 Thanks for checking out this movie review video So this is for the 1987 film near dark and this is actually a film that's been on my list of movies to watch for quite some time now I had a hard time finding it and I'm sure a lot of people out there have been saying well I've seen a lot of people out there saying online that Where is it streaming? It had been streaming nowhere But now it's streaming on shutter at least when I watched it and I'm doing this review Streaming on shutter. So a lot of people have told me this is potentially their favorite Vampire film or one of the best vampire films made and one of the big things is it came in came out in 1987 which if people don't remember the Lost Boys also came out in 1987 which may end up hinting at one of the reasons that It didn't do as well as maybe it could have because you had them kind of dueling I think the Lost Boys came out For it and did really well and then it didn't do as well But I'll talk a little bit more about that and I'm glad I finally saw it because I really liked the film and Why is it taking this long for me to be able to see it that that's the part that sucks So anyway, this one is directed by Catherine Bigelow, which if that name sounds familiar She's done other films such as point break strange days the Hurt Locker and Detroit Those are some pretty big names there obviously she won an Academy Award actually for the Hurt Locker I believe and she actually beat out James Cameron that year. I think he was up for avatar If I'm not mistaken or something and she beat out James Cameron now There is an interesting connection with James Cameron with this film because a lot of the cast ended up coming from the film Aliens that James Cameron had done prior to this film and kind of he was friends with Catherine Bigelow at the time they hadn't yet gotten married and then got divorced but They hadn't been together, but they were friends and he kind of said, you know I already have this cast if you want to just grab them basically and use them for your film near dark And that's what ended up happening Bigelow actually was involved in writing part of the script along with Eric Redd who wrote some scripts for a bunch of stuff But I pulled out mainly the horror horror-esque stuff the the film body parts the film bad moon Which I don't like bad moon, but I know there are a lot of people out there who really like bad moon so you guys will like that and a movie that I really like and I don't think enough people have actually watched her or not enough people talk about and that's the hitcher The original hitcher from the 80s with C Thomas Howe and Rucker Howe in it is a phenomenal film It still holds up. I just watched it like two one or two years ago somewhere in there and it still holds up It's very good. Watch the hitcher Anyway, Lance Hedrickson is in this film obviously and this was the year after he did aliens and the year before he did pumpkin head and Bill Paxson obviously is in this also from aliens and also the third person who was grabbed from the aliens cast was Jeanette Goldstein Michael Bein Urbine, I think it's how people say it spelled b i e h n He was actually offered a part but he ended up declining So if he had taken it then they would have had four people from aliens, which would have been interesting Bigelow and red wanted to make a straight-up Western But they realized that there really wasn't a market to make a Western film at that time So they decided to kind of blend it with horror, which they realized at that time was you know Pretty profitable when it came to theaters. So they were like alright We want to do this Western, but we know we can't do a straight Western It's not going to make money So let's mix it with some horror because that's like a hot genre right now So they did and it went in the theater and actually didn't do that Well, because they ended up losing $1.6 million from what they spent on the budget versus what they got in the theater Whereas in comparison the Lost Boys have made $23.7 million now I don't know if it's just a situation where the market couldn't handle two vampire films being released in the same year So close to one another or what the deal was but I'd have to go back and rewatch the Lost Boys again It's been many many many years since I saw it But my feeling on it is the Lost Boys is a little bit faster It's a little more upbeat and has better pacing to it because this is a pretty slow film Even though it is really good It's slow and so a lot that's not for all audiences especially theater goers I feel like for the most part especially when it's a newer film like people have a tendency to be like oh so slow Yeah, I feel like it's only over time when these films become called classics that people are more okay with them being slower films Maybe I'm wrong on that but that's kind of a feeling I have on it So apparently one of the things that Lance Henriksen like to do while they were filming this is go out into towns in character done up in his costume as Jesse and In character as Jesse and go out and act like that individual like in the community Wherever he was going and apparently it was reported that he really freaked a lot of people out Which I could definitely believe that because Jesse is a very scary and intense character and That goes to Lance Henriksen did an awesome job in this actually in general Everyone did a really good job in this very good acting in this film Really sells a lot Now people might be interested to know that DB Sweeney as well as Johnny Depp also auditioned for the role of Caleb in this They did not get it obviously A remake was announced in October of 2006 and then in December of 2008 It was put on hold it was announced that they put it on hold that fast because Twilight had come out in 2008 and they said that it's to it was gonna be too similar Which I don't get I feel like there's got to be another reason there for that Especially since they put it on hold in 2008 because of Twilight and then they just never came back to it I feel like there was something else going on there, but We may have dodged a bullet because the person who was supposed to direct it was Samuel Baer Who did just like a