Review of What We Do in the Shadows (2014) by Preston L — 19 Apr 2015

What We Do in the Shadows. This movie was hilarious! The premise is that a New Zealand documentary film crew is granted access to a flat owned by a small sect of Vampires. These vampires show the crew some of their day to day lives and events leading up to the biggest event of the year, the Unholy Masquerade. This seems mundane but the plot is riddled with moments that lead to humorous conflicts and situations. And the cast plays these moments with a great sincerity and genuine casualness that makes the film great.

Things I Liked.

Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. Both of these comedians are responsible for the hilarious Flight of the Conchords series. And the casual matter of fact humor translates into Shadows as well. They play two of the leads Vladislav, 800+ years old, and Viago 400 years old, respectively. They both have hilarious interactions and asides to the camera, Clement's Vlad is a hilarious as he emits failed sexual energy and moments of, as I call it, "vampyric impotence" where he struggles with his abilities following a humiliating defeat from "The Beast". Waititi plays Viago, who came to New Zealand after and old love but got rerouted in customs and took too long to get there. He is the "mother hen" of the group making sure chores are done and that the house is in order. He is very sweet natured and has a sense of regrettable disgust in killing humans. The pair make the movie as they interact with the other characters.

The Tone. The movie has a sense of dark mystery usually associated with Vampires. Which when contrasted with the action makes things that much funnier. The tone of the film is an interesting combination of dark, mysterious, mundane, routine, and funny. There are many humorous twists on the traditional mythical vampirisms and imagery and they are just so out there that you can't help but laugh as they appear.

Twist to the Genre. There are many moments that play at the traditional vampire films AND the traditional mocumentary moments. From the cranky old man of the group looking like Count Orlok, to the fact that the crew filming is suddenly in danger when someone realizes they aren't vampires. There are jokes about werewolf pack etiquette and trouble with hunting and eating humans. It all works very well and keeps the film interesting and entertaining, especially when you know the cliches and can laugh at them.

Things I Didn't Like.

Pace. Ok, I didn't really dislike the pace, but there were a few moments that dragged. This is a normal problem with comedies. They either work or they don't and in this case a lot of the film works. But there are a few moments where things don't move along and feel like they were just inserted for not reason other then the writers and directors thought it would be a funny moment. But this is a minor complaint.

Lack of Time with Minor Characters. There are a number of minor characters that get introduced, then we get a tease as to some of their background, and then they are gone and we don't hear much more from them. And while it doesn't really ruin the movie, it is something just made me want more. I was bummed when the movie ended and I could have watched another hour of just these side characters interacting with the leads. If this is the biggest problem I had with a movie, then you know that I must have enjoyed the hell out of it.

What We Do in the Shadows is hilarious, fun and thoroughly entertaining. I enjoyed the hell out of it. This is currently the best movie I have seen this year and I would watch it again in a heartbeat. If you enjoy some satire and are sick and tired of all these effin' vampire movies that do the same old thing, then I highly recommend this one. It is fun, original, and unlike anything I've seen in a long time.