This film is on the verge of being fairly cool. I can see the graphic novel underpinnings of this movie and I can also see how the book would be much better than the film.
I'm not to saying they didn't try. It's plain to see the work put in to make everything as beautiful as possible. I liked Paul Bettany (pictured here on the movie poster), I liked Carl Urban, I liked Maggie Q, I liked the lighting and the sets and the ridiculous motorcycles. However, one still runs into the fact that A) it's a western and B) Cam Gigandet is in it. Also, all the cheap one-liners that are so easily digested in graphic novels completely mess up the flow of a movie. I am willing to believe Paul Bettany is a man who has dedicated himself to vampire hunting, left his family, made vows to God and Church, wreaked such epic damage that he single-handedly stopped a war, and then was left to shovel coal in a basement while being shunned by the society he saved. I totally buy that. What I do not accept is that such a man will constantly be making arrogant and/or pompous statements in order to prove his awesomeness. It just doesn't make sense.
Things which also don't make sense: how exactly in 3,000 years of history has no one ever turned a human into a vampire? And why, with all the possible fashion choices available in the future, did women decide to wear tiny dusty bonnets inside the house?? Ridiculous. Those things are to block blistering sunshine not to rock your baby in.
Anyway, everyone important survives the end of the film and there is a big obvious set-up for a sequel. Equally obvious is the total absence of demand for such a sequel. Shame, really. I'm all for automated confessionals and cruciform shuriken as long as the heroes who use them get to BE awesome instead of talking about it.
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