I avoided this movie for a long time as the previews just made it look all-around cheesy. It was better than I thought it would be, though not fantastic.
I certainly would not call this "the best vampire movie ever" as many others have.
It's a pretty stereotypical horror movie really. It even follows your usual formula for who lives and dies. The character who wants to run off and leave someone else behind to die is the one who dies himself and then you have your run-of-the-mill hero who sacrifices himself along with your troubled, but reliable-when-it-matters leading man and tough, gun-wielding blonde leading lady. Just the same as almost every other movie of this type.

The flaws in this film are: Wouldn't people eventually ask questions when every year an entire Alaskan town is wiped out in winter by a blood-sucking "fire"? I am assuming that the vampires have to eat at least once every year, so this would keep happening over and over. And where do the vampires buy all their business suits and silver moonboots? And why are they speaking the Mayan language from Apocalypto? And (the most important question) Why, oh why! Don't they actually drink any of the blood? They rip people's throats open and get as much of the blood as possible on the top of their own heads and they spill as much as they can all over the ground, but not one drop seems to ever get inside their fish-like, gaping maws.

My final note: The high-pitched screaming noise they make at every turn = very annoying.

Overall the movie is a solid C, possibly even a C-. It's watchable, sure, but it's certainly not the best movie you're going to see this Halloween.

One of the best vampire movies made (along with "Let the Right One In"). This is exactly how I would imagine vampires. Why would vampires mess around? They wouldn't. They would tear you apart and eat you. But at the same time, they can control their actions and plan things out.

This is also a cool portrayal of how a small group of vampires would survive...and get away with it...most of the time....

Very truthfully, this movie had potential, but ended up sucking very hard.
I for one will point out if something doesn't make sense or if supposedly intelligent characters are repeatedly responding to impending doom and ungodly terror all DUI. I care about the set-up, whats at stake, the characters themselves (I always was facinated with the bad guys), and yes, the story. This is a mess and it's a shame. The premise rocks. It's so painfully obvious, how was this not already done years ago? You couldn't ask for a better setting. Dark, cold and isolated, as a previous reviewer pointed out. And I must say that some of the vamps looked eerie as hell. I couldn't rip my eyes away. Gorgeously evil, I mean really beautifully scary. A kind of deformed look with the eyes a bit too close together. Some of them looked normal like the boss vamp himself. Not so scary. But other than that it bit the dust. Just stupid as hell. Dumb moves by the heroes, vampires trying to be philisophical or just walking around hissing at each other (really annoying, the worst part of the whole deal). I wasted my money, watch it on t.v. Not kidding. Hit Amazon up for the graphic novels, much better. This adaption was a wasted effort. Sam Raimi strikes again.

You'd think that at least one vampire would wise up and take advantage of the fact that Alaska spends many a day in the dark. As far as I am aware, no such fate has befallen the great northern state. Based on the comic miniseries of the same name, "30 Days of Night" gives us a good look at what might happen if a vampire and a few of his undead friends would sink their fangs into the Land of the Midnight Sun.

The film opens with the small town of Barrow, Alaska preparing for its month-long dive into darkness (hence the thirty days of night). Most of the town's citizens are heading for sunnier locations, but a select few stay behind and stick it out. In this small group is the local sheriff, Eben (Josh Hartnett). While everyone is getting ready to leave, he's busy investigating a number of strange criminal acts (burning of cellular phones, slaughtering sled dogs, etc.). As he digs deeper into his investigation, he arrests a stranger (Ben Foster) who begins to wax prophetic about someone or something coming and that no one will survive.


Also staying behind (due to missing her flight) is Eben's estranged wife Stella (Melissa George). She assists Eben in arresting the stranger and goes with the pair to the sheriff's station where Eben's grandmother and brother are.

As soon as the sun goes down, chaos reigns supreme. Eben goes to check on the local telephone office and discovers a brutal murder/decapitation. Scared, he heads back to town and warns those that stayed behind to hide in their homes. As it gets darker, more and more people begin to die. Soon the streets are filled with blood and snow as a gang of vampires feast on the townsfolk.

A few survivors of the initial attack (including Eben and Stella) hole up in an attic and make plans to survive for the next month. The rest of the film shows the small group attempting to stay alive by using their knowledge of the town and the brutal snowfall to their advantage. Along the way, a few other survivors are picked apart by the vampire group which is headed up by Marlowe (Danny Huston).

As supplies become scarce and time begins to wear on them, the survivors take more and more chances in order to stay alive. This leads up to an eventual standoff with the vampires. Who lives? Who dies? Who finally gets to see the rising sun? Watch "30 Days of Night" and you'll find out.

The film's premise is great. It takes a legendary creature and puts in the one place that gives it seemingly every advantage over its victims. Isolated, cold, and in complete darkness, the average human would find it hard to survive with limited resources in such environs. Throw in a gaggle of bloodsucking immortals and you've really got problems.

The film's special effects are very good as well. They are bloody, gory, and very realistic. The makeup department also did a very good job.

