BLOOD THE LAST VAMPIRE
Release date: 2nd November 2009
Running time: 91 minutes
Format: Blu-ray/DVD
Certificate: 18
Price: £24.99 (Blu-ray), £15.99 (DVD)
Bloodily slicing and dicing it’s way onto the small screen, Blood The Last Vampire comes to Blu-ray & DVD on Monday 2nd November 2009. The film was directed and produced by the impressive combined talents of Chris Nahon (Kiss of the Dragon) and William Kong (Hero), and is based on the hugely popular cult hit anime series of the same name. Starring Gianna Jun as Saya and Allison Miller (Kings, Desperate Housewives) as Alice McKee this samurai sword wielding schoolgirl fight-fest is perfect DVD fodder.
Slick and highly stylised, this martial arts creation tells the story of Saya a young half-vampire, half-human, left to fight the demons that have invaded the earth. On the surface, Saya is a beautiful 16-year-old, but underneath that youthful exterior hides a tormented soul. When her human father was brutally murdered by Onigen, the evil lord of all vampires, when she was just a child Saya was bound by an oath to avenge his death.
After joining forces with a shadowy society known only as the Council, the troubled young halfling is dispatched to an American military base in Tokyo. In exchange for help in tracking down her arch nemesis Onigen, Saya goes undercover at the local high school to seek out and destroy her demon classmates… but gets drawn into an unexpected and unlikely friendship with a human in the process. Armed with her trusty samurai, mastery of the martial arts and desire for retribution Saya faces her biggest challenge yet in a climatic conflict. The heroine must draw on her inner strength and super human skills to face her foe and protect her vulnerable human charge, as an intense series of swordfights leads her to the deadliest vampire of all.
I reviewed the theatrical release of Blood: The Last Vampire back in June, a review you can read in full here. No news on whether this release is the rumoured Director’s Cut, containing the footage found in the French trailer. But, to paraphrase my review…
…there is a lot to enjoy about [the film] - who doesn’t love a Japanese girl in a traditional sailor suit style school uniform doing cartwheels and leaps across the screen while wielding a huge samurai sword? Director Chris Nahon does have a stylish flair and he manages to get the best out of Gianna Jun despite her shortcomings… For me it was great to see another live action anime adaptation on the big screen rather than going straight to DVD like the majority of it’s peers, but I think I may be in the minority…
I’ve just recieved word that the DVD and Blu-ray release date of Blood: The Last Vampire has been pushed back from October 19th to November 2nd… No news on why, but keep checking back here for more info.
Reader Comments
[...] can read all about the Blu-ray and DVD release here, but as a teaser to the film hitting stores this Monday, we’ve been sent two of the [...]