Vampires are hot these days. Family friendly fantasy is hot these days too. So Darren Shan's THE SAGA OF DARREN SHAN series seems like a good choice to make the jump to the big screen. In the hands of director/co-writer Paul Weitz and L.A. CONFIDENTIAL writer Brian Helgeland it becomes a captivating world of fantasy creatures and bizarre freaks.
Darren Shan (Chris Massoglia) and Steve Leonard (Josh Hutcherson, BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA) are best friends, but Darren's parents don't like their son's bad influence. One night, the two sneak out to see a freak show where they meet Mr. Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly, CHICAGO), a centuries old vampire with a colorful, but deadly, pet spider, Madam Octa. This intrigues Darren, an arachnid-phile, and Steve, a troubled young man yearning to be a vampire. Darren steals Mr. Crepsley's spider, which bites Steve. So to save his friend, Darren agrees to become Crepsley's vampire assistant in exchange for the antidote.
Now the straight-laced Darren must enter the world of the freaks. He becomes the roommate of Evra Von the snake boy (Patrick Fugit, ALMOST FAMOUS), who dreams of rock 'n roll stardom. Darren quickly befriends Rebecca (Jessica Carlson) because she looks normal, but she has her secrets. Mr. Tall (Ken Watanabe, THE LAST SAMURAI) is the calm leader of the Cirque du Freak who doesn't want Crepsley to bring trouble into their world.
And boy does Darren have trouble attached to him. Crepsley's girlfriend, the psychic bearded lady, Madame Truska (Selma Hayek, FRIDA), sees foreboding images of the young man, but that just draws Crepsley closer. Darren also gains the attention of Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris, TV's FRINGE), an almost god-like figure who likes to play with the destiny of characters to suit his whims and enjoyment. Mr. Tiny claims to be a neutral party in the 100-year truce between Crepsley's vampires who do not kill the people they feed off of, and the vampaneze, led by Murlough (Ray Stevenson, PUNISHER: WAR ZONE), who are blood hound murderers.
There is a strange mystery bubbling under the surface of the story that drives everything. What are the motives of Crepsley, Mr. Tiny and the vampaneze, really? What role do the friends Darren and Steve play in this world? How will this transform their friendship? With each plot point, the story keeps us wanting more. And the more questions that are answered, the more questions are formed. I mean, what's up with those Little People, who like to bite the hands that feed them? The answer is just another unique touch to the world and full of fascinating possibilities.
Reilly is sensational as Mr. Crepsley, making him a witty and cunning creature of the night. His character sets the gallows sense of humor that drips over the whole story. Willem Dafoe (SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE) also makes a cameo as the vampire Gavner Purl that is humorous and unforgettable. Love his make-up work.
Now, the conclusion is a mess. From a quick look at Wikipedia, the plot for this film is a hodgepodge of elements from several of the books. Rebecca isn't even in the books it seems. The filmmakers spend too much time setting up potential sequels and not finding a satisfying conclusion to this story.
While the story fizzles out a bit toward the end, the film still has enough embers glowing to keep the viewer wanting more. I hope for director Paul Weitz's sake that his potential family franchise doesn't suffer the same fate as his brother Chris had with THE GOLDEN COMPASS or Brad Silberling's LEMONY SNICKET'S. CIRQUE DU FREAK presents a funny and unique twist on the fantasy genre. In the case of THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT, when your lead characters are vampires and they're not the strangest characters in the film, you've set up an interesting world for a fantasy adventure. I'll certainly buy a ticket to the second act.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
