I honestly didn't know what to expect when I saw this. I purposefully avoid trailers these days as they often to tend to show the best parts of the movie which is a total killjoy. So while I wasn't blown away, I was a bit surprised. Mostly because this movie works very well on some levels and very poorly on others. Allow me to explain.
First of all, as an action movie, it definitely succeeds. Indeed, sometimes the only thing keeping the movie going are the fairly intense action sequences. Yes, the overuse of wire work to give even the regular humans amazing abilities seems trite, but it can be forgiven. As a horror movie...well...not so much. The concept for the vampires is certainly not your average altered human, but there's no real peril or tension as you'd find in a horror movie. The casting is...questionable. Primarily: why can't Karl Urban be in a substantial role that actually suits him in an American movie? My only real gripe is the sort of anachronistic steampunk western style the film uses. I cannot tell you how sick I am of these movies that portray the future - with all of it's technology and benefits - as the old west.
So if you just wanted a turn-your-brain-off action flick, this is actually a pretty good choice. If you wanted a...wait...was there anyone who expected something else from this movie?
First of all, as an action movie, it definitely succeeds. Indeed, sometimes the only thing keeping the movie going are the fairly intense action sequences. Yes, the overuse of wire work to give even the regular humans amazing abilities seems trite, but it can be forgiven. As a horror movie...well...not so much. The concept for the vampires is certainly not your average altered human, but there's no real peril or tension as you'd find in a horror movie. The casting is...questionable. Primarily: why can't Karl Urban be in a substantial role that actually suits him in an American movie? My only real gripe is the sort of anachronistic steampunk western style the film uses. I cannot tell you how sick I am of these movies that portray the future - with all of it's technology and benefits - as the old west.
So if you just wanted a turn-your-brain-off action flick, this is actually a pretty good choice. If you wanted a...wait...was there anyone who expected something else from this movie?