[The_Return]

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant (2009)

Totally DESTROYED my expectations. The books were my absolute favourites when I was younger, so even though this looked pretty lame I had to check it out anyway. Based on the trailers I wasn't expecting much at all, but as it turns out, I really had fun with it.

Stays surprisingly faithful to the books, essentially adapting the first and second, while mixing in some elements of the third as well. It's obviously condensed quite a bit, but they hit most of the major points and keep the atmosphere completely intact. John C. Reilly was a huge surprise as Crepsely - I hated the idea when I heard he was cast, but he actually did a lot of justice to the character; after seeing it, I couldn't imagine anyone else in the role. Casting was bang on all-around...all the "freaks" were awesome, Ray Stevenson was perfect as Murlaugh (though I do wish they had used more of Tunnels of Blood so he could have got more screentime), and even the younger cast were pretty impressive - specifically Josh Hutcherson as Steve, who managed some wonderfully menacing moments during the climax.

Of course there are elements that as a fan of the books, I could nitpick about. But on the whole it was a very faithful and HIGHLY entertaining adaption of one of my favourite modern vampire stories. Anyone who has read the books will not be disappointed, and if you can get past the fact that it's geared towards a younger audience most everyone should find something to enjoy.

Fingers crossed they stick to the plan and adapt the rest of the series - this really left me wanting more.