Customer Reviews

The Little Vampire

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Witty, well-acted kids flick that parents will enjoy as well.

A very winning cast, great location, superb kids' story to work with, good production make for some campy scariness for kids with entertainment for mom and dad as well. Charming little movie that appeals to the kid in all of us.The predicament of the cows really did make me laugh out loud.

The acting by one and all was excellent, especially Richard E. Grant as the head of the vampire family. He brought a non-threatening, yet nerve wracking (well, for kids, anyway) presence to the movie. His charming powers over Mrs. Thompson were hysterical, and the entire cast did very well with this movie.

One for the kids that mom and dad will enjoy sitting through, which is a rarity anymore, except for the likes of Shrek.

Oh, and I can't omit Rollo Weeks, as The Little Vampire himself. He was so charming, so perfectly nailed the role of Rudolph. As well as the role for arguably the cutest kid in movies, Jonathan Lipnicki, as Tony Thompson. The crush Anna had on him was acted out adorably by Anna Popplewell, as well. There was just great acting all around in The Little Vampire.

A job well done by all involved. Entertaining, campy, scary enough for the little ones without freaking them out even slightly, and still entertaining for the adults.

"The Little Vampire," directed by Uli Edel, is an appealing fantasy/comedy for a family audience. The story involves Tony Thompson (played by Jonathan Lipnicki), an American boy whose family has relocated to Great Britain. There Tony befriends Rudolph (Rollo Weeks) a vampire boy whose family is being ruthlessly pursued by a vampire hunter who aims to destroy them.

This film portrays vampires as a persecuted minority who really mean no harm to humans (they'll drink cow blood if they need to). The film contains some fun sight gags (many involving vampire cows) and one-liners. There are also some genuinely magical sequences (most notably, some flying scenes).

Lipnicki carries his lead role well. And the wonderful Alice Krige (who also played the Borg Queen in "Star Trek: First Contact") is a delight as Rudolph's sexy vampire mom. But the standout performance is delivered by young Rollo Weeks as the vampire boy. Weeks brings both an ethereal charisma and a childlike ebullience to his character. The vampire performances are enhanced by good makeup and costuming.

There are a few slightly scary scenes, but nothing that bothered my 5-year old nephew too much. The accent in this film is on humor, fantasy, family, and friendship. I noticed some holes in the film's explanation of vampirism. But if you don't get too critical about the details, you should find "The Little Vampire" to be a delight for all ages.

Although this movie will definitely appeal to children because the hero is only eight years old and has some great adventures, it has enough wit to keep older kids and adults entertained as well.

The Thompson family (mom, dad and son, Tony) is living in Scotland while dad designs a golf course for Lord McAshton. Tony is having a hard time fitting in and making new friends and begins having really vivid bad dreams about vampires. Then one night, the dreams turn to reality when a small vampire invades Tony's room, trying to hide from a Vampire hunter, intent on ridding the countryside of all it's 'undead' inhabitants.

Fortunately, these 'undead' are not really interested in munching on the human population all that much. They are all members of the clan of Sackville-Bagg who have found that there is a way in which they can become human, if they can only locate and recover a lost medallion by the time of the full moon.

With lots of help from Tony, they try to stay one step ahead of the Vampire hunter and complete the quest for freedom from vampirism.

Without doubt, Jonathan Lipnicki is one of the most charming and natural actors around. I have loved every role of his that I have seen and "Tony" is no exception. Whether he is 'vamping it up' with fake vampire fangs and a cape or joyfully flying through the air with his new friend Rudolph, he is a treat to watch.

The younger actors, Rollo Weeks, Anna Popplewell and Dean Cook as a rebellous teenager are also excellent and likable as the vampire kids. Other favorite characters are Richard E Grant and Alice Krige as loving parents to their little brood of vampirettes and the scene when they meet Tony's parents and charm them into a trip to the bluff is hilarious.

This is a really good, wholesome family movie that will entertain all the members of the family from the youngsters all the way up to Grandma. It's not saccharin sweet and has a little bit of an edge but is gentle enough that it won't give even the little kids nightmares.

I've viewed this movie several times and still enjoy it every time! This one is a 'keeper' and earns five stars from me.

This is the greatest movie of 2000! I love the casting...except, i think they could have got someone a little older than lipnicki. Rollo Weeks(Rudolf) was absolutely GREAT!!! He's cute, a great actor and has a awesome accent! n e way, before i get carried away about rollo, The Little Vampire was a great movie. its about this boy, tony, that moves to a whole new country and has trouble fitting in. One night he meets a vampire, Rudolf, and his family. Rudolf's brother wants to eat him and his sister wants to marry him! Tony helps find an amulet to turn the vampires into humans. i think everyone will love this movie...where else can u find flying vampire cows!?

I happened to catch this film on a cable television channel recently and, as I have always enjoyed vampire tales, thought that I would give it a go, although my expectations were not high. Was I ever surprised! Boasting a superior cast, a genuinely interesting plot with some quite funny moments, I was riveted to the screen for the duration of the film.

The plot is simple. The Thompsons, an American family of three, are newly transplanted from California to Scotland for business reasons. Bob Thompson (Tommy Hinkley) is designing a golf course for one of the local gentry, Lord McAshton (John Wood). Bob's wife, Dottie (Pamela Gidley), is a stay at home mom to their adorable eight year old son, Tony (Jonathan Lipnicki). It seems that ever since they moved to Scotland and began living in their new home, a spooky old castle, Tony has been having nightmares, and has become obsessed with vampires, who seem to occupy his sleeping, as well as waking, hours. Moreover, Tony is having a hard time adjusting to his new school, as Lord McAshton's sons bully him unmercifully. Tony is not a happy camper.

