I watched "The Vampire's Assistant" without very high hopes. I went into it having a hard time imagining John C. Reilly (usually in Wil Ferrell movies) as a Vampire. Perhaps it was a combination of low expectations, and a better than anticipated plot that actually turned "Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" into a 4 star movie for me.
This movie is loosely based on the first couple of books in the "Cirque Du Freak" series by Darren Shan. Near as I can figure from some reading on Wikipedia, this movie sorta spans the first 3 books (if you trust Wikipedia). In this movie, teenager Darren Shan ends up becoming a half vampire after attending a Freak Show with his friend Steve. Now the assistant to Crepsley (John C. Reilly), Darren ends up being a key player in a coming war between the Vampires (the good guys) and the Vampanese (the bad guys).
The end of this movie definitely left it open for more movies. There are 12 books in all, so the options are there. I did like this movie. One reviewer on Netflix compared it to Harry Potter...I wouldn't go that far. I thought it was a little slow in the beginning, but picked up nicely about 35 minutes in. I liked John C. Reilly in something other than a Wil Ferrell movie...he was still funny, but did ok with the more serious role. Like I said, overall this is a 4 star movie.
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