I guess I'm lucky that I've never read the books, because I had nothing to base my opinion of this movie on. I really didn't have any expectations of this movie, at first. During the first few minutes I wasn't too impressed, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance with an open mind and very little preconceived notions. I genuinely enjoyed the movie. The awkwardness was wonderful; the slight clunking of the plot was almost disengaging, but the strong acting pulled each scene up by the bootstraps. I found the dialogue
refreshingly unique, the characters unpredictable, yet familiar. The film was reminiscent of a pie containing the hand of Tim Burton, which is of course a good thing. Perhaps the movie was expected to live beyond it's means, but I found it well within it's limitations.
John C Reilly deserved this opportunity to display his capability to perform in non-comedic realms. He fulfilled his role outstandingly! The lead actor, while obviously inexperienced, assisted in carrying the movie satisfactorily. His inexperience merely lended to his character's slightly timid personality.
The supporting roles, though some were filled by big names, served the function they were meant to. All of the small characters contributed exactly what they needed to, enough to make the movie much more interesting! However, in my opinion, William Dafoe should have had a larger slice of the pie.
Overall, I adore this movie for what it is: a loose adaptation of a series of books, all crammed into a single movie. It has a little bit of everything (romance, action, comedy, thrill, and fantasy). I feel they did an amazing job. The only downfall is the ending, and that's because they set up for sequels, but weren't able to follow through. I hope someday, someone will decide to create the sequel, and bring new life to the Vampire's Assistant.
EDIT: After reading more of these reviews I had to add a little side note. I don't understand why it matters that much if the movie isn't exactly like the books. I don't even see the need for the movie to be much like the book at all. Sure, the directors/producers/writers may have shot themselves in the foot by not allowing room for the sequels. They may have tried to fit way too much content into one film, since there are quite a few of these books. But why does it matter if a certain instance from the book occurred in a different way, or in a different room than the movie? This movie is only BASED upon the books, not copied and pasted.
Book to movie adaptations are very tricky, and some things may need to be tweaked in order for a film to be made. I've never read the books, and I probably won't. I have, however, read books and then watched the movies based on them plenty of times. I don't needlessly compare the book and the movie because they're two totally different mediums.
My one criticism about this movie is it shouldn't have been a movie at all. It should have been a series, with seasons and episodes. They could have done a lot more and their budget could have been streamlined. But that's not what happened, so I'll just appreciate it for what it is.
If you're considering watching this movie, then give it a chance. Don't allow reviews to set your expectations. Better yet, watch it with an open mind and completely void of any expectation. Even if you've read the books, try to see the movie for what it is: a film that is LOOSELY based on a book series.
I apologize if this review comes across as defensive, or rude. I'm honestly not trying to be that way, I'm just saying I think it's a decent film that deserves better reviews.