Here is another surprise from this week. I love coming to con with no expectations from certain films and being turned into a believer. Last year Megamind was one of the films changed my mind during its hour long comic-con panel. ”Fright Night” had a little bit of that wonder at today’s panel. I don’t think I’ll spend money on it in the theaters but it sure as heck looked like a fun ride. Most of the cast was on hand to discuss and screen footage from the film.
The first thing to note is that the film was filmed in 3D. For me, that’s enough to get my seal of approval. For the most part, I’ve stayed away from seeing movies in 3D that weren’t natively shot in 3D. This film looks really great, albeit very dark, which bodes well for non-action directors who want to foray into the medium without having to blow shit up. Sure there is some action in the film but the film is much more a tense thriller then balls to the wall action, which is what we’ve come to expect from 3D movies.
For me, the highlight of the panel was one of the pieces of footage we were able to see. The sequence involves a mild car chase were Colin Farrell is chasing a car with Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots and Toni Collette. Farrell has just been outed as a vampire and is determined to kill our main character. The entire scene is a single take that lass what felt like 5 minutes. It felt a lot like that car scene from Spielbergs “War of the Worlds” in which the camera knows no bounds. The camera smoothly works its way outside, inside and through the car with a very slick ease. The director said it took them about 3 months to get that shot right based purely on choreography and the fact that the camera weights 90lbs. I really feel like the 3D is on full beautiful display here. I would really like to see more directors work with 3D this way. Quick cuts and fast camera motion really mess up 3D. The only downside I could see from seeing it in 3D is my common problem with all 3D films, it’s too damn dark. Other then that, this flick seems like a fun time at the movies
There is a really nice blend of action, horror and comedy that I think a lot of people will really enjoy.
