Bloody Evolution

Vampires. Complex creatures. I like the way they are portrayed in books, where my imagination is free to explore and paint the picture about how they look and behave. I have grown to disagree with the way certain movies depict them eg. From Dusk to Dawn.

This is a short(ish) blurb on my fascination not so much about the creatures themselves but about the way they have been perceived, or invented, over the years and how their legacy is explained to us, books versus films.

Backtrack 1#: The Historian and Anne Rice. While on holiday at Cradle Mountain, we did some reading in the comfort of our log cabin, in front of the fire while it was snowing outside. I picked Ian M. Banks' The Algebraist and Lesley picked Elizabeth Costova's The Historian.

Late last year I started The Historian myself. It's the story of Paul and Helen, two historians from either side of the Atlantic who meet by both of them embarking on the same journey: Him to find his tutor and dear friend and her to find her father. Ultimately they are tracing the steps of the head honcho of the vampires, Count Dracula.

This book is captivating. In a similar but very pleasant manner as the DaVinci Code, historical events and locations are explored and described with passionate details. It gives a very convincing account of how Count Dracula came to be and his legacy over the centuries and you can't help but admire the man, his conquests and abilities. The author is very cleverly swapping narrators between the male historian and his young daughter.

About the same time I finished The Historian, I had also finished the 6-month project of renovating our upstairs retreat and bedroom. The retreat features inbuilt shelving and cupboards so we got talking about filling the voids with our evolving book collection. Then Lesley suggested that I read the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. My only Rice experience to date had been the movie Interview with a Vampire, the fist book of the series. Unable to find that book, I got started on The Vampire Lestat and then moved on to The Queen of the Damned (still in progress). Rice's talent in describing all things vampire is simply exquisite and you cannot help but feeling a degree of admiration about the creatures. Such amazing, supernatural powers such as the ability to transfer images mentally from one to another, telekinesis etc. But with all this perfection, there's a flaw: daylight is a big no-no.

Backtrack #2: Underworld and Underworld:Evolution
Two years ago (and during our early courtship), Lesley and I went to see Underworld. It was really enjoyable and the midnight session and (coincidentally, of course) the cold and rain outside only enhanced the experience. Except for Scott Speedman's performance as Michael, which was wooden. All vampire rules were there. Vampires must die a mortal death, only to be awaken centuries later and come back stronger.

Last weekend we saw Underworld:Evolution. Amongst other evolved facts, Speedman's acting has evolved too. No longer Mr Pitiful, we're now talking Mr Smarty "it all makes sense to me" Pants. Michael and Selene kick werewolf ass and utilise some kick-ass weaponry to fight the bigger wolves. We relaxed and were going with the flow...

...But as it seems that all good thing must come to an end, here's the spoiler - which came to me hours later: Underworld:Evolution was leading to an all-out, visually impressive ending. And it was quite all-out captivating, except for the last few seconds: The 'evolved' vampire Selene (and perhaps their offspring, if Underworld:Maternity is ever released) is no longer affected by daylight.

I am sorry, I don't like it. It's not normal.