Let me ask you a couple of questions.
One: Would you like to eat a cheeseburger off a super models ass?
Two: Would you like to watch a movie about a sexy badass vampire who plays with samurai swords?
My guess is that for most of you here the answer to both questions is Yes.
And here we have Blood: The Last Vampire.
Vampire movies like Twilight and tv shows like True Blood and Buffy recently have come to mean very different things than they used to.
Don’t go into this movie expecting that kind of General Hospital crap.
This movie is quick to get into things. And by that I mean maiming and killing things.
In a Blade esque move, we have a four hundred year old half demon/Vampire in the package of a 16 yr old Japanese school girl working to take down her own kind- well sort of her own kind and save humanity in the employ of a shadowy government
organization.
Who doesn’t love a vampire with a heart of gold?
There is of course honor to be avenged and a demon to vanquish which motivates Saya(Gianna Jun) on a personal journey for revenge.
The movie takes place on an 70’s American army base in Japan which provides an interesting set but is really quite secondary to all the open scene vampire/samurai/kung-fu melees.
It is on this base that Saya picks up her requisite side kick- Alice (Allison Miller- 17 Again) who initially appears to be a worthy student in “tough girl” training but later defaults to Jiminy Cricket mode to keep Saya from giving in tot “the Dark side” -Sigh
I was really hoping this relationship would become more complex as I felt it was a missed opportunity with a potentially strong character.
Action sequences are superb, well directed- rhythmic and the super fast- supernatural ass kicking is punctuated at just the right moment with a freeze frame arm slice or decapitation for effect.
This makes sense considering action director” here is Corey Yuen, who worked on the first two Transporter films.
Also to be noted the cinematography/lighting is great and actually quite beautiful truly help to create a world to inhabit, but the effects used for the demon bosses did not.
Just because the movie is set in the 70’s doesn’t mean they had to use actual 70’s film making special effects.
But laser focus of Saya-actress is enough to keep you in the game even when the melted gummy bear looking demons attack.
From the first appearance you instantly like Saya- the movie achieves an icon with her character and you are willing to follow.
Based on the animation of the same name, the movie follows a video game staged plot with Saya fighting her way though a series mid level bosses only for one goal Onigen- the oldest most vile of all the demons, Darth Vader and Dracula all in one- but in more of a Star Wars than M night Shamalan – “Tweeeest” the littlest half vampire hits a brick wall of a realization while fighting Onigen.What will she do next?!
You know what she will do, but predictably and less than finished effects aside.
This is a fun movie with it’s own moments in a well tread genre, it felt like a really great student film more than a major release.
But I liked it, and if you’re not feeling Borat II or would rather avoid anything with Shaya The Boof, buy some snacks from Duane Reade stuff them in your pocket and sit down for some righteous demon slaying and live vicariously through Saya as she does what you only wish you could do to your own demons- like say your boss.
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MORE INFORMATION
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http://www.pathe.co.uk
http://www.bloodthelastvampiremovie.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-The-Last-Vampire/87414881777
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0806027
