The Gist:
A group of vampires, Deacon, Viago, Vladislav and 8,000-year-old Petyr, all share a house in Wellington, New Zealand. Despite their age and supernatural affinity they spend most of their time bickering over chores, past-times and personalities. Just when they allow a documentary team to film their behaviour, their habitual rhythm gets subverted by the introduction of a brand-new vampire, the upcoming annual masquerade ball and a roving band of clean-mouthed werewolves.
The Review:
One of the most infuriating things about reviewing films, regardless of whether it’s a cinema or DVD release, is when someone, somewhere manages to succinctly explain one in a statement of under ten words. In the case of What We Do In The Shadows that certain someone’s statement was: Flight of The Conchords but with vampires. If you’re in a rush, there’s your review. If, however, you’ve got more time and a certain searching for nuance within a quirky Kiwi horror-comedy mockumentary, then let’s press on.
I’m trying to think when it was the mockumentary became a movie genre unto itself and when was the last time I thought it was genuinely doing something new. It’s a bit of a task. Try doing this whilst not getting confused with the similar-yet-distinct genre of found-footage films if you’re up for a bigger challenge. Regardless, it’s with a suitably impressed thumbs-up that I claim What We Do In The Shadows is the best kind of mockumentary; one that has its own, unique identity, sense of pace and that there’s nothing else like it despite feeling so familiar (and, it must be said, unlike many other mockumentaries, it makes pains to remind you of the camera crew’s constant, slightly terrified, presence).
That familiarity is mostly felt in a tonal sense with that other New Zealand institution, Flight of The Conchords. The whole film plays on that awkwardly-nervous and overly-polite energy that runs through that show, an energy that shows up the presented vampirical stereotypes for what they are. Even though tallest half of The Conchords and writer/director Jermaine Clement plays the debauched ‘Vlad the Poker’, fellow writer/director Taika Waititi plays the dandy Viago and Jonathan Brugh is the egotistical Deacon, they all obey the dance routine that is awkward Kiwi comedy.
As great as the set-up is (especially with the inclusion of the fellow undead groups operating in Wellington, everybody’s best friend Stu, the tackling of modern technology and the occasional awful punning), it’s not a laugh-out-loud comedy. The constant riffs on the almost Hammer-style vampiric lore (complete with outrageous accents and magical powers) are certainly worth a chuckle, but it never reaches the heights of things like ‘Spinal Tap’ and ‘Zelig’. That it can be amicably compared to those two is no bad thing indeed, as a matter of fact it handles it’s more horror-y aspects more than competently, but it feels like it could do just that bit extra something in the giggles department.
It’s a shame the film lets itself down in that regard, as everything else is good enough to support a stronger darkly-comic outing. The acting is naturalistic and believable (even for campy vampires), the mockumentary style fits the situation just-so, the idea that Wellington is home to a cabal of mostly-polite undead societies is genius, it just pains me to say it doesn’t springboard off these ideas enough.
The Verdict:
What What We Do In The Shadows does, it does well. Not enough to reach the pantheon of the truly brilliant, sadly, but if you’re into a bit more Conchords-esque comedy, this is exactly what you need. It’ll never be ‘Spinal Tap with Vampires’ or ‘A Gothic Flight of The Conchords’, but it comes closer than anything else will. That said, it’s a finely-sized slice of cinema. A pizza among pizzas, if you will. Nothing wrong with pizza, I love pizza, you just won’t remember it several pizzas down the line. Now I want to watch Flight of The Conchords and eat pizza. For that I thank you, What We Do In The Shadows. Thank you.
Certificate: 15
Directors: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi
Starring: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Rhys Darby
Running Time: 85 minutes
Release Date: 13th April 2015
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