Man, a lot of people took a big dump on this movie when it came out and I have to kind of agree with the sentiment that most shared for this movie. This movie wants to be like Hellboy, but it misses the mark more than once. Now I don’t want to focus on the negatives in this opening, which there are plenty, but it’s rare when you get a quirky little horror/comedy film that just throws everything against the wall and waits to see what sticks. Dylan Dog has a campy, pulpy feel and I personally ended up enjoying the movie for sheer mashups they attempt and some hammy acting.
Brandon Routh stars as Dylan Dog, world famous private investigator specializing in affairs of the undead. His PI business card reads “No Pulse? No Problem.” Armed with an edgy wit and carrying an arsenal of silver and wood-tipped bullets, Dylan must track down a dangerous artifact before a war ensues between his werewolf, vampire and zombie clients living undercover in the monster infested backstreets of New Orleans. — (C) Omni/Freestyle Releasing
First the complaint(s), this movie is all over the place in terms of a coherent story structure. I mean there is a story, but it just gets lost in the jumble of throwing together a lot of familiar horror elements without the connective tissue that binds it all together. Dylan Dog tries to imitate a lot of different types of horror films or their elements anyways, but without the one coherent structure, it’s just a big collage of influences without making a clear identity or path for the movie. It is based on an Italian comic book, so there is a story that exists, it’s just that was thrown out in favor of trying to make something familiar for the audience. The result is a messy story and plot, leading us to inconsequential reveals to the audience.
Now the fun things about this movie. While I have said it is just a patchwork of different horror themes and characters, it’s a fun movie to look at. Mixing in werewolves, vampires, zombies and demons makes for a great cross collaboration of all the familiar things you love in horror movies. It’s entertaining seeing this John Constantine type character barter the peace between the different undead and having a quick snark remark at hand. Brandon Routh does play the character well or as well as someone can when they deliver dry, witty remarks in a baritone voice. I get this nice little campy vibe from the movie, even when it tries to play it straight.
Dylan Dog is probably forgettable for a lot of people, but I must admit I find it a bit charming. It’s not great by any stretch, but I don’t get tired of seeing Routh as this hammy snark detective. It has a nice little edge to it, but never do I look deep into the insight of the movie. It’s just a movie about a guy for keeps the piece between vampires and werewolves, while dealing death with wooden and silver bullets. It is pulpy to a degree, have some funny moments and is just a visual movie with no real depth to it. More style than substance, but sometimes that is all that is required.
