Dylan Dog Review: Another Failed Comic Book Movie?

Take one part mystery, one part supernatural, and one part so-so acting and you get Dylan Dog. Based on the Italian comic book series of the same name, the film version stars Brandon Routh as the retired supernatural detective, Sam Huntington as his sidekick Marcus, and Icelandic actress Anita Briem as Elizabeth.

At first it all seems like a cheesy B-detective movie with Routh as the private eye with a shady past and Briem as the damsel in distress. But not all as it seems in New Orleans as we learn all about its colorful citizens like the werewolves who run a meat packing warehouse, vampires who control the hottest nightclub and sell their blood as drugs, and of course zombies who are just trying to live like the living (no pun intended).

But with a series of murders of both the human and supernatural alike the formerly retired supernatural detective is pulled back into a world that he walked out on. He quickly needs to figure out what is happening and who is behind all the mysterious deaths plus a massive flesh-eating zombie. There to help him is his trusted sidekick Marcus who gets a crash course as a new member of the undead. Huntington was the true gem in this film as his reactions to accepting his new self are priceless. He appears to go through at least some stages of grief like denial, anger and acceptance.

Huntington is currently on Syfy’s Being Human as the werewolf Josh and so he’s no stranger to a supernatural setting. Routh himself has played a “super” character as Bryan Singer’s Superman in Superman Returns as well as the psychic Todd Ingram in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

While Routh is the lead character in the movie, I was a little disappointed with his performance. He just didn’t sell me on his tortured past with his intense reflective gazes that really weren’t working at all. Dylan as the sarcastic and witty anti-hero was just so flat. His love scene with Briem felt so awkward and forced that I was relieved they didn’t show anything more than a kiss and Routh taking his shirt off.

Still though I can’t say that didn’t enjoy some parts of it, mainly Huntington’s scenes as he tries to cope with life as a newly undead. He goes to a burger joint only to be given worms because that was the alternative to human flesh. His human instincts are still telling him how gross that is but it’s hilarious to see zombies portrayed as creatures with feelings and thoughts too, instead of just mindless slow walking human eaters. They even have a zombies therapy group where they can just talk and express their feelings. Maybe it’s because only Marcus’s character that shows any real growth or change as he goes from being a human to a zombie and having to deal with a new set of extremely challenging circumstances that makes for a more interesting performance.

While there were definitely some interesting plot points, Dylan Dog is more of a renter. The film did play homage to the original Italian comic book character by making Dylan wear a red button up shirt and a black sports coat. He even spoke a little Italian. The supernaturals though were more caricatures than real characters, such as Taye Diggs‘ vampire Vargas, who was utterly predictable and generic in his power hungry, I want to conquer the world kind of way. Despite that though, we got some fun fight scenes, a super evil looking beast, a hilarious look at zombie culture, a not so typical damsel in distress plot, and Brandon Routh shirtless. You can be the judge if that’s worth your nine dollars.