Customer Reviews

Kindred the Embraced - The Complete Vampire Collection

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Wanting something new in the vampire genre, I went on a search for films and came across Kindred: The Embraced. It seemed vaguely familiar. After viewing it, I realized that I had seen the initial episode when it originally aired, but when I purchased it I did so thinking I was doing it sight unseen.

I've since watched all eight episodes and can say that I am not disappointed. The fact that this series was based on sets of role playing novels is a mark in its favor. I say this because the series is not about the blood aspect of vampires or, as they are here, the Kindred. There is indeed action, tame violence, but if you're looking for gore and aggression, if that's what you want out of your vampire film experience, Kindred: The Embraced is not the place you`ll find it.

What this series focuses on is the community that the clans of the Kindred have made for themselves, the peace they have forged to live without fear amongst humans. They have a set of laws designed to guard the Masquerade, a grand scheme to hide their identity from the world, and they have a prince to enforce those laws. That prince is Julian Luna, played by Mark Frankel, and he is the ultimate strength of the series.

The character of Julian Luna is a complex one. His sense of humanity has the potential to clash dangerously with his responsibility towards the clans. He is aware of what he must do, but knows that it comes with a price, whether it be for his people or for himself specifically. And his struggle to tread that line is where the emotion lies for the viewer. Frankel was a wonderful choice for the role of Julian Luna. He is, in many respects, the quintessential vampire--beautiful, charismatic, elegant and lethal.

My favorite episode is the last, "Cabin in the Woods." Therein lies the potential of the show. Julian's character has started to peak, we begin to see what he is capable of, and it is bittersweet to know that nothing will follow. It would have been remarkable to see what direction this show would have taken.

Certain aspects are not entirely realistic, such as the premise behind C. Thomas Howell's character, but it is easy to take that as a first season fault. And, really, it may also be because of the depth they were aiming for, which, if that is the case, is most forgivable.

The only thing that I did not appreciate was how the DVDs were put together. Credits run before and after every episode. Within each you get long pauses where commercials no doubt were and they are preceded with the name of the show against a black backdrop. I don't see the necessity of keeping the shows in the original format, but since I own no other TV series to DVD set perhaps this is not so specific to Kindred.

If you are thinking about buying Kindred: The Embraced without having seen it, with little knowledge of the background or the series in general, there is, in my opinion, scarce need for debating the matter. I bought it on impulse (a rarity, actually, for me) and it paid off. It's not all I've ever looked for in the vampire genre, but it fulfills some of my requirements and I not only enjoy it, but am most glad I now own it.

Back in the Summer of 1996 (I think) I picked up on this series, which is based on the White Wolf role playing world of the Masquerade. Within the bounds of that game various clans of vampires struggled with each other and their inner natures to maintain the secrecy if their existence. For discovery would mean annihilation at the hands of the Earth's other dominant species - humanity.

An entire industry and literature sprang up around the Masquerade, but it was still a surprise to find it playing on my TV set. Even more remarkable was the overall quality of the series, which included an excellent cast led by Mark Frankel playing Julian, primogen of clan Ventrue and Prince of the city, and C. Thomas Hollowell as Frank Kohanek, the human detective who wanders into the night world. Love interest is added by Kelly Rutherford, who plays a beautiful young human newspaperwoman.

Much of the series focuses on the politics of the clans - Eddie Fiori, the Bruhah primogen is jealous of Julian's power and the struggle occupies some five of the eight episodes. But there is plenty of room for horror, suspense, and romance as well. All beautifully filmed, depending more on good settings and acting than special effects.

Because vampires as main characters limit too much of the filming to the darkness, the film's writers deviated from the orthodox formula for a vampire. They can wander in the light for short periods of time and still seem to have their reflections. This isn't the only time this has been done, but Masquerade's rules are extremely traditional, and it's no surprise that fans of the game are unhappy with some factors of the program. My personal feeling is that it underlines the idea that humans are never safe,

But the program itself is excellent. At the time it finished airing I assumed it was just a Summer trial balloon that would never reappear. What I didn't know was that it had been a success and was scheduled for a full season when Mark Frankel was killed in an accident. Since he had literally stolen the show, there was no easy way to continue.