lot of music videos and then ended up in 2010 doing the nightmare on Elm Street remake so His his first film could have been the near-dark remake I don't know if it would have been a situation where if he did the near-dark remake Then he wouldn't have done the nightmare on Elm Street remake, but regardless I think we still would have gotten a nightmare on Elm Street remake either way not that good So getting the actual film portion of it obvious foreshadowing with the mosquito being killed in the very beginning of this film as it's You know Swatted killed and the person yells bloodsucker Caleb yells bloodsucker Obviously, that's kind of a nod to the audience saying this is about vampires because note that the term vampire is actually never even used in This film actually it's not even really talked about that much the actual feeding habits or what they are They're just looked at as bad people in a sense And it's just so interesting because I feel like this film in general Goes in with the expectation that the audience has to already know about vampires. I'm not saying that's a bad thing I don't I'm not saying they're being too presumptuous by doing that because people obviously know a lot about vampires I just think it's an interesting idea because almost every vampire film I've ever seen they Go into all this depth about talking about their origin in the that film of vampires and you know What they're immune to and what they're not immune to it, you know all that stuff this film doesn't really do that It just goes with a premise that people already know and it's just like yeah, here you go This is mainly about these characters not so much about vampirism Which is kind of the case Really well-written scene with May looking at the stars lamenting about her existence in the beginning when she's with Caleb like right after they met The ambient electronic music that's playing during that During that scene as well really really adds a lot It's got like this very nice kind of emotional like melancholy feel to it in my opinion And you could really get the emotions that she must be feeling and like really see that she's contemplating Really her existence and kind of how unhappy she is with her existence at that point Obviously Caleb's horse reacts to May because of the societal lore that we have that animals sense when things are wrong basically because that you know the horse like Starts, you know bucking up and then runs away basically from May and Caleb's like oh my gosh Why is he acting like that? It's that nod to the audience that everyone you know like I said a societal lore that all animals are more Intune with nature and other things and its senses that she's a vampire basically You can tell May is trying to feel what it's like to be human But the impending sunrise and sunrise won't let her live that that way forever basically I get the sense by watching the film that She didn't have any necessarily Alterior motive when she was going out that night when she happened to meet Caleb because remember that Caleb came up to her She didn't wasn't like looking for him necessarily although maybe that was kind of a setup I don't know but I got the sense that she was actually just out there just trying to feel normal Trying to feel like she's a human and when she went out with Caleb I do feel like she felt some sort of connection Whether the connection was actually with him or just the fact that she was having a connection with an actual human which kind of reminded her of Being human and still having that bit of humanity within her because obviously at her character shows that she hasn't fully given that up Especially with how she reacts towards the end where she saves Caleb or helps in saving Caleb and then also Goes through with the blood transfusion to become human again because if she was fully vampire She wouldn't do that at that point like Jesse like Severin So yeah on Homer and to a degree Diamondback, although questionable about Diamondback It just seemed like Diamondback was actually more just tied to Jesse than the actual vampirism in my opinion And I think that was kind of shown in the very end when they were holding hands before the car blew up The question does present itself did may bite Caleb intentionally and if she did Was it to turn him so she wouldn't feel alone or to have him die in the sun? So there wouldn't be any trace of her basically that no one would know about her existence now I look you know, I put that down when I was first watching it and I lean more now towards I Think it was half and half on whether she intentionally did it or not. I think it kind of I think she Got too close to him because she wanted to feel more human and she wanted to act upon her Romantic impulses with Caleb Against her own, you know better judgment She got too close to him and for that reason it was kind of an accident But I do think that when she was close to him and kind of in the moment She intentionally bit him as kind of this He can be with me now type thing like this doesn't have to end It can we can still be like this Um and that would be her way to kind of hold on to that romance to hold on to that bit of humanity So that's the way I kind of viewed it But I'm sure there are many interpretations and you can feel free to let me know Must be tough for Homer Physically being a kid but being a mature adult on the inside. He actually makes a comment about that and they really do Build that, you know, they throw that out a few times with the within the film And I think that was important so that it feels realistic and you get it when you finally get to the part where he's abducted Sarah Caleb's sister and is basically yelling about how like she will be his and he's gonna bite her because He's you know fed up with being alone like you see how alone he is You see how alone a lot of them are basically the only way they end up with companions Is by turning new people basically and then just being around each other But as you can tell like they don't fully get along all of them. It's like a dysfunctional family to a degree So I guess vampires in this can feed on each other Not sure if that's always sexual or if may just finds it sexual