Customer Reviews

Rise: Blood Hunter

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

While Rise: Blood Hunter isn't a terrible film, it's a predictable one. This is meant to be a revisionist vampire film (no one actually uses the word vampire in the movie) but these are the same trendy vampires that have haunted the screen since Blade. Is it too much to ask someone to try and shake up the vampire film the way Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red did with Near Dark? Or Larraz did with Vampyres (over 30 years ago)? Can't we just get a little Nosferatu around here? Instead what we have here is a journalist by the name of "Sadie" (Lucy Lui) who discovers that a young goth girl she briefly covered in a recent article has been found dead and a hidden message she left behind may lead to her killer's whereabouts. What she discovers is a secret underground group of vampires, who feed on unsuspecting women. Sadie becomes their latest victim, but instead of being left for dead, is turned into one of them. After she awakens in the morgue, she must come to terms with her new self and is enlisted by a mysterious Spanish man, who gives her the means and know-how on how to find and destroy the vampires that turned her.

This movie proved to be another interesting take on the vampire mythos. The vamps in this flick are fangless and really show no signs of being Nosferatu, with the exception of their strength, lack of a reflection, and thirst for blood. They're not afraid of crosses, and we're not shown whether the old garlic theory works on them. Sadie doesn't even use wooden stakes to kill them; instead she seems to use metal bolts shot from her small crossbow. Although the flick is very slow-paced and doesn't offer a whole lot of the typical vampire action we're accustomed too, it does show a different side to the legend, by following Sadie from the moment she awakens in the morgue, to how she gradually copes with her thirst, and eventually finding strength in herself to confront those that harmed her.

The whole sequence where she awakens in the morgue, to her trip to a homeless shelter, where she feeds on her first victim, was somehow mesmerizing to me. I also liked a scene where she finally accepts the fact that she needs to feed and picks up a hitchhiker in a secluded road. From the homeless shelter to her reactions and awkward dialogue with the hitchhiker, the film seemed to portray a kind of realism behind vampirism and the need to feed. That, and my general interest with revenge-type flicks, led me to enjoy the movie mildly. Since this isn't your typical vampire film, there's no flying, clawing, or neck biting, so the gore is kept at a minimum. There is, however, a lot of blood spurting and bolts to the heart. In the end, what it lacks in gore and action, it makes up for in story.

Hence, the four stars. I'm going out on a limb here and I know I'll get booed but I liked this movie and thought it very good for it's genre. I realize people don't like it when you go against the popular vote but I wanted to provide another voice. I'll skip summarizations as that has been already been provided but give my thoughts (for the two cents they're worth) instead.

I gather the Amazon Review person didn't watch the same movie because there are a lot of errors in that summary. I'm also confused over the starring roles listing. Robert Forster was on screen for maybe two minutes - a nice cameo by him and a few others. Marilyn Manson played a bartender without all the make-up (it took a while to recognize him) and Nick Lahey plays a small time crook who doesn't think about the whole picture (working for a vampire cult is never a good idea). All of acting was good, even the minor characters, with two main characters standing out. Sadie Blake (Lucy Lui), a supposed unwilling victim and The Bishop (James D'Arcy), an Englishman who charms his way past a woman's barriers. These two are the ones to watch and scenes containing them sizzle. The cinematography is amazing with it's color washes of reds and blues upon black. It's nicely filmed by a master.

There were nice twists here with the innocent turned against her will into vampirism.... or was she? We learn from Eve that her will to survive was so strong that not even The Bishop's feeding could kill her. That her survival instincts took over and that's what made her a vampire, not another vampire. She was lead in that direction but Blake choose her path. I found this to be an interesting character development. As the Alchemist points out, no one is really innocent. He also points out that she is different from them, that she possess a gift. Apparently, this gift is the thirst for life and not the blood she needs to sustain it (life being a relative term here).

This movie definitely left on a possible sequel note and although I would not mind seeing another installment, the straight to dvdness of this movie leaves little option for another. There were a few plot holes but that's what makes it a "B" grade movie so I let it go.