Josh Hartnett's portrayal of Eben was very believable. Unlike the untouchable heroes in many films, he reacts to the initial vampire attacks with fear and confusion. I actually felt for his character as he tried to make sense of his situation. Melissa George is fairly convincing in her role as well. Mark Boone Junior nearly steals the show as Beau Brower, an unlikely hero in the film.

Unfortunately, Steve Niles and Stuart Beattie's story drags along at times and lacks a really convincing enemy. Despite being the leader of the vampire gang and seemingly full of wisdom, Marlowe just isn't that scary. There's never a moment in this film where I looked at Danny Huston's character and thought, "There's no way they can stop this guy." Whether it was Huston's performance or the direction of Huston by David Slade, I felt that the weak villain was the film's greatest downfall.

Despite this, I still recommend "30 Days of Night." While it isn't the best vampire film out there, it is much more loyal to its wicked origins than many of today's modern vampires. In a time where most bloodsuckers are busy courting teen girls or hanging out at Fangtasia, it's nice to see some truly evil vampires make their way out of the darkness.

In "30 Days of Night" a horror film co-produced by Sam Raimi, people living in the remote town of Barrow, Alaska are attacked by a group of blood-thirty vampires. The time is winter, when the sun doesn't rise for thirty days, and any communication with the world outside is virtually impossible (the nearest town is 80 miles away).

Except for the unique premise, however, "30 Days of Night" is mostly a reworking of old vampire/zombie films. There is more violence, and gores too, and it is much to the credit that the film's photography (by Jo Willems) captures the gloomy atmosphere of the isolated town where the sun doesn't shine. But when it comes to the storytelling skills, the film (directed by David Slade, "Hard Candy") is at best average. Things are predictable. Characters act exactly the way you think they will. What you have seen in other films you will see again.

This is not to say that everything in "30 Days of Night" is cliché. The "vampire" leader (Danny Huston in special make-up), who looks like Max Schreck in black coat, actually speaks, well, not in English, though, unlike Lance Henriksen in "Near Dark." Josh Hartnett's hero acts like a real hero in the climax in an unusual way. The film tries to spice things up by offering some nice twists, which, however, are not developed enough. With generic actions and scares that lack imagination, "30 Days of Night" gives off a big "been here, done that" type of feeling instead.

Probably the least interesting group of vampires ever committed to celluloid.

Great concept- but too many plot holes and not nearly as good as it should have been.  The vamps do a lot of standing around. . .hello, vampires quick because they're undead? (don't need oxygen?) Anyone? Vampires go fast for food/blood? Anyone?

The vamps stare like ghetto-licious analog TV owners at Best Buy gawking at the hi-def flat screens in the electronics section. . .

I don't believe vampires really exist (although I'd like to think that if one dark night, I ran into someone with glowing red eyes and fangs, I wouldn't stupidly say "that can't be" until I got my throat ripped out). But if they did exist, I have a feeling that they'd be a lot more like the horrific, bestial creatures in "Thirty Days of Night" and "Salem's Lot" than the prettified vampires that Hollywood most often produces for us.

Thirty Days of Night really is an excellent horror movie. The monsters are truly frightening (but not conjurations of special effects). The setting, a small Alaskan town plunged into a natural darkness that is made unnatural by the presence of the vampires, and the frenetic pace of the action scenes really do work together. The actors who play the heroic sheriff and the lead vampire give outstanding performances, making the most of relatively thin characters. My favorite single scene is when a soon to be killed survivor pleads for God's help when she is about to be attacked by the vampires only to be told by their leader that divine intervention is not forthcoming.

I only have two criticisms. First, this movie probably would have done better as a mini-series given the fact that it transpires over thirty days. Second, it is hard to believe that an Alaskan town, even one as remote as Barrow could fall completely off the grid the way it does in the movie without anyone taking notice in the outside world and coming in to help (perhaps parachuting chaplains from the 82nd Airborne Division in to help).

But those are minor criticisms. See it on Halloween, but don't answer the door if the lights go out.

ps. This is ABSOLUTELY not a movie that a child or a teenager who is easily troubled should see because it is extremely bloody.

I am not a Vampire fan. I am more of a Zombie fan. This is like watching a really good Zombie film. The idea of the film is great, with darkness falling for days. A premiss for a great Vampire movie. To me it worked great. The Vampire Zombie Peeps are really creepy, and just because Josh is in the movie doesn't mean it's going to be a Feel-good Vampire movie. He was actually really good in this. If Keaneu Reeves had done it, it would have been a dreadful pile of steaming crap... You must see this movie if you like Vampire/Zombie horror.
It's what a Vampire movie should be like. Not like all the pop-culture crap out there these days.

This is one of my favorites. I'm getting a little tired of the zombie/vampire genre, but this one is a standout. Like a good horror movie, the atmosphere is eerie throughout with good mood music, camera work, etc. The sets are great, and this is particularly fantastic in Blu Ray. Good acting, good story, and generally well entertaining.