when Caleb ends up feeding on her Because we only really see Caleb feed on may as far as like vampire feeding on vampire goes So I don't know within this world that's being built in near dark If it's always kind of has having this sexual Feeling when a vampire feeds on another vampire Or if that was just like may was feeling kind of sexual about it with Caleb because obviously she has a romance with him So I don't know but just something to throw out there I feel like it may have just been a her thing, but I don't know I'd like the scene that shows you how Homer uses his bike to get a meal How Severin uses his looks to get a meal and how Jesse and Diamondback go around looking for hitchhikers For their meal. I think that's a really nice Moment where it's kind of showing this is how everyone eats In essence and then at that point it's up to Caleb to kind of figure out how is he going to eat and he never really does He's always feeding on may Until he gets his transfusion in the end unless I miss something, but I don't think I did He's always feeding on may because he wants to maintain that humanity He doesn't want to make that unforgivable step of actually killing a human being He you see flashes of him wanting to fit in with this vampire family And he does to search certain degrees and he does do bad stuff, but he just can't He feels like once he crosses that line of actually feasting on a human being that that's too far That that's the point where he will be fully vampire and that's the kind of benchmark that the film sets as well Bill Paxton really shines when they go into the bar and he starts being an unbelievable jerk He relishes like his character relishes and just being terrible and you know being violent and feeding on People, but it also kind of feels like bill paxton relished that character and being that character He really did a great job and he brought a lot of well for lack of a better term a lot of pizzazz to that role I feel like I loved bill paxton the sever and Very very great and next to lance hennrick's henrickson as jesse awesome It is odd how the people in the bar don't really react very strongly at first when the waitress gets murdered right in front Of their faces. I found that kind of odd that was kind of the only like character weird thing that happened in my opinion I do think in actuality. They would have acted a lot More strongly immediately like Either by fighting or by running or by calling the police or you know something But they'd all just kind of like Hang out like they just like let the tension hang there which for the film works well But you're kind of like wouldn't people be not just hanging around here Yeah, just saying The barn's bar scene really does serve to give kaleb a good feeling of what his life would be like with the family That's the first moment where things are fully on display for how This vampire family he's with now interacts with actual human beings So that's his first real glimpse into what his life would be like if he stays with them and converts like full vampire The comment jesse makes to the hotel attendant about coming through every 50 years Is supposed to give an idea of how long he's been roving around wreaking havoc Then he makes a comment about having served in the civil war for the south and how they lost so That's that's this goes to good writing where it's this extra information for the audience of You don't really like you everyone knows that like vampires can end up being young or old Especially because they pointed to that with homer with homer saying, you know, I'm physically young but I'm you know grown up on the inside so You get the idea based off kind of the hierarchy of the family that jesse is the eldest has been vampire the longest Because he's kind of the head he leads everything So once you find out that he's served during the civil war you get an idea of how old that is Then you figure all the other characters are somewhere between the civil war and the 80s basically The shootout with the police is pretty good and then adding kaleb running to the van while he's smoking and then on fire Even better if that's a great sequence. It really amps up the action the tension great great moment Side note the the when the smoke's coming off of them any of the characters when they're in the sunlight They apparently achieve that by hooking up like little uh plastic tubes Inside their clothing and having lit cigars kind of shoved in them. So that's what the smoke is that's coming out So if you like to smell cigars, I probably didn't smell that bad It looks cool. It's a great visual. I I think And what are the odds that the vampire family rents a room where kaleb's father and sister are staying for a night? This is something that I kind of like about because I don't like those kind of like just convenient for the script type moments in film So this is one of the things that kind of bothered me in the movie But it's overall such a good film that it's like it's fine that you know, you get over it But it's a small thing and I will always point these things out Homer's loneliness was worked on throughout the film to lead to the part where he wants to turn sarah Yeah, I already talked about that Caleb really does try to hold on to his humanity Hence the transfusion idea with his father, but it does beg these questions Did he suspect that it would cure him or was it just an idea to substitute for feeding for the meantime? So I I don't know On that one part of me feels like he may have had the idea Maybe this will cure me about kind of like purging all the bad blood and getting the new blood in I don't know but regardless The transfusion symbolizes Caleb Turning back from his vampire family to his true blood family I think that was kind of the reason that it was in the film. Like that is the symbolic Transition back to being a human and the the actual transition back to being human He is rejoining his family after straying so far and almost leaving humanity Basically to be with may in essence and that's the sense that I get is the reason He's open to doing this is more than anything because of may but in the end obviously he finds a way To get himself back and get her