Film Review: ‘Cirque du Freak’
I must preface this review by saying that I have yet to read any of the books in Irish author Darren Shan’s series ‘‘The Saga of Darren Shan’’ or ‘‘Cirque du Freak’’ as its known in the United States. Director Paul Weitz’s initial adaptation of Shan’s series, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, is supposed to combine the events of Books 1 through 3. Thanks to watching this film, I plan on reading all 12 books in the series. The film version paints an interesting enough picture and dips just enough into the story to peak the unread’s interest. But that’s where it stops. From what I gathered, while aimed at tween and teenaged readers, Shan’s saga has a dark tone to it. Weitz’s version, a rewrite from the original screenplay, seemed to attempt to morph Cirque du Freak into a dark comedy. That probably explains the casting of comedic staple John C. Reilly in the role of vampire Larten Crepsley. The film has its funny points, but overall, the substance is lacking.
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