 Nine times out of ten the book is always better than the movie whether be the lack of character development the removal of certain narrative sections Or even just being poorly converted onto the silver screen novel slash comic book adaptations can vary from good to decent to downright Disappointing there are some films that have broken the norm such as the Lords of the Rings movies most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe some Dennis Delaney novels even a few Cormac McCarthy novels note I say novels not the movies he's written So obviously it's a rare thing when a movie matches and even surpasses the scope of the original source material But I definitely feel that's the case with 2007's 30 Days of Night the film is based on a comic mini series written by Steve Niles and hauntingly illustrated by Ben Temple Smith and published by IDW publishing I enjoy most of the original nine volumes with my favorites being the original three tales Abed and Stella and Red Snow which was written and illustrated by Ben Temple Smith while the concept and the writing were decent My main draw to the series was Temple Smith's artwork his illustrations really stand out like something from forgotten nightmares The visceral tones along with the horrifying designs have drawn me into other works of his such as the Dead Space prequel Comic and even a one-off for Batman It is this look of visceral horror and Nightmare like creatures that was perfectly captured in the film along with in my opinion a much better Narrative structure in the film There is a town at the northern tip of Alaska called Barrow where from November 18th to December 17th The Sun sets and doesn't return for a month Ergo 30 days of night during this event a group of vampires attack the town and nearly kill off all the townsfolk a Handful of survivors led by a town sheriff Eben Olson and his estranged wife fire marshal Stella Olson fight to survive against the vampire horde Throughout the month more and more humans are picked off while Eben and Stella learn more about the vampires and their tactics Once the vampires fully realize the humans resilience They decide to burn the town down to destroy any evidence of their attack in a desperate bid to save Stella's life Eben infects himself with vampire blood to kill the lead vampire Marlowe and save the town the film ends with Eben Wishing to die rather than live as a monster and perish is embracing Stella as the Sun finally returns and now here Are my points as to why I feel the film surpasses its comic origins note These are my opinions and you are welcome to your own I am just a really big fan of this movie and I wanted to give credit where I feel credit is due also do know While this video is definitely centered more towards people who have watched the film and read the comic I still feel that film goers will get a better understanding and appreciation for this film from this video number one Stranger the stranger while a small character in both the comic and the film play a key role in how the vampires come to barrel in the film The stranger brings them to barrel on an old tanker ship whereas in the comic. They just seem to get there by plane There's some means of travel. That's not really explained However in both the stranger does prepare their assault by destroying all satellite phones in the town mapping out the power station and killing The dogs Ben fostered as a fantastic turn as the stranger giving an air to pravati malicious intent and even pity to the character Bar the windows try to hide They're coming the film and comics share the same arc for him until his end in the comic He somehow bends the bars of the jail cell that he's in despite the fact that he's not a vampire But then his blasted to pieces by Evan and Stella in the film He threatens the life of evens brother who was created for the movie and is wounded but not killed This leads to more time with the character including his grief after having been initially rejected to become a fellow vampire When the police station is attacked however It's when he meets Marlowe that a great exchange happens in the final brief moments of his life We almost feel a sense of pity for the stranger who sits there unknowing to Marlowe's Flippant use and baiting of him right up until he ends his life Number two ebb and Stella's relationship in the comic ebb and Stella are a happy husband wife police duo Who truly don't have any development in the story aside from the finale in the film? They are separated with Stella trying but failing to catch the last flight out of Barrow and ebb and is still holding Resentment but also a torch of hope for her throughout the film We find out what brought these two together and eventually what split them apart through the crisis They work together to survive and even rekindle their love which makes Evan's decision to become a vampire all the more believable and the ending all the more tragic Instead of simple cop characters the film adds gratifying layer of depth to these characters as we come to root for them Through their struggles and want to see them survive to the end number three No story detours. One of the main problems with the comic is the sudden detours It takes two of all places New Orleans here We find out about a small secret society who are actually vampire hunters in a sort who have discovered by the powers of Email that vampires are going to attack Barrow. I have never understood or cared for this part as it just seems so Unbelievably far-fetched that they would find out about vampires through email. Yes I know the story is about vampires, but I'll believe that stuff before I believe people were able to decipher and pick out web Vampire mail every time the comic comes back to this side story The whole flow comes to a grinding halt as it usually comes at the most inconvenient time with the horror in the story Eventually this leads to one of the members going to Barrow in a helicopter to try and capture video evidence of the vampires But is ultimately killed by the head vampire Vincente and that guy brings me to my next point number four Marlowe in the comic Marlowe is just a bald teenage Anx-looking dude who comes up with the idea for the Barrow attack But is eventually overruled and ultimately killed by the actual head vampire Vincente in the comic Vincente who also happens to arrive in one