Nick Knight

First of all I like FK very much, and therefore was comparing it to FK and being very hypercritical toward it. I do have to say that everyone in the movie did a capable acting job in my opinion, although I am no authority in this department.

I've got nothing against Rick Springfield, he did a good job. I liked the part at the beginning in the tanning booth, in fact I think they who made this movie should have made hime spend a few minutes in the booth where his angst would build, maybe with a flashback to being caught out in the sun starting to self-combust. I know why they didn't. They want you to not know that he's a vamp, but to figure it out from the clues. But they contradicted themselves in this line of reasoning here, because everyone who watches it already knows anyway, because this story is advertized as the story of the vampire detective, and they themselves are the ones who advertized it as such.

But I have to say, the sound quality is truly pathetic. And this is a DVD no less, friends. Couldn't they have cleaned up the sound a bit for us? No, evidently not! I had to turn the volume all the way up to 11 to catch what the people in the movie were saying, then the static and other noise was unbearable. Also I didn't like the vampire makeup in this version. The visual quality isn't too good either, although the DVD of the 1st season of FK also doesn't have very good visual quality, maybe the master tapes are bad.

While I'm sure that the actor who plays Nick's confidante the medical examiner is a nice guy, I think the idea of having Dr. Nathalie Lambert in FK is a much better idea, because as we all know vampires are supposed to be sexy and sexual tension (or tension of any kind) of an ongoing nature between characters makes for more riveting drama. That tension is lacking here, except for that between Nick and the museum lady, and Nick and Janette (who is smoldering in FK, but more on that later.)

The LaCroix we see here (ditto about the actor being a nice guy) seems to me to be more like a human baddie than one of the Undead. His voice and look remind me more of a human gangster (from the 70's, not the 20's) with a much too serious mien than the timeless (ok, 2000 year-old) evil vampire with the sick, twisted, but funny sense of humor and irony that Nigel Bennet has bequeathed to us, the FK faithful.

I also think this version falls short of FK in that to my memory, there are no flashbacks to take you back with Nick into his past to really remind you that he is older than he looks, and that he is more then the (in this cas L.A.) detective he appears to be, but rather a product of several lifetimes of experiences.

I like Janette in FK much better, as well as Captain Stonetree from Season 1 of FK, because they each seem to have more personality than their respective counterparts in this version.

Oh well, since this eventually led to FK, I am glad that it was made. But since FK is so much better, I can't under normal circumstances recommend it. Get this only if you really want to have it to compare to FK, or you're a Rick Springfield fan, or something like that. Otherwise, stick with just the FK DVD.

As Skanke would say, Ciao.

The show that finally ran (Forever Knight) was quite a bit different and therein lies some of the appeal of watching this movie-- the chance to compare and contrast. I had just recently bought the first season of Forever Knight so I had a prime opportunity here.

This version is slicker, with an 80's rock background that has a certain retro appeal. It was obviously shot in a warmer climate. Rick Springfield has a lean and hungry look that contibutes to his tortured vampire character as he runs the gamut of emotion from tormented to tormented. While probably a better actor, Geraint Wynn Davies who played the character in the series, has to fight against his sleek, blond appearance. Somehow it is easier to look as if you have a brooding, soul-destroying secret if you are a brunette.

I also really enjoyed the contrast between Nick's starvling, blood junkie pose and Alyce Hunter, the Mayan scholar, constantly stuffing herself with junk food. I also enjoyed her look since Wardrobe apparently dressed her from Banana Republic back in the good old days before BR became a mall shop.

Anyway, the movie is not bad at all if you are in the mood for some vampire mind candy with a bit of retro.

Perhaps this is one of my frustrations with the TV show. It seemed dumbed down as if the writers and makers where sure we weren't bright enough to catch any implications they might throw at us so buff it over lightly and ignore. I was constantly saying "That could have been GREAT if only... Darn it they did it again and missed." With the movie well...

The film does NOT do this. It has a depth that the TV never made it to. Major characters from the tv show are missing, such as Nat [thank you thank you].

Nick is believable as a haunted knight errant seeking salvation in a world that is not so nice sometimes. The character is fully developed and interesting. When it ended I wanted more of THIS Nick. Sadly what followed [on TV] didn't give me that.

The list could go on.