I was really hoping that Dylan Dog: Dead of Night wouldn’t turn out to be a low budget, somewhat cheesy monster movie but sadly, that’s kind of what it is.

Let me be clear, I still enjoyed the movie and will probably see it again but I had hoped it would play more like the original Underworld film, which, despite budgetary constraints still managed to be an incredible ride. The main difference between the two I feel lies in the hands of their directors. Underworld director Len Wiseman knew exactly how to create a complete and unique world with limited resources while unfortunately Kevin Munroe only managed to pull together a clichéd half environment for Dylan Dog. Kevin has considerably less experience at the helm and it shows.

For those not familiar, the movie is based on a graphic novel of the same name where Dylan Dog, a private investigator to the undead, is chosen as the agreed upon arbiter between vampires, werewolves, zombies and pretty much any other super natural type of creature that exists on Earth. In this world the undead walk among us but are able to disguise their true nature and appear to be normal. When a dispute erupts among them, or a line is crossed, Dylan is the man who has to set things right.

This movie does not fail in its casting, its writing or even in its special effects which were half way decent, and while I rarely lay blame so squarely on one person, in this case I feel that had this been better directed, it could have been a much better movie.

I’ve been waiting for Brandon Routh to show the world that his one time in the spotlight as the man of steel was not a fluke. While most people panned Superman Returns as not being action-packed enough, I heralded it as a true character piece beautifully conceived and shot with a lot of heart and a real message. I also thought that Routh was actually channeling the late great Christopher Reeve in his portrayal of both Clark Kent and Superman. I thought he was amazing and couldn’t wait for the sequel! Sadly, as we know there will be no more time in tights for Mr. Routh but with his amazingly chiseled good looks, killer smile and true acting talent I knew we’d see him again. I just wish his first starring role post Superman had been something other than this.

His performance here is solid and he proves that he can hold a movie together with his fantastic screen presence but because of the setting it all ends up seeming very derivative. The film makes an attempt at creating a very noir feel to it but that feeling never fully engrosses the audience. We see that it should feel that way because of the lighting and the locations

and the background music, but it never actually ‘feels’ like it should. A true feeling of crime noir is not easy to achieve so I can understand how one could miss the mark.

Sam Huntington also a Superman Returns alum does a fantastic job with the little that he is given here as Dylan’s assistant Marcus. His wit and sarcasm are often bigger than the piece itself but it works. At one point as a recently made zombie Huntington exclaims, “More bars in more places my undead ass!” when he can’t get a cell phone signal. Moments like this really bring the movie to life (pardon the pun) and are the few moments of something somewhat unique.

Another plus for the film is the look they created for the vampires; which harkens back to (in my opinion) the greatest vampire movie made in modern times, The Lost Boys. They had that dark but sexy look wearing mostly leather and looking Goth without trying too hard… and when the fangs came out they were actually scary to look at.

Taye Diggs brings his personality to every role he does and like Sam, manages to infuse more life into his character than one might expect resulting in a fun and slightly menacing main villain.

This movie definitely fails in its execution of the story but NOT in the story itself. And for anyone looking for a fun monster movie based on a comic book with a charming, easy on the eyes cast this is not a bad choice. Did I have complaints and questions at the end; Of course I did. But come on, this isn’t Gone with the Wind, nor is it trying to be.

Synopsis:

DYLAN DOG: DEAD OF NIGHT is a new horror/comedy film based on one of the world’s most popular comics (60 million copies worldwide). Brandon Routh stars as Dylan Dog, world famous private investigator specializing in affairs of the undead. His PI business card reads “No Pulse? No Problem.” Armed with an edgy wit and carrying an arsenal of silver and wood-tipped bullets, Dylan must track down a dangerous artifact before a war ensues between his werewolf, vampire and zombie clients living undercover in the monster infested backstreets of New Orleans.