Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: February 17, 2006
6.4
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 78 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
47
Mixed:
16
Negative:
15
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6
BroyaxSep 2, 2020
ça fait penser aux Underworld mais sur un traitement plus original encore et le film sait distiller (entre les bouteilles de vodka vidées par les scénaristes) une ambiance unique, prenante, fascinante sur le thème vieux comme le monde du biença fait penser aux Underworld mais sur un traitement plus original encore et le film sait distiller (entre les bouteilles de vodka vidées par les scénaristes) une ambiance unique, prenante, fascinante sur le thème vieux comme le monde du bien et du mal...

Les forces des deux camps ont conclu une trève et se surveillent donc mutuellement parmi les humains : les "night watch" servent la lumière et surveillent les autres crevards d'en face mais d'un côté comme de l'autre, tout n'est pas aussi noir ou blanc mais plutôt en nuances de gris... car "un autre" pourrait faire basculer l'équilibre fragile ! Le scénario reste en tout cas assez tortueux, pour ne pas dire un brin décousu (cf les bouteilles) mais retombe éventuellement sur ses pieds juste à la fin. Les effets spéciaux sont de bonne facture mais la réalisation est trop souvent désordonnée, un problème récurrent et connu chez le réalisateur qui abuse d'un montage très cut tout en secouant la caméra comme un malade de Parkinson.

Voilà qui rend le visionnage désagréable et met à mal un film pourtant indéniablement intéressant par son ambiance et son originalité ; c'est donc un film gâché... mais pas entièrement, Dieu ou Diable merci.
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5
AmurabiM.Aug 5, 2006
This is the firs part of a trilogy and the movie just works as a presentation of a lot of characters and a definition of style. This is just the first effort to take some people to the cinemas to watch an ambitious mix of science fiction, This is the firs part of a trilogy and the movie just works as a presentation of a lot of characters and a definition of style. This is just the first effort to take some people to the cinemas to watch an ambitious mix of science fiction, horror and indie filmmaking, so the audience must get this film as that. "Night Watch" must not be taken seriously as a film, but as a part, a fragment of a whole. Because the film has the looks of a simple sequence and its reaches don´t jump more high. Expand
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5
ERG1008Sep 13, 2010
Russian film where the the Forces of Light battle the Forces of Dark in a nutshell. Vampires, decent effects & general all round mayhem.
Borrowing from Star Wars, LOTR & the Matrix to name a few, it is very slick & well directed.
I can see
Russian film where the the Forces of Light battle the Forces of Dark in a nutshell. Vampires, decent effects & general all round mayhem.
Borrowing from Star Wars, LOTR & the Matrix to name a few, it is very slick & well directed.
I can see why it is considered a "cult" classic but really not my thing at all.
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4
HalfwelshmanJul 4, 2012
Night Watch has a strong central performance from Konstantin Khabensky playing Anton, a troubled soul tasked with protecting the world from the forces of evil. The film has a strong central theme, not only of good vs. evil, but of the complexNight Watch has a strong central performance from Konstantin Khabensky playing Anton, a troubled soul tasked with protecting the world from the forces of evil. The film has a strong central theme, not only of good vs. evil, but of the complex relationship between these moral extremes. The story also incorporates some interesting ideas in terms of representations of the supernatural on film. Vampires in Night Watch, for instance, have the ability to appear invisible and are only forced to reveal themselves in the reflection of a mirrored surface, and the practice of black magic is shown through the miraculous appearance of swarms of mosquitoes and swirling clouds of ravens. The film is notable for being one of the first true Russian blockbusters, and its relatively glossy appearance shows this. There are some impressive effects, particularly those incorporating sorcerers shape-shifting from human to animal form, though extended CGI-reliant sequences tend to look a bit jarring and unrealistic due to the film's limited resources. The narrative of Night Watch is incredibly unevenly paced, the story is convoluted to say the least, and it becomes utterly incomprehensible at an alarming rate. The film for the most part feels incredibly disjointed, with many scenes seemingly having no relation to anything we've seen previously. You do have to acknowledge that at least writer/director Timur Bekmambetov has some definite talent in terms of artistic vision, and he appears to be trying to produce a supernatural/vampire thriller that is just a little bit different from the norm, though the end result doesn't quite work. Expand
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6
AquamantorJun 21, 2011
One of the major problems with sci-fi/fantasy as genre in movies is that most good made up worlds have complex rules behind them, and over the course of an entire movie length, it's difficult to explain all these rules. This is why the genreOne of the major problems with sci-fi/fantasy as genre in movies is that most good made up worlds have complex rules behind them, and over the course of an entire movie length, it's difficult to explain all these rules. This is why the genre has caught on so well in novels, graphic novels, video games, but never film.

In this sense, **** is ambitious. It's universe is EXTREMELY complex, and takes things from all kinds of different mythologies. Unfortunately, because the movie wants to explain everything while at the same time not getting bogged down with too much exposition, it feels like you have to pause every once in a while and seriously think about what is happening to understand it. If you leave it entirely to the movie itself to explain the plot, you'll end up confused. You'll need to remember every word that is said, and even then you'll have to think about what it all adds up to to grasp it. If you do, you'll be rewarded with a very interesting and well thought out setting and plot.

The unfortunate part is that it all becomes convoluted. And at some points, it breaks some of its own rules. For these parts, even I'm at a loss. But there is a good deal of entertainment to be found here.

The entire direction of the movie is stylistic. While there isn't really that much action, everything is shot in an action-packed way, and there's a strange sort of surreality to the world the film presents. A lot of the time, it's cool. But sometimes, the stylistic nature of the movie is so over-the-top that it becomes silly, like when Dark Others, upon using a lot of power, will suddenly start screaming while twitching like they're having a seizure. Maybe it was supposed to be weird or disturbing. It ended up laughable.

Another gripe is the ending. I know this is the first movie in a trilogy, but the ending feels so awkward, rushed, and haphazardly crafted that it feels like it needed a subplot or two removed (one of the many) to get the movie a little bit more time to explain it.

Overall, however, **** is fairly entertaining. If you're a horror or urban fantasy fan, this movie may be up your alley, and for better or worse, you'll never see anything like it.
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