The 30-days-of-night film adaptation fails to bring to the screen the originality of the original medium's grimy ambiance. The special effects and make up techniques carry most of the burden and only the cast of the leading characters portraying the "bad guys", although sometimes falling over the edge in their mimic portray of raging emotions and animalistic expressions, manage to depict part of the authenticity of the theme. The film adaptation also fails to keep up the suspense, making some scenes either boring or irrelevant (i.e. check scene where deranged old man escapes from hiding and son follows to save him but the camera shows only destiny of the latter); in some cases it even fails to convince how the supernatural traits of this particular breed of vampires seem to gradually diminish and thus allowing to the god guys to bring some successfully delivered devastating blows. Moreover, the film gives the impression that the director has not decided whether the vampires move with unnatural speed and strength or not. In general, the movie gave too much attention to the violence and ignored the innovative depiction of the particular vampires which bring to the genre. The artistic approach removed the spotlight from the theatrical depiction of the real protagonists who should have been the eternally damned. Positive elements kept from the original medium include make up of the vampires which reminds evolutionary steps to the now classic Nosferatu, some pseudo- or real philosophical innuendos which the viewer can approach in a variety of ways and based on their individual social and religious background. In other words, disappointment for those who read the comic and then watch the film. Surely not very appealing to non friends of the horror genre.

I enjoyed this film from beginning to end and have watched it many times although normally I have zero interest in vampires as they are clownish and not frightening in the least.

What made this film a 5 is the plot's uniqueness in how vampires are portrayed.

Unique in that who would have ever thought to bring vampires to Alaska where it stays dark for 30 days. No coffins to be seen (so mundane) and they do not speak English much. These vampires have no interest in communicating with humans. There is also none of that ridiculous male vampire to female woman sexual undertone in this film.

These vampires are extremely vicious, quick, cruel, intelligent and secretive. Humans are food-period.

The people of Barrow reacted the way any population would-with bravery and insight. They were not going to go down without a fight.

The ending was also amazingly unique because no one had ever thought to beat vampires at their own game.

very gorey, and predictable. Wasn't impressed with anything in this movie. My friend that I watched the movie with jumps at everything and she wasn't that scared with the movie. The worse part was the ending. I hated how he gave himself up, but it did leave it open for a sequal, where she could go seek revenge.

great horror movie definatly worth seeing

HOW CAN THE TOWN OF BARROW, ALASKA SURVIVE WHEN THE SUNLIGHT NEVER COMES???

"That cold ain't the weather, that's death approachin'." -The Stranger

BY: SHAWN CHURCHILL

QUICK SUMMARY

In the town of Barrow, Alaska, during a certain time of the year, for a full 30 days there's no sun at all, just darkness. Vampires that have lived for centuries decide to use this full month to eat to their heart's content on humans, slaughtering, biting, massacring the population of Barrow, Alaska. One man, the sheriff of Barrow, Eben Oleson (Josh Hartnett) and his wife Stella Oleson (Melissa George) with whom at the moment are seperated/havin' some marriage woes or something.. who cares?!

30 Days of Night isn't 'bout love jeez!! Yes, there's blood, gallons of it!!FANFREAKIN'TASTIC!! Well, Eben and Stella help and protect those who haven't been consumed by the army of vampires, the survivors hide.. the vampires feast and feast, heh. Those that aren't slaughtered immediately are truly %&$^, for Barrow, Alaska is hell on earth. To keep breathin' is hell, to keep on hiding in fear is hell until Eben finds out how to slay them (Which won't be revealed here).

Or is he wrong? ~^_^~

END OF QUICK SUMMARY



FINAL THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS

30 Days of Night the graphic novel written by Steve Niles and drawn by Ben Templesmith is fanfreakin'tastic, I nearly threw up my organs when I discovered that a movie based on his work was to be created, however very luckily Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith had a major influence durin' the shootin' of this film.. yeah Steve Niles wrote the screen play!! Celebrate good times c'mon! It's a celebration! ~^ ^~

30 Days of Night directed by David Slade (Hard Candy) is just WHOA.. it begins beautifully with grisly violence and doesn't let it up until the very end. The dark foreboding skies, the powerless city of Barrow, the music by Brian Reitzell is eerie, perfect for 30 Days of Night.

This new breed of vampires have have long fingers they use, jabbing them into human flesh of those who attempt feebly to escape before they start feastin' on the poor victim, of course they bite a lot too. They have their own language which I FOUND to be really really really stupid as hell. ><

And sometimes the vampires would walk 'round and randomly hisssss.. wha?! O_o

Uh, please 'splain to me since when are vampires related to serpents?!?!!? XP

Other than that, 30 Days of Night is wonderful, another horror.. correction.. another vampire flick that hopefully stands out compared to any other vampire movie EVER MADE. Some people in the theater actually said that the vampires were creepy-looking or appeared to be not cheesy, lol. I love this motion picture.. it is right up my alley so to speak. ^_~

Some may find it a bit dark, just thought I'd warn ya beforehand.

I'm eagerly waiting for the dvd release of this film to come out, and when it does I better have some cash at the time. O_O

A possible sequel? 'Tis be so-so, it didn't do that WELL in theatres. ; ^ ^

Now for the number of stars, 30 Days of Night is almost flawless, nearly perfect, so for this flick I give it 3 1/2 stars!! No kidding man, a vampire movie that damn good, lol.
^ ^

Thanks for readin'!!! ^_^