DVD Reviews

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant – Blu-ray Review

By Dana Rae Feb 23, 2010, 14:50 GMT

Welcome to the Cirque Du Freak, a traveling sideshow filled with magical creatures, misunderstood freaks, and the mysterious vampire, Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly). Drawn to the dark, unpredictable world of the Cirque, 16-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia) decides to trade in his ordinary life for a chance to become an immortal vampire. As Darren explores his newfound powers and faces unexpected enemies, he’ll find that his existence as a member of ...more

The Vampire’s Assistant comes to Blu-ray and is based on a series of books by Darren Shan (which is also the name of the protagonist in the movie).

The rumble on the internet was that fans were largely displeased by the adaptation, but I must confess that I have not had the reading pleasure of consuming said book(s). So this review is for the movie alone. That said, I liked it.

From the opening animated sequence that reminded me of something Tim Burton-ish, I was charmed. The movie seems to be made for pint-sized Goths, but I, neither Junior High aged nor pint-sized, enjoyed it.

The premise is that two best friends Darren (Chris Massoglia) and Steve (Josh Hutcherson from Journey to the Center of the Earth) attend a circus of freaks. Steve is obsessed with vampires and Darren is obsessed with spiders. Their obsessions get them into a bit of trouble and change their lives. They are also pitted against each other, Darren being the ‘hero’ and Steve becoming the ‘villain’.

They watch Crepsley end the show and Steve overhears that they are vampires and begs for Crepsley and Gavner Purl to turn him into one. They refuse. Darren is hiding in the closet during this conversation, having stolen Crespley’s spider, Octo.

At school, the boys have an argument when Steve sees that Darren has Octo, and the spider gets loose and wreaks havoc on the hallowed halls. The ending sequence at the school results in Steve getting bitten by Octo.

With his best friend in a coma in the hospital from Octo’s potentially lethal bite, Darren feels he must atone for stealing Crepsley’s spider, and he goes to him to get an antidote. Crepsley says that he will save his friend - only if Darren becomes his assistant, thus the title ‘The Vampire’s Assistant’.

So the friend who didn’t want to become a vampire becomes one, sort of. More like a half vampire, or if you are up on your vampire lore, he becomes his familiar. But don’t except recognizable vampire legends to unfold in this tale. They don’t have the fangs, but rather sharpen their nails and use them in lieu of the vampire teeth one might expect. That is the biggest change to vampire lore, and I am sure there are others, but that is the one worth mentioning.

John C. Reilly (with really wild hair plays) Larten Crepsley. Internet rumblings did not like Reilly cast as Crepsley, but I thought he did a fine job of being subtlety melodramatic, and that is really hard to do. Playing over-the-top characters is a challenge because you don’t want to be too bombastic, you want to reign yourself in a bit and allow for dramatic pauses and nuances of your art.

And I think he pulled it off. The wild hair helped a bit, but I will give credit to the make-up artists for that effect.

Crepsley’s undead BFF is Gavner Purl played by Williem Dafoe, who only does two cameo appearances, one at the beginning and one at the end. Dafoe is also a master of the melodramatic craft, and I was disappointed that he wasn’t in it more. However, the deleted ending scene adds more to his character and leaves a darker image with you.

But the real deal that steals the show is Mr. Tiny, played by Michael Cerveris (Fringe). Over-the-top acting never had it so good. Cerveris manages to make his character, ironically named ‘Mr. Tiny’, menacing and comic at the same time. Now that is hard to do.

Mr. Tiny is the ‘man behind the curtain’, the enigma that pops up unexpectedly in style. The first time we see him, he saves Darren from the wrath of Crepsley and gives him a ride in his luxury car. He is the mysterious bad guy, the one that the vampires and freaks are afraid of and that the leader of the circus of freaks Mr. Tall (Ken Watanabe) seems to tolerate with grudging respect.

Other players include those that give the circus life, the freaks. Jessica Carlson plays Rebecca, the love interest of Darren, who looks normal but has her own secrets.

The beautiful Salma Hayek plays the bearded lady and the love interest of Crepsley. Some of the funniest moments come from Darren’s interaction with Evra the Snake Boy, played by Patrick Fugit. Orlando Jones also gives a good performance as one of the freaks, Alexander Ribs.

The Blu-ray looks and sounds great and comes with some decent special features that take you into how the movie journeyed for the page to the screen. There are also several deleted scenes. The cut footage does help explain things a bit and are well worth taking the time to watch.

All in all, The Vampire’s Assistant is very entertaining and well done in the terms of sets, make-up, directing, and editing.

Some fans of the book might not be too thrilled, but it is worth a look and actually quite enjoyable. The theatrical-style acting is superb and there are many funny moments as well as good action sequences.