I recommend this movie for supernatural film fans that like a different kind of vampire movie. This is not a great film and doesn't really qualify as true horror (lack of scary parts - plenty of gore but not much genuine fear), but entertaining all the same. Maybe it's just me though because I hated Dracula 2000 and most reviewers loved it.

If you're a reporter and you're given the choice between doing a story on a strange Goth Cult that act like vampires or doing a story that puts you deep in a war-torn area in the middle of fierce fighting...choose the latter.

After what pretty much amounts to a straight to DVD release in the US, I was surprised to see that Rise - Blood Hunter had some pretty popular stars: Lucy Liu ( Charlie's Angels / Charlie's Angels Full Throttle ), Michael Chiklas ( The Shield - Seasons 1 - 5 ) and a group of other actors that you'll say, "hey, I just saw that guy in...." However, after watching the movie, I was more surprised that this group of actors even took roles in what was more like a fair-at-best Blade Trilogy spinoff.

Rise - Blood Hunter (aka just "Rise") is one of those films that starts with a teaser-glimpse of the end, then the movie unnecessarily jumps all over from past to present throughout the flick. This made for a more discombobulated story flow than it did for an interesting way to tell a story. The plot (after much back-story) surrounds the plights of a rogue vampire (Liu) that crosses paths with a cop looking for the cult (or person...or thing) that killed his daughter.

Rise has its tense moments, but they are few and far between, and the film is a tad bit predictable. It's also sexy at times...kinky even. But even Lucy Liu hanging upside-down naked couldn't get a big enough...er...um..."Rise" out of audiences to keep this movie out of the straight to DVD crossbow sight.

Rise is no collector's item.

Hence, the four stars. A quick summary goes as follows: a female reporter (Blake) researches into secret parties that have teenagers going missing. She gets a little too close to the story when she discovers a vampire cult and ends up missing herself. Sort of. Blake does manage to find one of the missing teenagers, a cop's daughter. The cop (Michael Chiklis) also tracks down Blake and decides to do whatever is necessary to get his daughter back.

All of acting was great, even the minor characters, and there were entertaining cameos throughout this movie. Robert Forster was there and gone in a flash. Marilyn Manson played a bartender without all the make-up (it took a while to recognize him) and Nick Lahey plays a small time crook who doesn't think about the whole picture (working for a vampire cult is never a good idea). But the two main characters are the ones that kept me glued to the screen. Sadie Blake (Lucy Lui), a supposed unwilling victim and The Bishop (James D'Arcy), an Englishman who charms his way past a woman's barriers. These two are the ones to watch and scenes containing them sizzle. The cinematography is amazing with it's color washes of reds and blues upon black. It's nicely filmed by a master.

There were nice twists here with the innocent turned against her will into vampirism.... or was she? We learn from Eve that her will to survive was so strong that not even The Bishop's feeding could kill her. That her survival instincts took over and that's what made her a vampire, not another vampire. She was lead in that direction but Blake choose her path. I found this to be an interesting character development. As the Alchemist points out, no one is really innocent. He also points out that she is different from them, that she possess a gift. Apparently, this gift is the thirst for life and not the blood she needs to sustain it (life being a relative term here).

This movie definitely left on a possible sequel note and although I would not mind seeing another installment, the straight to dvdness of this movie leaves little option for another. There were a few plot holes but that's what makes it a "B" grade movie so I let it go.

I recommend this movie for supernatural film fans that like a different kind of vampire movie. This is not a great film and doesn't really qualify as true horror (lack of scary parts - plenty of gore but not much genuine fear), but entertaining all the same. Maybe it's just me though because I hated Dracula 2000 and most reviewers loved it.

I thought this was actually a good movie. Lucy Liu does a good job of carrying the story, and Carla Gugino (smoking hot), as the vampire who sires her, and James D'Arcy as the lead villain are quite good. The title of the review is their opinion of the important things in their world. Michael Chiklis has kind of a thankless role, but his scenes with Lucy are good. The story jumps back and forth, unnecessarily, but as several other reviews have mentioned, the scenes where Lucy's character comes back to life and her feedings are well done. The photography was striking, especially the scene where she is hanging upside down with the other bodies. Oh, and viewers will learn that Marilyn Manson looks better with his makeup!

