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Directed By: Paul Weitz
Starring:
John C. Reilly as Crepsley
Chris Massoglia as Darren
Josh Hutcherson as Steve
Official Rating: 3/10
I wanted so much to enjoy Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, if only because it seemed like the type of movie I would have enjoyed when I was ten or so. Packed with horror elements but lacking any of the gore or nudity that make parents cringe, it could have been a really solid introduction to the horror genre for those people just shy of the Twilight generation. Unfortunately, it is instead a rather wierd, cluttered movie that becomes increasingly bogged down in its all-too-heavy plot. When it should be energetic and spirited, it is stiff and monotonous. When it should be serious and mature, it is childish and silly. It's primary problem, the one from which all of its other flaws begin, is that its plot is simply too overstuffed for one movie. There are so many characters...so many themes...so many things that happened before this movie even began. Rarely are any of these things developed appropriately and, thus, The Vampire's Assistant feels like a mish-mash of ideas that never fully meld together for a cohesive movie-watching experience. When the end credits rolled, I stopped to reflect on what I had seen. I felt one thing: disappointment.
