Dylan Dog - DVD

Movie: Who thinks that vampires, zombies, werewolves and demons only exist in horror movies, is sorely mistaken. Because these alleged fantasy creatures really exist. Their crucible is New Orleans, where an impartial man is destined to ensure that peace is kept between the city's supernatural inhabitants. Private investigator Dylan (Brandon Routh) has long held that job. But after the cruel death of the love of his life, he has turned his back on everything supernatural and tries to live as normal a life as possible. But when the attractive Elizabeth's (Anita Briem) father, a respected antiques dealer, is killed by a werewolf and a mysterious artifact is also stolen in the attack, Dylan must delve back into the realm of vampires and monsters. Because if the relic falls into the wrong hands, it could quickly spell the end of humanity. With the help of his trusty companion Marcus (Sam Huntington), Dylan sets out to find the culprit. In the process, Marcus is attacked by a killer zombie and turned into an undead himself. At the latest now it is clear to Dylan that the fight between the monsters and vampires has taken on dangerous proportions.

Dylan Dog - Dead of Night is based on the popular comic series by Italian Tiziano Sclani, which was also published in Germany between 2001 and 2009. Despite this quite original origin, the film adaptation then seems more like a conglomerate of the TV series Angel (private detective specializing in supernatural cases), True Blood (vampire blood as a drug) or Buffy with small elements of Constantine and the Hellboy movies. The result is not really bad, but clearly falls short of its potential.

Some nice ideas such as a spare parts market for the undead, a zombie support group or a coffin equipped with a laptop and an IPhone the comic adaptation definitely has to offer. Some of the dialogue is also extremely funny and has a refreshing self-irony. However, the staging feels strained cool at many points and too concerned with originality. The mixture of horror and fantasy elements with motifs of classic film noir is in itself a very good idea, but to really work, director Kevin Munroe (TMNT) should have been a little more casual in his approach. The good ideas and intentions are there, it's just the execution of them that is lacking.

This also goes for Brandon Routh's performance. The former Superman is well-cast visually and also possesses a certain charm. But you just don't take much of the life-scarred detective, dry alcoholic and cool fighter from him. In some scenes Routh makes a really good figure, but as soon as it becomes a little more dramatic or Dylan Dog should react emphatically casual to his opponents, Routh seems a little too stiff to really live up to his comic role model.

Fans of the original are likely to take a dim view of some of the changes, such as the relocation of the setting from London to New Orleans or the new name of Dylan's partner Marcus, who is Groucho Marx in the original comics, or Felix in the US version for legal reasons. Also, the story, which seems a bit overloaded, is unlikely to meet with the goodwill of loyal Dylan Dog followers. But if you just want to be entertained, don't mind some minor flaws and are looking for pure fantasy horror action fun, you can safely take a look here. Dylan Dog - Dead of Night is not as good as it could be, but the comic adaptation is entertaining!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation of the comic adaptation is on a good level. Although the action is often set in a rather gloomy environment, the DVD can boast a satisfactory overall sharpness and decent contrasts, as well as a coherent color scheme. The audio pleases with some good surround effects that provide a bit of movement to the tonal proceedings alongside the more frontally mixed dialogue. Good!

Extras: The bonus material of the DVD is quite clear. In addition to a nearly 14-minute standard making of, there is a short featurette on supporting actor Sam Huntington (about 4 minutes), as well as the trailer for the film in German and English. A few program tips of the provider conclude the bonus offer then again.

Conclusion: Dylan Dog - Dead of Night is quite amusing horror-fantasy fun, which can score with some good ideas and a fairly fast-paced story. Unfortunately, the whole thing seems a bit overloaded at times and often falls short of its potential. The DVD is technically decent, the bonus material is relatively meager and superficial. Nevertheless, if you like TV series like Angel and just want to be entertained, you shouldn't let the weaknesses stop you from going on a vampire hunt with Dylan Dog. Worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp