Saturday, February 16, 2019

Day Watch: Throws Everything at You...Including

A chicken-shit ending, but not in a bad way since "Day Watch (Dnevnoy dozor)" was kind of made for the fan fiction universe(s) that spawned the "Tigers, Vampires and Bears" genre.

There is a chalk that allows whoever possesses it to write or rewrite their fate. The Night Watch could use this to help bring balance and reinforce the truce, but it only seems to be the priority of our alcoholic antagonist Anton and his sexy trainee Svetlana. To their dismay, they cannot dedicate much time to this cause because someone is framing Anton for murder.

For the sanctity of the truce with the Day Watch, the Night Watch must gain the chalk and clear Anton's name before the armies of darkness find the excuse to bring on the war they have been longing for.

It is truly rare to see a sequel that leaves no questions from the first film unanswered. Then again, this film was meant for one unlike our decade of trilogy pics that usually make new questions up just to have a part three. Unlike George Lucas's saga, this film comes from a universe that allows for anything to happen without seeming tacky, so the viewers can be in utter awe of this picture, and not have to worry about a whiny symbol of 30 years of evil.

There are a lot of devices that sound tacky in written form. No matter its original intentions, the idea of a yo-yo as a weapon of mass destruction shouldn't float, and chalk can never be hip (thank you American education system). This story dispels these standards, and even sets the bar for ridiculous stunts at the level "Ultra Violet" tried to obtain.

I will give Milla Jovovich's pet project (I still haven't listened to the commentary track, so I have no sense of a contradiction) some credit. When it came to genuine combat, Timur Bekmambetov lags behind Kurt Wimmer. Hopefully, this wasn't the case with Bekmambetov's American effort "Wanted". I also wonder what the heights Wimmer will set for action with "Metal Gear Solid."

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409904/
IMDb.com
This is where I apologize to Bekmambetov for comparing him to Wimmer. As I said, he sets the standard for how to break the laws of physics. Usually unnecessary, but it is a nice addition to this series of the films.

As long as they aren't punching and kicking, all of the action maintains a high level of intensity through out. This time around, all of the characters are explained thus making everything about the action and the films worthwhile.

This time, the acting is a little off. Yegor (Dmitri Matynov) and Zavulon (Viktor Verzhbitskiy) are not as likable. The characters have different motives, and the actors seem to take this as excuse to take their performances in different directions even if they aren't the auteur's intended one.

Also, the addition of Svetlana (Mariya Poroshima) seems wasted because she should outshine the other women in the cast. A tough task with great female characters getting further development, but that should have been her goal.

If there is one more thing I thought I could complain about, it is the ending. I was hoping for something more creative, but as a Cohen Brother's fan, I cannot bitch about it. Knowing many who are not fans of Ethan and Joel, they maybe hoping for an American remake. It would be great to see more of these characters, but it is not a bad thing for this book to be closed.

Most sequels cannot answer all of the questions the first film left, but Day Watch is an ideal sequel to the best necro-underworld series on the market. Timur Bekmambetov may have created the best sequel that does not contain the words Strike Back.

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