Quentin Tarantino Hailed 2004’s Night Watch as the Next Lord of the Rings

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Quentin Tarantino, the acclaimed director and film enthusiast, rarely talks about fantasy movies. Interestingly, he almost directed The Lord of the Rings, which many consider the best fantasy trilogy ever made. Although that didn’t happen – and he’s even said he wasn’t a fan of the finished films – he did greatly admire the Russian film Night Watch, comparing it favorably to Peter Jackson’s epic.

Timur Bekmambetov’s 2004 film, Night Watch, inspired by Sergey Lukyanenko’s 1998 novel, began what was intended to be a major dark fantasy series, aiming to compete with franchises like The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings. The film mixes the action and style of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Matrix in a story about a battle between good and evil, set in modern-day Moscow. Featuring vampires, witches, werewolves, and other magical creatures, Night Watch is darker than typical high fantasy, offering a more intense, frightening, and captivating experience.

Quentin Tarantino Had High Praise for Bekmambetov’s Night Watch

Quentin Tarantino is known for openly sharing his opinions, and he enthusiastically praised the Russian film Night Watch. In an interview with DVD Talk, he described it as a potentially groundbreaking fantasy movie for Russia, comparing it to The Lord of the Rings. He felt that after the Lord of the Rings films, audiences might think nothing could captivate them again, but Night Watch proved to be a powerful and epic experience.

Tarantino is a big fan of both the film and its director, Timur Bekmambetov. He specifically highlighted his admiration for Night Watch, calling it a fantastic movie, and also praised Bekmambetov’s earlier work, like Gladiatrix, as being amazing.

Quentin Tarantino wasn’t alone in his admiration for Night Watch. Danny Boyle, director of 28 Days Later, was also a big fan, praising it as a worthy follow-up to films like The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix.

Night Watch Actually Beat The Lord of the Rings at the Box Office… in Russia

Despite a disappointing $1.5 million box office run in the United States, the movie Night Watch ultimately earned a profit through sales and rentals, bringing in $9.5 million in physical media sales and $12 million in rentals. While these numbers aren’t huge, Night Watch surprisingly did better in Russia than The Lord of the Rings, earning $16.2 million there.

The film Night Watch was a huge financial hit internationally, earning over $50 million despite only costing $4.2 million to make. This success led director Timur Bekmambetov to create the second film in the book series, Day Watch, in 2006. Day Watch also performed well financially and was generally well-received by viewers, though Quentin Tarantino hasn’t shared his opinion on it publicly.

In 2008, Timur Bekmambetov was set to direct the last movie in the Twilight Watch series. However, he received an offer to direct a major Hollywood film starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman, which he accepted.

Currently, Timur Bekmambetov isn’t planning to finish the Twilight Watch trilogy. However, considering how successful sequels are being released years – even decades – after the original movies, like with Tron, anything is possible.

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2025-11-29 02:45