Interesting and atmospheric little vampire film. The soundtrack was provided by Tangerine Dream and is absolutely fantastic. Some of the dialogue, especially in the beginning, seems a little cringeworthy and trite but overall the script is well done. It really shines in the way that it gives us a humanistic approach to the vampires. The whole thing has a low key, yet powerful and poetic vibe. At times the humor seems to simply detract from this atmosphere instead of providing anything akin to comic relief or real laughs and I think it would have been a stronger film without the comedic elements.
Overall this is quite an offbeat but good film and the soundtrack is amazing.
The comments for this film seem to be generally on the negative side, so I feel I should chip in to say I thought this was amazing. A fantastically moody, thoughtful-yet-exciting Vampire film, packed with great characters and a wonderful soundtrack.
The bar scene almost saves it, but the moment The Cramps stop playing, it goes back to being dumb, not in a fun way, and uninteresting
The love story sucks and I hated every character, except for Bill Paxton
One black actor appears, and dies seconds after
The placement of music aside from said bar scene feels pretty annoying
And the resolution should have been applied to that poor kid vampire, instead of killing him in such a horrible fashion
An early one by Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark has all the atmospherics we've come to expect from her later work, her days - inimical to the vampiric fiends of the film - hazy scorchers, her nights deep pools of black with bright pools of light. It's her transitions between scenes that feel a bit clunky at this point. The cast (a lot of it pulled from Aliens) is well supported by genre veterans like Lance Henriksen, Tim Thomerson and the never boring Bill Paxton, but some of the younger actors, the leads especially, mumble their way through their southern drawls. Bigelow plays around with the idea that vampiric freedom is a great asset to the female lead and that she would miss it if it were gone (note the final freeze frame), but as it's not really Mae's story, it doesn't quite connect. Near Dark is much too interested in vampire mayhem and (former) people bursting into flames for the message to clearly come across. Still, as a vampire initiation film, it's not half bad. It just dips in and out of its cooler elements.
What annoyed me throughout the movie was the heavy use of music. It seemed to me that all the scenes were virtually flooded with this moody, melancholic soundtrack which made it difficult for me to absorb myself in what was going on. Other than that there was plenty of stuff to enjoy. The movie starts out slow and nothing much is really happening, but two-three scenes did stand out in this movie as being very intense and a lot of fun. Uneven, but I recommend it mildly.
This overcompensating "Up with female directors!!!" thing is really going too far. The idea that this is the 730th greatest film of all time is just laughable. It's not even the 730th greatest horror film.
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nick121235
Interesting and atmospheric little vampire film. The soundtrack was provided by Tangerine Dream and is absolutely fantastic. Some of the dialogue, especially in the beginning, seems a little cringeworthy and trite but overall the script is well done. It really shines in the way that it gives us a humanistic approach to the vampires. The whole thing has a low key, yet powerful and poetic vibe. At times the humor seems to simply detract from this atmosphere instead of providing anything akin to comic relief or real laughs and I think it would have been a stronger film without the comedic elements.Overall this is quite an offbeat but good film and the soundtrack is amazing.
corchap
let that be a lesson to you boys-- when a girl asks to be taken home, take her home. she might bite you and you might not like itmortom
The comments for this film seem to be generally on the negative side, so I feel I should chip in to say I thought this was amazing. A fantastically moody, thoughtful-yet-exciting Vampire film, packed with great characters and a wonderful soundtrack.Esnaider
The bar scene almost saves it, but the moment The Cramps stop playing, it goes back to being dumb, not in a fun way, and uninterestingThe love story sucks and I hated every character, except for Bill Paxton
One black actor appears, and dies seconds after
The placement of music aside from said bar scene feels pretty annoying
And the resolution should have been applied to that poor kid vampire, instead of killing him in such a horrible fashion
vextrigger
Not so bad, not so goodSiskoid
An early one by Kathryn Bigelow, Near Dark has all the atmospherics we've come to expect from her later work, her days - inimical to the vampiric fiends of the film - hazy scorchers, her nights deep pools of black with bright pools of light. It's her transitions between scenes that feel a bit clunky at this point. The cast (a lot of it pulled from Aliens) is well supported by genre veterans like Lance Henriksen, Tim Thomerson and the never boring Bill Paxton, but some of the younger actors, the leads especially, mumble their way through their southern drawls. Bigelow plays around with the idea that vampiric freedom is a great asset to the female lead and that she would miss it if it were gone (note the final freeze frame), but as it's not really Mae's story, it doesn't quite connect. Near Dark is much too interested in vampire mayhem and (former) people bursting into flames for the message to clearly come across. Still, as a vampire initiation film, it's not half bad. It just dips in and out of its cooler elements.fonz
Probably the best work Bill Paxton has ever doneOneironaut
Good, despite not a lot happening. Always like seeing Lance, probably my favourite actor. Homer was really miscast though.Whilst I'm inclined to like it, it just didn't feel special enough.
DulceDoes
My favorite part was the bar scene. I want more vampires like this.Zeltaebar
What annoyed me throughout the movie was the heavy use of music. It seemed to me that all the scenes were virtually flooded with this moody, melancholic soundtrack which made it difficult for me to absorb myself in what was going on. Other than that there was plenty of stuff to enjoy. The movie starts out slow and nothing much is really happening, but two-three scenes did stand out in this movie as being very intense and a lot of fun. Uneven, but I recommend it mildly.hanseco
Well obviously it's not perfect, but damn it quite badass.allisoncm
Got the DVD with the commentary. I really don't get Bigelow's work. I just saw it, because it was available.Ebbywebby
This overcompensating "Up with female directors!!!" thing is really going too far. The idea that this is the 730th greatest film of all time is just laughable. It's not even the 730th greatest horror film.moviefan28
The acting in this film was the worst ive seen since Troll 2