VAMPIRE HUNTER D BLOODLUST
ABOUT THE MOVIE

- Theatrical trailer & TV Spot
- Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Storyboard to Feature Comparison


Genre: Thriller/Action
Director: Yoshitaka Amano
Rating: NC-16 (Some Gore)
Year Made: 2004

Languages: English
Subtitles: English & Chinese
Sound: Dolby Digital
Running Time: 1 hr 43 mins
Region Code: 3
Distributor: Blue Max Enterprise Pte Ltd

 

SPECIAL FEATURES
 
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

In the far distant future, vampires rule the night. But because of the fearless bounty hunters, their numbers dwindle. One such is D, a half-breed born of a human mother and a vampire father. He is hired by a father-son team to retrieve Charlotte, a lovely young lady, who was abducted by the vampire Meier Link. However, they also hired the Marcus Brothers for competition. In a race against time and across the lands, D and the Brothers fight their way through demons and monsters to save the woman, and slowly begin to suspect that she wasn't taken against her will...and that another threat looms in the distance...

MOVIE REVIEW :

Set in a distant future where the age of Vampires ruling the nights is on the decline, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust starts off with the mysterious kidnap of a woman Charlotte, by an aristocratic vampire known as Meier Link. Her family puts out a bounty, and the call is answered by both Vampire Hunter D, and bounty hunter team The Markus Brothers. It becomes a race against time, and turns into a competition between the two groups as they try to save Charlotte from her captor.

However, the hunt becomes tougher when a clan of monsters known as the Barbarois gets into the fray to protect Meier Link, and it's not before long that D and the Markus Brothers find themselves pulled into a sinister plot that may be beyond their initial
comprehension, involving an aged old spirit and an unlikely romantic union.

At first glance, Vampire Hunter D resembles his US comic counterpart Blade, who's also part vampire, part human. D, as one of the breed known as the Dunpeal, owes his prowess of successfully hunting down vampires to his mixed bloodline. His weapon of choice is an extremely long, curved blade, and has a magical parasitic creature fused into his left hand, which provides for comic relief. But there's a weakness to his character. While he can walk and function in the daylight, he has to be wary of heat and dehydration.

In comparison, the Markus Brothers - Borgoff, Nolt, Kyle, Grove, and a non family member Leila, are human. They rely on modern day gadgets and weapons, like an
armoured truck, rapid firing crossbows and guns, to take down the enemies. Amongst the five, perhaps the most intriguing powers belong to Grove, with his out-of-body ability to combat enemy ghouls in a spirit form.

Probably the highlight is the Barbarois villains. We have Benge, a killer who dwells in the shadows for stealth, Mashira, a wolfman with a new twist, and Caroline, with powers that seem like a cross between Medusa and Batman's Poison Ivy. There's an interesting set action piece between them, D and the Markus Brothers which will keep you glued to the screen.

It's an amalgam of the Victorian era, with Western and Asian influences, coupled with the theme of Love, Sacrifice and Alienation in a character driven narrative. There are gory scenes, but it's the adult themes that the story deals with which makes this
anime appealing.

SPECIAL FEATURES :

There is a behind-the-scenes documentary which runs about 25 minutes, with interviews with the director and producer, and shows clips of the animation and voice actors bringing their characters to life. Also included is the theatrical trailer and a TV spot. Lastly, there are 3 scenes from the movie in which the storyboards are shown, allowing the viewer to compare how raw art is transformed into moving images.

AUDIO:

Surprisingly, despite being a Japanese anime, English is the original language for this film. This DVD only consisted of the original English track, though there are Japanese and Cantonese versions out there. Viewers can still choose from English or Chinese subtitles.

VISUAL:

Extremely crisp, which brings out and do justice to the sweat and blood (pardon the pun) that the animation team put in to develop this anime.

MOVIE RATING:



DVD RATING:



Review by Stefan Shih

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