Kiele Sanchez assumes Melissa George's role in this sequel where we find Stella Oleson moving on from Alaska to Los Angeles as the vampires return to rip apart more humans at night in the dark. Stella tries to warn people, and, of course, is considered crazy, until one particular meeting when sunlights she has rigged reveal vampires among a crowded auditorium of citizens, burning alive right before their very eyes, resulting in a frightened stampede. Stella, however, gains allies who have lost loved ones to the vampires and the four of them decide to go a hunting. There is a "queen" of the vampires named Lilith(Mia Kirshner, born to play a head vampiress) who has built a nest in tunnels underneath LA. A vampire named Dane(Ben Cotton), who has somehow retained his humanity, will help them find and hopefully destroy Lilith so that her network of bloodsuckers will fall apart ending their threat to the human race. Stella is obviously reluctant to follow the orchestrated plan of a vampire, and she has little faith in such a small group walking into the lair of Lilith to destroy her. But, with no home to go back to, without anyone believing her story about the deaths of those in Barrow, Alaska, Stella will join forces with these three and the four of them will head into the tunnels after Lilith, prepared with enough weaponry for a war. When this backfires and one among their group is killed, the remaining three will have to reorganize, finding out through the information of a vampire they torture that Lilith plans another night siege on Barrow. The eventual plan becomes simple, find the ship which will carry a whole gaggle of vampires, and destroy it before Lilith can leave.
Harold Perrineau(OZ)has a small part as one of the trio who wishes for Stella to join his group. Rhys Coiro(as Paul)and Diora Baird(as Amber)are the other two who have lost and now hunt the undead savages. Katharine Isabelle(GINGER SNAPS)has a very small part as a tragic victim of Agent Norris(Troy Ruptash), a dying human desperately wanting Lilith to turn him. Somewhat effective direct-to-DVD sequel has its moments, although the climax(a decision Stella makes in regards to dead husband Eben)is preposterous, not to mention the vampires are a bit different than those in the previous film. Kirshner, with those black eyes and mouth full of sharp teeth, is quite stunning as the vamp leader, although her final showdown with Stella is a bit disappointing. The ultra-violence does the trick, you get neck ripping, bloodletting, bodies torn asunder by machine guns, vampires disintegrating by sunlight in gruesome fashion, beheadings, and a face is bashed in with a cinder block. Pretty steamy sex scene between Sanchez and Coiro, although its executed without nudity. My main beef is that the whole point of "30 Days of Night" is the Alaskan setting and the idea of having no escape through sunlight to help you. I would've seriously dug this film a lot more if the filmmakers had decided to follow the heroes into the tunnels a little longer..alas, this is not the case. And, for some reason, the vampires just aren't as scary or ferocious as in the original movie.
Harold Perrineau(OZ)has a small part as one of the trio who wishes for Stella to join his group. Rhys Coiro(as Paul)and Diora Baird(as Amber)are the other two who have lost and now hunt the undead savages. Katharine Isabelle(GINGER SNAPS)has a very small part as a tragic victim of Agent Norris(Troy Ruptash), a dying human desperately wanting Lilith to turn him. Somewhat effective direct-to-DVD sequel has its moments, although the climax(a decision Stella makes in regards to dead husband Eben)is preposterous, not to mention the vampires are a bit different than those in the previous film. Kirshner, with those black eyes and mouth full of sharp teeth, is quite stunning as the vamp leader, although her final showdown with Stella is a bit disappointing. The ultra-violence does the trick, you get neck ripping, bloodletting, bodies torn asunder by machine guns, vampires disintegrating by sunlight in gruesome fashion, beheadings, and a face is bashed in with a cinder block. Pretty steamy sex scene between Sanchez and Coiro, although its executed without nudity. My main beef is that the whole point of "30 Days of Night" is the Alaskan setting and the idea of having no escape through sunlight to help you. I would've seriously dug this film a lot more if the filmmakers had decided to follow the heroes into the tunnels a little longer..alas, this is not the case. And, for some reason, the vampires just aren't as scary or ferocious as in the original movie.