SYNOPSIS:
From the best-selling books comes this unstoppable fantasy adventure. Visiting a travelling freak show, 16-year-old Darren is bitten by a vampire. Newly undead, he joins the Cirque Du Freak and descends into a fantastic life with a sideshow of fabulous freaks including Salma Hayek and Willem Dafoe. As war looms between the vampires and their evil counterparts. one boy's bravery will become humanity's last hope.
MOVIE REVIEW:
We do not claim to be well informed about the arts scene because you never know when we could be ridiculed after saying something wrong. For example, can you imagine the mockery and scorn we may get if we asked “Is the Cirque du Freak in this DVD’s title in any way related to Cirque du Soleil?” Any well read person would courteously tell you, they aren’t related at all, because “Cirque du Freak” is a term used in the title of a series of books, while “Cirque du Soleil”, as we all know, is a well travelled troupe which performances consist of a dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment.
And the movie we are talking about here is an adaptation of the series of books which chronicles the fantasy adventures of a teenager who creates war between two rival vampire clans, one which does not harm its victims, the other which kills whoever it lays its fangs on. It all begins when he and his best friend come across a flyer with an advertisement for a freak show. They go to the show and after a series of unfortunate events, the protagonist is turned into a vampire. His best friend gets bitten by a lethal spider and things turn for the worse. It doesn’t help when the situation involves a gang of freaks and some very bloodthirsty vampires.
First, we are very glad that this movie is nothing like the other vampire movie series known as Twilight. Sure, the male lead is not Robert Pattinson, but Chris Massoglia (The Hole) does hold his own stature in this 109 minute movie. He is supported by the boyish Josh Hutcherson, who has grown up to be quite a good looker since his Bridge of Terabithia (2007) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) days. The two of them play best friends in the movie, and some poignant themes of friendship are briefly explored, before they give way to a whole lot of plotlines which makes the movie somewhat unsure of what story it wants to tell.
It is notable that the freaks in this movie are quite a show, and that can also be said about the cast playing them. There is Ken Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima) who plays Mr. Tall, the ringmaster who has a very high forehead and a very strange accent. He is joined by the ever reliable John C. Reilly (Step Brothers) who plays a vampire who takes our hero for an unforgettable ride. It is natural that he gets the most screen time with his magnetic presence. There is also Salma Hayek as a strange woman who grows, prepare yourself for this – beard. A motley crew of other freaks like a wolfman who scratches his butt, a girl with very strong teeth and a man with two bellies are the highlight of a 10 odd minute sequence early in the movie.
Following that, we are brought on a somewhat predictable journey of good versus evil where entertainment, action, humour and some violence is part of the ride. Like we said, this is really a better movie than the Twilight series. We really mean it.
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
There are 11 minutes of 19 Deleted Scenes, a 20 minute Guide to Becoming a Vampire featurette which brings us behind the scenes of making the movie, how the script was developed and the actors were cast, a 18 minute Tour du Freak clip which innovatively shows us how the freaks were created, and some Universal animation Trailers like Despicable Me and Coraline.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There movie’s visual transfer is pristine, and you can watch it in Dolby Digital 5.1 English, Japanese or Thai.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING:
Review by John Li
Posted on 16 May 2010 |
