The Perfect Drive-In Movie

It's been a long time since I've made it a point to see a movie on opening day, but "30 Days of Night" was worth the effort. As regular ZONErs know, I've been anxious to see "30 Days of Night" for quite a while. I'm happy to report that it didn't disappoint.

Now don't get me wrong. "30 Days of Night" isn't a classic. It's what I'd call a perfect drive-in movie. You know, the type of movie that Tarantino and Rodriguez were shooting for with "Grindhouse." It's a fun ride, provides some cool scares and presents the genre with a slightly different twist.

The Good: I loved the set-up. Creepy things happening and no one knows why. The isolation of the city. The stranger who just creeps out everyone... then makes ominous threats as things get worse. Ebin's reaction to get everyone inside and safe even though he doesn't know what's going on. The way the vampires were fast and vicious. "Get in the truck. Just get in the truck, now!" The attack of Ebin and his wife as they were driving. How they were saved. How the fat guy who Sly beats up in the opening of "Get Carter" has matured into a tough as nails wilderness man. The main vampire.

The Bad: No real feeling of 30 days passing. More could have been done with this angle. We should have felt the isolation getting worse... the lack of food, water, etc. as it began to wear down the survivors. Not enough growing sense of the vampires are going to find us... it would have been cool to have the vampires going from house to house and sometimes finding other survivors as they get closer to the current hiding spot of our heroes. A little more set-up could have paid off better by showing that Ebin is truly a scrapper. The manner in which the main vampire is killed.

The Ugly: The chops on the vampires... and the stranger.

"30 Days of Night" will definitely find a home in my movie collection. If you liked the graphic novel or horror movies, you should enjoy the ride. And if you want to know a more about the Steve Niles, the creator of the project, then click HERE.

As for me, I want to know what you thought of the movie!