of the most remote places in Alaska during one of the most Hostable times in the winter is part of a higher-class society of vampires who are upset by what Marlowe has enacted how they solve This is by basically finishing what Marlowe and his party started or at least trying to in the film There is no other vampire hierarchy. There is no Vincente There is just Marlowe and his company and it works so much better this way in the film the comic book characters Marlowe and Vincente are one expertly played by Danny Houston His presence as a leader in a monster blend together as he is entrancing and Horrifying every time he appears on screen much of the dialogue said by Marlowe in the film Is what Vincente says in the comic in a way With some additional interactions added in the film like with various victims and the stranger We really come to hate this guy But at the same time we cannot deny how bad ass he is and everything from his movements to his motivations to how he shows Absolutely no mercy Having one fully realized villain instead of two half solved villains was a much better decision both in terms of narrative as well As making that finale have far more weight number five the siege of Barrow in the comic time is not very well Illustrated whereas the film notes down how many days have passed the comic really doesn't do this Making the entire event seem to last only a few days in the film The horror and the dread of having to try and survive 30 days all the while being hunted by vampires is front and center in the film With each passing day more and more humans are picked off while the remaining survivors Grasp at any means to survive as the days go on the encounters with the vampires differ from strategic to pure animal instinct to Conniving in the film We also see the humans defend themselves in some manner even if to no avail in the comic the defense is so Bear it seems that the only way to kill them was to do so as another vampire through the film We see that there are various means like the capitation brutal evisceration UV light shotgun blasts to the face as well as falcon punches through the mouth while the human defense ultimately fails At least there is more conflict between the humans and the vampires in the book They literally just hide and die whereas in the movie the people are fighting for their homes We also get that awesome last stand by Mark Boone Junior's character Brower the survivors are more than just evident Stella They have town folk with them who along the way fight and die with them trying to defend their home The film also delves into far more psychological aspects like Billy played by menu Bennett before he got beefy for Spartacus And the fate of his family and the film Billy disappears as the siege begins And he doesn't reappear until nearly the final quarter of the film when they find him Evidence Stella discover that Billy killed his wife and children as to not have them suffer the same fate as the rest of the town This utterly devastating part of the film was almost removed by the producers But thankfully director David slave convinced them to keep it in the final cut Billy's desperate and vain attempt at mercy is a Horrifying yet all too believable reaction to such an event out of all the things that happen in the film This is one of the most horrifying as it is one of the most believable for while they are being attacked by mythical monsters There are still in fact monsters that reside in humans as well Billy's pathetic final moments in the film are truly Polarizing as his end is the most brutal out of everyone in the film While you want to feel empathy for him as he bleeds the death and slowly becomes the very thing that he tried to defend his family from You also can't condone what he did in order to try and spare them Of course this part is not in the comic at all which again proves just how better structured the film is Number six the vampires Visually the vampires are somewhat similar between the comic and the film both of elongated nails Nightmare inducing teeth and inhuman looking facial features similar to that of Nosferatu However, there are two big differences The first is that in the film they speak a completely foreign language sounding both ancient and otherworldly a language That was actually created for the film by an actual linguist The second is that in the comic most of the vampires look like a bunch of douchebags No, seriously, they look and sound like douchebags Some of them are even wearing freaking sunglasses Of course the comic was written in the post-hype of the Matrix So artist Ben Templesmith was possibly taking some notes with the sunglasses and the black leather coats But come on also the dialogue between some of the vampires in the comic is Awful some very cringy insults are thrown around a lot I know that Niles was trying to incite the sense of superiority for the vampires having to mock their victims and such But it just comes off as douche-sauce in the film They mainly just scream or hunt with almost all of the dialogue coming from Marlowe in the comic They are somehow a secret superior society despite how obvious they look like vampires in the film They are monsters emerged from a slumber with a perfect buffet Reading waiting in a town where the sun disappears and there is no means of escape All in all the film beats the comic in almost every way possible The only thing that the comic has over the film in my opinion is one line of dialogue That explains that it is because of the frigid cold that the vampires aren't able to easily sniff out the remaining humans Other than that the film a superior in its narrative construct It's character development size and purpose and it's fantastic immersion into the horror that the story is betraying David Slade creates a fantastic horror film and definitely one of the best vampire films in recent decades Everything from the music to the gore to the characters struggle is a fantastic film to behold If you haven't seen the film yet, you should definitely give it a watch. It will creep you the fuck out I guarantee it. Thanks for watching guys If you liked the video leave a like and maybe even suggest another film and subject matter You would like me to talk about if you're interested in more videos and some film reviews hit the subscribe bell Anyways guys, that's all from me. I'll see you next time