If you want to see what an adult vampire series could have been then pick up this set, which is available at a bargain price. You will have no cause for complaint.

This is definitely a series which any true gothic, vampire mythos afficionado would love! I bought the VHS set of this series from AMAZON, and needless to say I was truly impressed! It was everything I expected it to be, albeit for some rather dragging moments where more action would have been in order (e.g. the pilot). Still, this set is obviously well worth the price, since it contains all aired episodes plus a bonus one.

Kindred: The Embraced is based on the Vampire: The Masquerade rpg. The late Mark Frankel steals the show as the charismatic Julian Luna, San Francisco's vampire Prince of the City - cool clothes, too! The rival vampire gang Bruja is headed by the vicious Eddie Fiore, played by Brian Thompson (who reprises his vampire role in shows such as Fright Night II and Buffy!). A somewhat irritating and ultimately predictable role is played by C. Thomas Howell as detective Frank Kohanek.

As stated earlier, the series does have its dull moments, but I think the premise and overall story is very original and fascinating, which primarily explains the 5 stars. As I said in my original review of the VHS, other vampire-themed shows such as Buffy, Forever Knight and Dark Shadows pale in comparison. I hope they eventually revive this series; I think its cult following is sufficiently large enough to justify it!

I can't understand why there are so many Vampire fans that hate Kindred. I love Vampires and I think Kindred portrays them very well. I read a lot of bad reviews before I bought this DVD so I was expecting it to be lousy. To my surprise it was very very good. The DVD collects all eight episodes of the short-lived series. The series tells the story of five different Vampire clans in San Francisco. The clans battle one another for power like mobs. They are united by Julian (the much missed Mark Frankel) the "prince" of all of the clans. Julian is faced with the task of uniting the clans in a truce over the course of the eight episodes. As the series moves forward the Clans attempts at peace are threatened more and more by the Brujah clan and its thug leader Eddie Fiori (Brian Thompson from "Buffy" and the X-Files). As the series draws to a close the Clans have a final battle with Fiori and his thugs in "The Rise and Fall of Eddie Fiori" and many issues are resolved.

Kindred the Embraced is really great because it is the first show to really have mafia clan Vampires. I think the concept of Vampire Clans fighting a mafia-like war is really great. It pputs a new twist on the Vampire mythology and it makes the show really cool. I really can't understand why people didn't like the show more. If you love Vampires you should buy this DVD. It is really great. I think they should re-release it in a couple of years with all kinds of extra features. I also think they should put it back on TV. We really need a cool Vampire show since Buffy is really becoming lousy.

I wathced this show when it was first aired on FOX way back in '96. Already a fan of Forever Knight and Anne Rice, I fell in love with this show. Cash and Sasha were definetely my favorites. The RPGs complain that the show isn't identical to the rules of the Game, but it's an amazing show in it's own right. I wish it would have lasted a lot longer, but, unfortunately, there was a vast conspiracy going on in the '90s where every show I liked was cancelled. (Who else remembers "Profit"? Now that was another one that was killed way too soon.)

One caveat, make sure you buy the version currently on sale and not a used one. The DVD versions released a few years ago are missing the great scene with Sasha in the winery, but the newer versions (ASIN: B00005Q4DS) have the scene.

'Short lived, but forever loved' is a perfect title for more reasons than one. I loved this show when it aired and was very heartbroken when it ended. I wish it could have gone to its planned end, but it's probably more fitting that it did not.

