Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (DVD Review)

DVD review of the undead action/comedy Dylan Dog: Dead of Night starring Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington and Anita Briem

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Dir: Kevin Munroe (TMNT (2007))
Cast: Brandon Routh, Sam Huntington, Anita Briem, Peter Stormare, Taye Diggs
USA, 2011

Reason to see: Paranormal PI? Yep, that's enough for me!

With a tagline of 'No Pulse, No Problem', you know that you are in for a film that doesn't take itself too seriously. And Dylan Dog: Dead of Night definitely doesn't take itself too seriously as it plays the comedy card far and wide in a deadpan/noir way with dry voice overs, a comedy relief sidekick (Sam Huntington of the North American version of 'Being Human') and lots of deadpan humour, pun intended.

I'll admit I went into the film knowing that it received absolutely horrific reviews and although it isn't perfect, I'm a little surprised people reacted as strongly as they did. You have to approach it for what it is - a film-noir toned comedy following a private investigator who used to do specialized work by taking on undead clients, be they vampire, zombies and the like. But I like vampires, zombies and the like so I was totally game for this one and to be honest it's not as bad as everyone says. I got a little tired of the voice overs (which I rarely like, but it suits the tone), and there are some quick & easy comparisons to other films (like Constantine) but overall I found it a pretty fun film with a unique perspective, interesting story and likeable characters. There is also a fair amount of eye candy with a very buff Brandon Routh and very cute Sam Huntington and we get some kick-butt fighting with a strong woman in the mix too. So, I think the ladies & gay guy viewers luck on this one - which again might be the reason for it not being received well.

It's not a perfect film, but it's an enjoyable film and it certainly was very entertaining. If you like comedy-centric paranormal with a noir film this will be totally up your alley, and if that's to hyper-niche’d for you I'd still give it a shot. I thought it was a lot of fun.

DVD Extras:
No DVD Extras

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is available on DVD as of November 1, 2011. Check it out over at Amazon.ca & Amazon.com

Shannon's Overall View:
I enjoyed it
I'll happily watch it again
I'd recommend it to fans of the comedy & the paranormal

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© Shannon Ridler, 2011