Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is the first installment of a proposed franchise, and it’s doubtful we’ll ever see any sequels.

| Original Score: 1/4 | Aug 30, 2023

Since it's the first piece of a complex and lengthy series, more questions than answers are presented.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 28, 2020

As the vampire Larten Crespley, Reilly actually brings out both his sincere and sarcastic sides.

| Original Score: 2.0/4.0 | Sep 5, 2020

An adequate mood setter for the season -- a pretty neat concept that may be slightly overambitious, but still entertaining fluff.

| May 11, 2019

Just another dumb vampire flick.

| Original Score: C+ | Apr 30, 2017

teenybopper fiction brought to life on the big screen, realized as the first installment in a potential franchise that fails to offer reasons why mainstream audiences will want to follow it any further.

| Feb 15, 2012

| Original Score: D+ | May 6, 2011

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 4, 2011

| Original Score: 6/10 | Nov 6, 2010

Tons of fun, but far too childish to be taken seriously.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 13, 2010

The film was based on a series of twelve books (that) must've screamed "franchise pay cheques!" to actors like Dafoe, Hayek and Reilly, who would usually have known better.

| Aug 9, 2010

Weitz's screenplay (with Brian Helgeland) contains liberal splashes of humour, but in the end the film lacks an emotional hook, perhaps thanks to the lacklustre performances of the young leads.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 4, 2010

Promises more depth and substance than it delivers, leaving all the fireworks of the visuals to drive the film's appeal

| Mar 6, 2010

This adaptation never quite reaches the sunlight. The difficulty is the credible integration of the normal world with that of the freaks

| Mar 6, 2010

What in the heck is going on here? Not scary, not funny. The story gets lost in the woods. Paul Chambers, CNN.

| Original Score: D+ | Feb 10, 2010

Reilly's Crepsley makes both the afterlife and any sequels to come equally appealing prospects.

| Dec 17, 2009

Plenty of good elements here, but a lack of cohesion and a lackluster performance by the lead actor make the film at best a decent rental.

| Original Score: B- | Dec 2, 2009

Not a thing in this movie is subtle, from its cheesy special effects to its by-the-numbers storyline to its cardboard cutout characters.

| Nov 19, 2009

The funny bits are amusing, the action entertaining, the themes simple, the promise of future tales tantalizing, and the overall feel of the movie is more charming than epic or scary.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 19, 2009

...a watchable (yet undeniably forgettable) endeavor.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 18, 2009