It's a very well acted horror movie that is in the style of Lynch, Barker, and Rice movies. The movie is slow paced, atmospheric, shadowy, and often bloody. The action and violence comes in brief spurts.

The plot is a little convoluted at first but that is what made the movie so spooky. The suspense, dark brooding cinematography, and movie score are brilliant.

The plot includes Lucy Liu rising from the tomb and seeking vengeance on the merciless vampires that turned her into one. In the process she saves victims and becomes involved with a police officer that lost his daughter to one of the vampires.

Very good movie. It is recommended but it is not for the squeamish. A-

Lucy Liu ("Kill Bill: Vol 1" and "Charlie's Angels") is dynamic as Sadie Blake, a quiet, mild-mannered reporter who stumbles upon a vampire cult led by the murderous Bishop (James D'Arcy of "Exorcist: The Beginning") When she awakes in a morgue and discovers she's one of the living dead, Sadie becomes a sensuous comic book-like heroine; she is intent on killing all those responsible for turning her into a vampire.

"Rise: Blood Hunter" is an erotically charged, action packed horror film in the tradition of "Blade." It is well paced with plenty of death scenes and gory bloodletting. Fortunately, the gore does not overwhelm the plot. It is fascinating to watch Lucy Liu's acting skills as she transforms from law abiding citizen to bloodthirsty huntress. We sympathize with her plight as she struggles with the morality issue of having to kill innocents in order to remain well fed and strong for the hunt.

Sony Pictures has done an excellent job with the DVD package. Most interesting are the "behind the scenes" featurettes. They are short, interesting and very enjoyable; they didn't drag on and on until they became boring. The featurettes contained on-location interviews with the cast and crew who were openly discussing the stunts, makeup and sensuality of the film. The DVD is also loaded with theatrical trailers for other horror films such as "Resident Evil: Extinction," "Boogey Man 2," "Pumpkinhead 4: Blood Feud," "Hostel Part II," and "Kaw."

Presented in a beautiful, widescreen presentation with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, "Rise: Blood Hunter" is a must have for those who enjoy and/or collect vampire films. It is also for fans of gorgeous Lucy Liu who proves she has the ability to become a film's star attraction.

Good vampire flick. I loved Lucy Lui's tormented, reluctant vampire persona. It was definitely a new twist on the classic vampire genre.

Lucy Liu, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is your recent article on the goth/ cult scene in Los Angeles has landed you your first cover story for the newspaper you work for. The bad news is your investigating got you a bit too close to exposing a vampire clan in the area. But then, you already know that after regaining consciousness and busting out of the morgue with a tag on your toe and a bad hickey on your neck. Yes, you were supposed to die altogether, but a sympathetic bloodsucker passed on the curse of the undead to you instead. Now, sign here please for the crossbow, training handbook and extra pair of sunglasses. If you need additional help in revenge, please refer to Michael Chiklis. He has carried the Shield for many a year and has even been a Commish. More importantly, the vampire cult did his daughter in, and that's a Thing you can't take lightly. Amongst the even mix of splattering blood and sex appeal, thank you, Lucy Liu, for being the tantalizing tool you are in making an otherwise lightweight vampire flick a bit more entertaining. 6/10

I recently saw this movie on the SyFy Channel around Halloween, and boy am I happy I caught it! For those of us who LOVE vampire action movies with unique plots, this one wins the ticket. And of course, plenty of blood and gore. Rave parties, sweet young things at risk, bad baddies, and of course, a kick a-- heroine. Sometimes known as sex, drugs, & rock-and-roll. Sure, there are naysayers who complain about it. But those of us who love this genre like to point out that we aren't looking for Shakespeare! This is a terrific action movie that moves along fast enough and at the end, at least, left ME wanting a sequel. Hopefully someone will make a big offer to Ms. Liu so that we can see what happens next!