One night, in flight from a local vampire hunter named Rookery (Jim Carter), an eternally nine year old vampire named Rudolph (Rollo Weeks) strays into Tony's bedroom. Suddenly, an unlikely friendship blossoms, and Tony's life begins changing for the better. Rudolph and Tony are very much in sync and attuned to each other's needs. While Tony envies Rudolph's ability to fly, Rudolph wishes that he could see blue sky and morning birds instead of being destined to roam the earth only by night.

Entwined in the plot is a mysterious missing amulet that the vampires are seeking, as it has the ability to grant them their dearest wish. Moreover, just as Tony has parents, so does Rudolph. His mother, the ravishing Freda Sackville-Bagg (Alice Krige) and his father, the imposing Frederick Sackvile-Bagg (Richard E. Grant), are initially distrusting of their son's friendship with a human. Rudolph's punky looking older brother would just as soon make a meal of Tony, while Rudolph's younger sister, Anna (Anna Popplewell), becomes smitten with him. Still, the friendship continues to flower, and Tony soon finds himself unceremoniously caught up in the path of the local vampire hunter, along with his new found friends. Meanwhile, Tony's parents have no idea that there is a colony of vampires in their midst.

Tony, however, appears to have the capability to help unlock the key to the vampires' current state of affairs through his ability to envision the past. In their efforts to put right what went wrong, Tony and Rudolph search for the amulet that contains the magical Stone of Attamon and have a number of adventures, most of which are funny and will bring a burble of laughter to the viewer's lips. In the end, Tony is called upon to make a decision that can change the lives of Rudolph and his family, forever.

The film, which is based upon a popular series of children's books by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, boasts a well-written screenplay, as well as deft direction. The cast is first rate, and the roles are all well-acted. The adorable Jonathan Lipnicki is irresistible in the role of Tony. Who could not love this kid? Young girls, however, will have their hearts go aflutter over Rollo Weeks.

Adults and children alike will enjoy this delightful film. Adults will especially enjoy some of the parodies contained within the film. Look for Rookery's parody of Jack Nicholson's role in "The Shining", as well as Anna's parody of the Lauren Bacall role in "To Have and Have Not". Those viewers who have seen these films will appreciate how these parodies have been seamlessly woven into the fabric of this film. This is a very enjoyable film that will provide fun for the whole family, as there is something for everyone to enjoy.

The Little Vampire movie was excellent, it had no blood, no gore and very low level voilence. Rudolf ( rollo weeks) acted very good. He had a great charcter and when he flew through tony's windo, you didn't know what to think what would happen.
You must see the movie. 5/5 stars

The whole family will enjoy this flick, its a must have from the first bite to the flying cows!
Easy to watch again and again.
Ages 5-100 - a good clean fun movie.

The best movie I have ever seen would probably be this movie. My favorite charactor is Rollo Weeks (rudolf). He is a good actor and really cute. Anyway The Little Vampire is about a boy named Tony who moves to a new country where everyone talks weird and is the opposite of what he was use to. He has a hard time fitting in and gets made fun of. That all changes when a vampire crashs in his window. Tony meets his new friends family and helps them find the only thing that will change them from vampire to human.

Our family really enjoyed this movie when we saw it in the theatre -- so we bought it when it came out on video. It's a humourous adventure tale, and, fortunately, the parents aren't portrayed as complete imbeciles! This is a great movie for boys and girls under age 10 (especially) who are trying to figure out their own strengths and weaknesses, because they can watch Tony (kind of a clumsy fish-out-of-water kid) become more confident and successful through his friendship with vampires. A good choice for family viewing.

As its title and contents suggest, "The Little Vampire" is a film made mainly for kids in mind, and you cannot disguise that fact in any way. But the film works pretty well as such, and though adults may feel sleepy sitting beside kids, children would enjoy watching the hectic adventure of Tony, played by sweet brother of "Stuart Little," Jonathan Lipnicki. And in this country, instead of pigs, cows can fly, too. Funny rather than scary, isn't it? (but I feel otherwise should I see that).

The film is set in Scotland where newly-moved Tony meets Little Vampire Rudolph. They soon establish unlikely friendship, and join in great adventure with his vampire sister, to seek for a red stone that can turn them and their clan to humans.

The story is simple as that. But the charm of the film lies not there; for you can enjoy the good cast, especially Lipnicki and newcomer Rollo Weeks, playing together as two darling kids. Apparently, the risky factors of the original stories by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg are subdued for younger children. But that is the point, and certainly that makes the film less scarier for them to watch.

Frankly I thought the film's script may look too basic for adults, but it was a long, long time ago when I was a kid, and I must admit that I might have felt differently watching this film back then. So, no more complaint.

It is interesting to notice, however, that some of the gags are meant for adult audience (but not many), and one of them is a parody of famous scene of "Shining." It was not particularly a good one though, but what I was thrilled to see was Rudolph's aristocratic parents played flamboyantly by Richard E. Grant and Alice Krige. As you know, Grant was in Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" while Krige was "Borg Queen" in the "Star Trek: First Contact," and the latter's hairstyle here ineveitably led my mind to that film. These facts justly make an impressive entry of this film into a cult classic.