Night Watch
By Vikki Lusby, Blockbuster.co.uk
Think the kooky comedy of Ghostbusters, the stylised special effects of the Matrix and the messed up storyline of 12 Monkeys and you’ll be some way to Nightwatch! The first part in a trilogy that is the best thing to come out of Russia since vodka
The movie is based on the eternal struggle between good (Nightwatch) and evil (Daywatch). In the beginning before good and evil there was a virgin who was cursed by another human being. The curse then meant that anything that the virgin touched died, she brought damnation on her family… you get the idea. This created a vortex of evil around her, and so good and evil were born. Good and evil had a great battle which no one could win as they were too evenly matched, so they called a truce which has lasted for hundreds of years. The Nightwatch police the evil during the night and the Daywatch police over the good during the day. They are all immortal and some even have magical abilities, such as being able to morph into animals or have visions of the future, along with the usual vampires an witches (who are mainly on the Daywatch team). The immortals are invisible to normal humans unless they decide to make themselves visible.
In addition to the immortals there are 'others' , there are people who can see the immortals anyway. The 'others' also have the choice to become immortal, but have to choose which side they wish to join. this choice under the truce has to be made of their own free will.
There is a prophecy that a great ‘other’ would come to finally put to rest the battle and plunge the world into an era of either light or darkness. The Nightwatch and Daywatch have been waiting for this other to come to their attention and to claim them for themselves. Whilst waiting they have tolerated one another and even lived next door to each other.
The story features Anton, he becomes a member of the Nightwatch when he visits a witch to try and ‘get rid of’ his wife’s unborn baby (which he thinks is another mans). This is illegal black magic and so the Nightwatch arrives to arrest the witch. Anton then find that he is actually an ‘other’ and choose the side of good. Over 12 years he works he was up to becoming a lead member of the Nightwatch and hunts vampires.
Things go a little crazy from here with vampire hunts, virgins bringing about the end of the world and an encounter with a 12 year old boy who has a very blood thirsty woman after him. Anton and the Daywatch really have their hands full!
Early on the plot can seem a little confusing and you start to wonder what is really going on… then all of a sudden things start to slot into place and it all makes some kind of sense! Do you think that Terry Gilliam has a Russian cousin? Look out for ‘Day Watch’ the next instalment later this year and ‘Dusk Watch’ in 2007.
Click
here to view the exclusive Night Watch guide. Essential reading for those who want to further understand the nuts and bolts of the Night Watch backstory.