle between Good and Evil. The catch is that the hope of the latter, a young boy, is the son of the other side's most prominent member – while they have their own 'ace' in a female student of his (with whom he naturally falls in love). The Dark Side, then, has a tenacious and stunning-looking femme fatale (decked-out with devilish hairdo); however, she's brought down by her own (unconvincing) relationship with a teenage vampire!

An amusing subplot has the hero exchange bodies with a female colleague to escape detection; similarly, blood is seen to be drained – by the villains – just as one would a typical carton of fruit juice(!) and, besides, the much-feared titular overseers emerge to be no more than ageing twin brothers. As with the first film, the production values (including plentiful and intricate special effects) are impressive for a non-Hollywood release – the prologue, denoting the history of the all-important Chalk Of Fate, is quite splendid – though the director's technical 'prowess' soon grows tiresome! Though the ending smacks of the Apocalypse, there's supposed to be a third entry yet in the series – currently being filmed under the title of TWILIGHT WATCH