Can we say open mouth and swallow entire foot? Well, that is exactly what a previous reviewer did when they said 'It was right that it was pulled 8 episodes in'. First of all in the US it was only aired for 7 episodes, the 8th one never made it to TV. On September 24, 1996 Mark Frankel, who played Julian Luna, the true star of the series, was killed in a motorcycle accident in England. That is why there were only 8 episodes and that is also why only 7 were aired on US TV. And after only 20 minutes watched I can see why they don't have a clue what the show was about and could not have given an HONEST review without having watched it all.
And comparing it to Buffy? I watched and enjoyed Buffy and it can't even be placed in the same category with Kindred. They are NOT the same kind of Vampire shows. Kindred runs more along the lines of RPG, with sexy, charismatic and brooding vampire's and some of the same clans (Ventrue, Nosferatu, Gangrel, Brujah, Toreador), who live along side of humans and don't try to bite every one they meet. Buffy just had bad vamps, which most of the time came across as brainless idiots that needed to be destroyed, who can't live along side of humans and would rather bite every one they come in contact with.
Kindred was an excellent series with a huge fan following at the time it aired. If you love Vampire's or even just like them like I do, you would not be wasting your money buying this box set. It's not all about the blood sucking, in fact there isn't a lot of blood sucking going on. It's about Vampire's living along side humans. They have jobs, a leader, forbidden love, relationships with humans, conflicts, passion, gangs...they are lawyers, business owners, musicians, painters, bikers, gypsies, artists...the list could go on.
Mark Frankel was charming, charismatic, dangerously alluring, exotic, and tragic and so was Julian Luna, his character. Mark Frankel will be deeply missed by this fan!
By the box set and fall in love with Mark Frankel/Julian Luna like I did!

I was really happy to see this released on DVD as the show was great. My review revolves around the studio transfer to DVD. The DVD is missing one scene from the first episode. The scene where Sasha is introduced at the grandchilds funeral wake in the wine cellar. This entire scene was not included on the DVD. It is however on the VHS copy.

Also there are numerous 2-3 second blank spots where a commercial would have aired and whoever did the editing left a gap between scenes. Once again these blank spots are only on the DVD, not the VHS tape edition.

"Kindred: The Embraced" was based on the White Wolf role playing game "Vampire: The Masquerade". The show met with an untimely demise when the main cast member was killed in a motorcycle accident while the show was on hiatus. The show was nonetheless brilliant, portraying the vampires as "clans" who all had a stringent set of codes and rules they were expected to live by. The "Prince of the City", Julian Luna in the case of the clans we are following in this series which is set in the City of San Francisco, is expected to make sure all the clans follow all the rules. It was kind of like the mob . . . immortal style. It's a great series even if you're NOT a vampire fan.

I never watched "Kindred: the Embraced" when it aired back on Fox in 1996, so I can't say I've been a longtime fan. But what made me buy this DVD was reading Mark Rein-Hagen's same-named roleplaying book, which this TV series is based on, not to mention I'm somewhat of a C. Thomas Howell and Patrick Bachau fan. Unfortunately, I thought both of their performances/roles were rather bland. I enjoyed Bachau much better in another vampire movie, "Blood Ties." I was amazed by Mark Frankel's performance, however, as well as a handful of others, like Brigid Walsh, who plays Julian's (Frankel's) buxom biker niece. I do agree with previous reviewers that this series is more like a 90210-vampire hybrid than a true representation of the roleplaying guidebook. It's more melodramatic than scary, and ideal for those who prefer their horror somewhat watered down. As for the DVD discs themselves, I was impressed by the opening menus on both of them. There aren't any extra features, but the booklet inside gives a great introduction to the roleplaying game for those who are unfamiliar with it. Below is the episode lineup for those who are interested (FYI: there are some spoilers):

DISC 1

· Episode 1: "Original Saga" begins with two Brujah vampires--one being the leader of the group, Eddie Fiori (Brian Thompson)--executing a Gangrel bodyguard of Julian Luna's (Mark Frankel), the Ventrue Prince of San Francisco, where this all takes place. Detective Frank Kohanek (C. Thomas Howell), along with his partner, Sonny Toussaint (Erik King)--who has a secret of his own, which is partially revealed at the end of this episode--sets out to bring down Julian any way he can. Part of Frank's obsession with him stems from his dating Julian's ex, Alexandra Serris (Kate Vernon), whose life is later endangered when she threatens the Masquerade.

