johnsemlak
First Post
Today I saw a film that is making waves here in Russia but is probably unknown still elsewhere: Night Watch, or Nochnoj Dozor. The movie is based on a novel by Russian fantasy-writer Sergey Lukjanenko. It is to be the first of a three part series, the last of which will be released in 2006.
The film starts in a very simple way. In medieval times, the forces of light are at war with the forces of darkness. The battle is at a stalemate. Then, the battle is halted, so that an armistice can be signed. The two sides agree to control day and night respectively, and to avoid a war which would ultimately kill everyone.
And so the war ends, but each side maintains a 'police' which operates in defence of their respective side. The police of the forces of light are called the Nochnoj Dozor, which can be translated as either 'Night Patrol' or 'Night Watch'.
Next we move to modern Moscow, where the Night Watch are sort of vampire hunters who patrol Moscow for servants of darkness.
Though the plot is pretty simple, the characters are far greyer than it seemsat first. I was often confused as to who was on the side of Light and Darkness. There appears to be very little 'good' attached to either side. And the ending highlights this point in particular.
Though the film is getting mixed reviews, it is getting a lot of attention in Russia, in part because it may be the first decent Russian film in the genre, and its production values are far better than most previous Russian films.
Fantasy, and in particular the darker sort, is becoming quite popular in Russia. Lord of the Rings was a major event here. But Russia is beginning to develop a distinct style. I think this film is far from perfect but may be a sign of things to come from Russia in the area of fantasy.
I don't know what plans there are to release this film outside of Russian-speaking countries, but I assume it will make some sort of entry. The film will unlikely be in anyone's top ten but if you're the sort of person that tries to catch every dark fantasy film and enjoys films like Underworld or Blade, I think you'll find it enjoyable.
The film starts in a very simple way. In medieval times, the forces of light are at war with the forces of darkness. The battle is at a stalemate. Then, the battle is halted, so that an armistice can be signed. The two sides agree to control day and night respectively, and to avoid a war which would ultimately kill everyone.
And so the war ends, but each side maintains a 'police' which operates in defence of their respective side. The police of the forces of light are called the Nochnoj Dozor, which can be translated as either 'Night Patrol' or 'Night Watch'.
Next we move to modern Moscow, where the Night Watch are sort of vampire hunters who patrol Moscow for servants of darkness.
Though the plot is pretty simple, the characters are far greyer than it seemsat first. I was often confused as to who was on the side of Light and Darkness. There appears to be very little 'good' attached to either side. And the ending highlights this point in particular.
Though the film is getting mixed reviews, it is getting a lot of attention in Russia, in part because it may be the first decent Russian film in the genre, and its production values are far better than most previous Russian films.
Fantasy, and in particular the darker sort, is becoming quite popular in Russia. Lord of the Rings was a major event here. But Russia is beginning to develop a distinct style. I think this film is far from perfect but may be a sign of things to come from Russia in the area of fantasy.
I don't know what plans there are to release this film outside of Russian-speaking countries, but I assume it will make some sort of entry. The film will unlikely be in anyone's top ten but if you're the sort of person that tries to catch every dark fantasy film and enjoys films like Underworld or Blade, I think you'll find it enjoyable.
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