Throughout the opening moments of Blood it appears as though it is going to be an exact live action copy of the original (and much shorter) anime. However this soon diminishes and we are left with something that could be easier summed up as an over the top swordplay gore fest. . .which isn't a bad thing!
For a film of its kind on a budget it pulls out pretty well, the CGI throughout leaves a lot to be desired, but it made up for by Yuen Kwai's stellar action choreography. Which makes me wish the film stayed low key and left out the elaborate gore, and high flying chases. But then again it’s a vampire flick, and what better way to eliminate "Blood suckers" then removing limbs, and separating the left side of the body from the right? That said if you like gore, you will not be disappointed, but be warned the Blood Suckers do not bleed the blood you know and love, instead they seem to live off what looks like strawberry yogurt, with extra strawberries!
Our main heroin is played very well by Korean actress Gianna Jun, aka, Jun ji-Hyun, aka, The Girl! Yes, that Sassy Girl herself is all growd up and can very much do the action thing! Her performance steals the show, as it rightly should. Unfortunately her performance highlights the less talented supporting cast who’s performances can range from decent, to just plain awful. However the entire cast, despite the range of acting talent, is very well casted and look the parts perfect!
Blood the Last Vampire may not appeal to everyone, and is a sure fire hit or miss among fans of the anime. But I really did enjoy it for what it is. It’s a fun, stylized, over the top, swordplay-gore fest with some top notch limp hacking fight choreography. It may not be Nosferatu, but at least there is no Jessica Biel or Ryan Reynolds to be found!
7.5/10
A Film by Chris Nahon
LOL. Blade Trinity sucked. No pun was intentional but it is a true wonder to fathom how certain film scripts are green-lit by studios who merely wish to cash-in on a threequel despite a horrible draft.
ReplyDeleteBlood had intrigued me as I did moderately enjoy the anime film (extended-TV-episode-sized that it was)but I may pass on viewing it for now thanks to this helpful review. Currently I'm favoring dialogue, story, character development and talent over simple action and excessive gore. There is an animated television series now of Blood, so it must be increasing in popularity, justifying a live-action adaption. Still after watching Midnight Meat Train and Drag Me To Hell back-to-back, I need a break from the blood-fest genre of film.