At the Movies with Fatwayne

I thought that the title of this film was rather peculiar but I had no idea just how peculiar things would get while viewing this movie. The film was adapted from an Italian comic book and is of the horror/comedy genre. I will say two things in favor of this “B” movie and that is humor and the city of New Orleans saves it. There are certainly monsters galore to titillate fans of vampires, werewolves and zombies and so the movie is helped again in that area. To me the most glaring defect was the inclusion of Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) as Dylan  Dog. He is a fine physical specimen but his acting persona just can’t keep us interested. His style in this film is, at best, boring.

One the other hand, Sam Huntington who plays Dog’s friend, Marcus Adams, is a hoot. He starts out as a “breather” but is soon turned into a zombie but remains friends with Dog. One problem that he and those of his ilk suffer from is body parts that quickly wear out. Poor Marcus has to make repeated trips to the “body shop” for repairs. Marcus has some great lines and visual spoofs that keep the audience chuckling.

Ah, New Orleans! This city is just perfect for the brooding night scenes ranging from the spooky uptown mansions, moss draped oak trees and eerie side streets. For the locals, there is plenty to recognize including the Breaux Mart, shots of Canal Street and the St. Charles Avenue street cars. You could not possibly miss the Le Pavillon hotel on Poydras Street which becomes a vampire night spot called The Corpus House. I also enjoyed seeing the interior of the Saenger Theater in the climatic battle scene. What a beautiful venue that is (and will be again despite Hurricane Katrina).

The plot has its interesting bent involving ace detective Dylan Dog who is a human employed by the undead to keep order among their society. He must deal with the aforementioned vamps, wolves, zombies and something far worse called a guardian of Hell. Ultimately though, he must save his fellow humans from extinction despite being cursed with a charisma that hits you like a plate of cold pasta! Be that as it may, I had a good time with this flick.

Rated – PG13 -

Fatwayne’s Rating  -

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