Hey I remember Night Watch

As much as I love Star Wars I would say that Night Watch possesses a much more complex and realistic understanding of the relationship between good and evil.  In each film the people who come to possess the special power (whether via the force or being an “Other”) can choose to be on either side.  However, in Star Wars it is made painstakingly obvious that the Jedis and the light side are the good guys so as to give the audience a clear side to root for.  In Night Watch it is more complicated, the light side and dark side to not necessarily represent good and evil because there are clearly good and evil people on both ends.  When Yegor makes his choice at the end of the film it is reminiscent of Anakin Skywalker’s choice to join the dark side in the (horrible) Star Wars prequels.  In Star Wars, Anakin is manipulated by the dark side, desperately trying to prevent a premonition of her death from coming true.  We see the dark side as pure evil who are constantly exploiting Anakin in their quest for power.  In Night Watch, the two sides stay at peace for hundreds of years and the two leaders can have ordinary conversations with each other.

                 A very big distinction between the two films is the truce. While in Star Wars, each side is trying to destroy the other, Night Watch concedes and admits that this fight is futile.  The truce between good and evil in the film is something I haven’t seen much of in any mainstream science fiction or fantasy.  The good side has accepted the fact that they will never truly triumph over evil.  In the Star Wars world there is  always hope for the Jedi to prevail and defeat the Sith but the universe of Night Watch twists this idea and says no its not possible. The goal of both sides in the film is balance. 

                Yegor chooses the dark side at the end of Night Watch because the lines between the two sides are not as clear cut as a film like Star Wars.  Both sides draw power from the same source and understand that they will never truly defeat the other side.  The truce and the ambiguity of good and evil is what makes the struggle in Night Watch unique.