Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

2009 "Meet Darren. He's sixteen going on immortal."
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

5.8 | 1h49m | PG-13 | en | Adventure

Darren Shan is a regular teenage kid. He and his friend Steve find out about a Freak Show coming to town and work hard at trying to find tickets. They do, and together they go to "Cirque du Freak" where they see many strange acts including a wolf-man and a bearded lady

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5.8 | 1h49m | PG-13 | en | Adventure , Fantasy , Action | More Info
Released: October. 23,2009 | Released Producted By: Universal Pictures , Depth of Field Country: United States of America Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Darren Shan is a regular teenage kid. He and his friend Steve find out about a Freak Show coming to town and work hard at trying to find tickets. They do, and together they go to "Cirque du Freak" where they see many strange acts including a wolf-man and a bearded lady

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Cast

Chris Massoglia , John C. Reilly , Josh Hutcherson

Director

William Arnold

Producted By

Universal Pictures , Depth of Field

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Reviews

BA_Harrison I've watched a lot of movies with my kids without having read the books first; it's prevented me becoming one of those interminably boring geeks who complain about every little change that has been made during the transition from page to screen. However, I have read the first few books in The Saga of Darren Shan, and it now appears that I too am in danger of becoming one of those people: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is completely unfaithful to the source material, and I think it's all the worse for it.I cannot remember whether Shan's books explicitly state where they are set, but I always assumed half-vampire Darren to be English; in the film he is your typical American high schooler (played by Chris Massoglia, who has all the screen presence of a wet rag). The whole transformation from school-kid to half-vampire is incredibly rushed and not nearly as heart-rending as in the book. Murlaugh the murderous vampaneze (Ray Stevenson) is introduced way to early. Vampire Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) has a girlfriend (played by the lovely Salma Hayek, who is given a beard, ferchristsakes). Little person Harkat Mulds doesn't wear a mask as he should. And Darren fancies a monkey-girl called Rebecca (Jessica Carlson), who doesn't even appear in the books. There's more, but I can feel myself becoming increasingly more geeky with every word I type.To summarise: I still think that Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Maze Runner, and Percy Jackson fans can be obsessive nitpicking nerds but I am willing to cut them a little more slack having seen what Hollywood has done to Darren Shan.
Python Hyena Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009): Dir: Paul Weitz / Cast: John C. Reilly, Chris Massoglia, Josh Hutcherson, Jessica Carlson, Salma Hayek: Horror comedy about acceptance as two teenage friends enter a circus freak show where it's inhabitants are deformed or distorted. One of them is bitten by a poisonous spider thus leaving the other to accept being partial vampire to save him and carry on demands. Intriguing but predictable and contains the standard action climax. Director Paul Weitz is backed by clever visuals. This is a far cry in subject matter compared to his previous films such as American Dreamz and American Pie. John C. Reilly is terrific as vampire Larten who is first seen as a performer until his gig is caught and revealed. He will mentor one of the boys and ultimately engage in battles beyond the stage. Chris Massoglia plays his new assistant caught in the unfortunate position of having to abandon his family. Josh Hutcherson plays his best friend gone bad. This will obviously lead to a clash between the two. Jessica Carlson is also featured among the deformed performers but these roles, although great sight visuals, are disappointing personalities. Salma Hayek also signed on for this and it greatly reminds viewers that she was once an A-lister. While the film is entertaining it is also a pointless and misguided freak show at best. Score: 5 ½ / 10
dodo-104-529288 I did not want to watch this movie because I did not expect much of it. I wanted to go to bed early. But the movie started and i had not finished my drink so i caught the start of the movie. And from that very beginning i was taken by the movie and did not want to miss a second. And i don't have that often!I became curious what it would bring. It was a kinda creepy but on a funny way. And i got entertained from the very start to the end. I loved it... Humor, great dark sphere and good storyline. Not the regular vampire story. Great special effects and good acting.I didn't know there were CDF books and never read any of them. So i came in blank into this movie. This movie would be a reason for me to start reading them! I only can say i found this movie very entertaining and enjoyable. This movie is in my list of favorite movies now. I can't understand the people who gave negative critics. And i can't understand why this movie barely made any money. For me this movie is a "must see" and i recommend it to everybody. I am sure the majority of the people watching it will have a good time. Guaranteed!
zoratwilight Before you keep reading, I will say that I read the books and so my own opinion will be heavily influenced by the books. When I read the entire Cirque Du Freak series, I was amazed by it and I got hooked on it. There was always an astounding plot twist waiting in each book, which made it amazing. I can't say I feel the same way about the movie. This movie is basically the main idea of book 1 with a whole bunch of random stuff thrown in. Many movies mostly follow the main idea of a book but change a few scenes here and there and throw in a few changed details. This basically rewrote everything. Things like the extent of Darren's abilities are over-exaggerated and other things like the vampaneze are nothing like their book counterparts. I could go on for a long time about the many differences between the books and the movie but I won't. One thing that really bothered me was Darren's expressionless-ness. It seemed like he wore the same face throughout the movie. On a more positive note, the action scenes were pretty good although at some points they felt a bit fake. The special effects were also pretty good.