in the same place as him It is sad when may comes to see Caleb because you like you At night after he's changed back to a human because you do really feel like there was something between them And I actually feel like the script did a really good job of developing their relationship as well Like you felt it between them like they had a thing going and it was working really really well But the other thing you need to remember about that scene is it's touching but at the same time it was Potentially just set up to be a distraction so that the other vampires could swoop in and take his family Just saying Bill Paxton is back at being super fun again in the end showdown with the Mack truck that sequence Probably my favorite sequence of the entire film Mainly because bill paxton just has a lot of really great lines It just is acting in general and just you know, it's the big showdown between severant and Caleb You know the biggest bad guys in this film are severant and jesse. So You know, it's one of those boss battles and it and it was good I was not expecting diamond back to turn on jesse may turn on jesse Yes, I expected that but not diamond back especially because diamond back wasn't really much of a character in the film in general She was kind of just there for the most part and then for her to just like jump in And make her will known at the end I thought was a good touch for that character Because she was pretty underdeveloped that said a lot about that character when there wasn't a lot said about that character Up to that point. So I did enjoy that also. It was a surprise thing too. I like being surprised in these films I also didn't expect Homer to explode Uh Thought maybe he was just gonna end up burning to the ground at that point once again You know him running in the smoke coming out and then being on fire great sequence looked really good And then I was just like oh, okay when he actually exploded I was like I did not see that coming and then it made sense Even further why the car explodes later with jesse and diamond back Because they're you know two people exploding inside of a car. That's a big explosion. Look good Then you get the happy ending and note that may wasn't going to be able to leave the vampire family They basically all had to die in order for her to be able to leave that family That's the sense that I got that it could only may was only ever going to get away from that family if they all died Or maybe if it was just may and diamond back who survived because I do feel like diamond back would have gone along with it too Maybe gone back to being a human as well. I don't know but You did get the sense like I said before that diamond back was mainly just tied to jesse and that she legitimately loved him just saying You know, okay, so here are the things to You know my final thoughts Past the events of the film Love the score by tangerine dream tangerine dream did score for this great ace electronic music I love the score for this very very good. The dialogue I think is written particularly well in this film um It's not that often I mean a lot of times I'll look at a film and be like, oh, it's particularly well written But to focus in on something as specific as the dialogue that really stood out to me The dialogue is very good in this very well written So that's a big achievement. So I wanted to make sure I pointed that out This film relies on its audience already knowing vampires. Sorry I already talked about that I do like how wide open they make the film feel because of the landscape and the shooting locations they chose Um, that's where the western aspect of this really comes in handy because it really does make you feel like These vampires could go anywhere and and just kind of like lose people, you know If the police are after them if they are out of sight then oh well They may never be caught again and they they can go on killing and doing what they're doing um It's just also nice to have kind of a different setting for something like a vampire film because At that point and especially now there's just been so much done with vampire stuff and it all feels very similar So this really stands out as being very different And also not just for the reason that it's like a vampire western But also for the reason that it's also a pretty good love story, honestly Which leads me to my final thought In the end this is about being young and looking for connection Both Caleb and May and Homer well everyone actually Caleb falls in with the wrong family But finds his way back to his own and brings love along with him So yeah, really it's about finding your way in life and figuring out who your family is in essence because Caleb got very close to falling in with the wrong family That he was off. He's basically being forced into being with so Obviously overall, I enjoyed this film. It's not, you know, a perfect film or anything But it's really good and I really recommend that as many people as possible watch it So, uh, if you're out there and you're a fan of it tell all your friends about it It's on shutter right now watch it All that jazz so out of five stars with half stars in play I'm gonna give it a very good four star rating near dark is a good film. I'm glad I finally saw it So let's get some comments down here your thoughts on near dark. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Are you in between and let's talk about why because that's one of the biggest things I don't want people to just say like it. Don't like it. I want to know why what do you like about it What don't you like about it? Then we can have a conversation Do me a quick favor though. Hit that subscribe button if you haven't already if you have thank you so much I really do appreciate that if you haven't you can do that right now for me and that would be a great great great Thing for me. It helps motivate me. I'm very grateful for that. Obviously even though I just said great many times But also hit the notification bell button because then you'll know when I'm putting up new videos like this Or unboxing videos or any of that jazz, but regardless I really do thank you for taking your time to watch this and until next time. Keep it brutal