· Episode 2: "Prince of the City" -- Once again, Eddie is battling with Julian over dominance of San Francisco. Frank is under investigation for murder when an attempt to entrap Eddie goes awry. And two new romances start up: the first being between one of my favorite characters, Sasha (Brigid Walsh), Julian's niece, and Cash (Channon Roe), Julian's new Gangrel bodyguard; the second being between Julian and Caitlin Byrne (Kelly Rutherford), a newspaper reporter and some competition for Julian's current Toreador lover, Lillie Langtry (Stacy Haiduk), who gives meaning to the phrase keep your friends close but your enemies even closer.

· Episode 3: "Nightstalker" -- Daedalus (Jeff Kober) falls for a singer, Elaine Robb (Kimberly Kates), at The Haven, the same club where a week-old Gangrel named Starkweather (Nicky Katt) turns up one night. He's later dubbed the Nightstalker when he starts killing for pleasure--Elaine even believes that he's the one who's been mysteriously appearing in her house at night--and Julian and his fellow Kindred try to stop him before Starkweather exposes them all.

· Episode 4: "Romeo & Juliet" -- A Kindred doctor is feeding off of children in a hospital, and Daedalus is called in to kill him. As a result, Daedalus befriends one of the doctor's young victims (Emile Hirsch) against Masquerade rules. Meanwhile, Eddie is trying to start a clan war by embracing Sasha against her will and making her Brujah, a rival clan of the Gangrels (Cash's clan).

DISC 2

· Episode 5: "Live Hard, Die Young, and Leave a Good Looking Corpse" -- Lillie's recently-sired Toreador singer, Zane (Ivan Sergei), creates problems for her and the Kindred when he embraces one girl groupie after the other (one being Chandra West) without their permission or giving them any guidance. Zane goes even further by getting involved with Sasha, which creates a greater rift between her and Julian and Cash, both of whom want to separate her from Zane.

· Episode 6: "The Rise and Fall of Eddie Fiori" -- The title says it all. Eddie tries, once again, to establish dominance in San Francisco with the help of his sire and Prince of L.A., Cyrus (Ed O'Ross), a hired assassin (Blair Valk), and Lillie, who's jealousy has finally mounted concerning Julian and Caitlin. She even hires a private investigator (Jack Conley) to spy on Julian.

· Episode 7: "Bad Moon Rising" -- A young woman's baby is stolen by a Nosferatu, Goth (Skipp Sudduth), in order to sacrifice it during the next full moon as a way for his kind to regain power among the Kindred; hence Julian and his group, as well as Frank, try to intercept the blood ceremony.

· Episode 8: "Cabin in the Woods" -- Caitlin takes Julian on a trip to Manzanita Springs, near his family's old winery estate. After being wounded by a group of Brujah in the area, Julian confesses to her what he really is. Meanwhile, the new primogen of the Brujah, Cameron (Titus Welliver), comes back to settle a vendetta involving Julian and Archon (Patrick Bachau).

This 2-disc set isn't rated, but a PG-13 rating would be fitting due to violence, a few sex scenes, etc.

Kindred: The Embraced is loosely based on the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade. The clan names, appearances of the clan members, and their associated powers remain true to the game itself. The characters and settings are dynamic and the story line of each episode remains true to the overall line of the series - "We are all around you." This series was wonderfully adapted from the game, and it's a shame that the show was brought to an untimely end by the tragic death of Mark Frankel who played Julian Luna, the "Prince of the City" and central character.

Kindred shows a great deal of potential as a series. One of its strengths is in not relying on heavy, flashy special effects. Rather it allows for the mind's ability to scare itself silly through the power of suggestion. So much potential resides within the evolving story line and dynamic characters.

I, for one, would love to see someone revive it, thought I have my doubts of that actually happening. Kindred will forever remain one of vampire fiction's cult classics.