30 Days of Night

Director: David Slade
Country: New Zealand/USA

Barrow, Alaska is the northernmost settlement in North America, and experiences 30 days of night during the winter. This time, vampires have decided to use this period without sunlight to feast on the living. Sheriff Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) and estranged wife Stella (Melissa George) are two of very few who survive the initial onslaught of violence, and must try to survive the month until the sun comes up once more.

30 Days of Night was originally a comic miniseries, and was adapted for the screen in part by co-creator Steve Niles. However, this did not help the script, which suffered from disjointedness and two dimensional character development. The direction and general look of the film was good, but the acting was average. Melissa George is not even close to being a convincing American as her Australian accent comes through whenever she speaks a line (which I find is a common problem with many non-American actors).

Overall, I thought this was a decent flick. It was fun to watch, but there are too many gaps in the story, and you weren't really made to be sympathetic to the protagonists. The film is incredibly violent and gory, which horror fans might love - it's certainly not for people with a weak stomach.