BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE (2009 live-action version) now available on DVD & Blu-ray -- Update: Blu-ray review by William David Lee

—> See Link to our Blu-ray review (below)

Where evil grows she preys
Now that she's here, there will be blood...

"...like Kill Bill with a vampire bite."
—(about.com)

"A world-class action film! …turning the vampire genre on its ear!"
—Mike Szymanski (Scifi.com)

"Shockingly close to its super stylish animated inspiration – and then some."
—Martin Wong (Giant Robot)

"Entertaining... BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE is essentially a CGI fantasy, pleasing to the eye, and indeed based on a well-known 2001 Japanese anime." —Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times)

BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE
— on Blu-ray and DVD »
(Now available - released October 20)

Culver City, CA — From a producer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero comes Blood: The Last Vampire, which slayied its way onto Blu-ray and DVD October 20, 2009, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Based on the cult Japanese anime feature of the same name and the hit "Blood +" television series, this all-new live action version tells the riveting story of Saya, a female warrior on a centuries old quest to rid the world of blood sucking vampires. Featuring high flying fight sequences choreographed by legendary stunt master Corey Yuen (Jet Li's The One, The Transporter), Blood: The Last Vampire is a stylish action epic that fans of martial arts films and monster-annihilating flicks like Blade and Kill Bill won't want to miss!

Hunt down Blood: The Last Vampire on Blu-ray and DVD for awesome action and bonus features, including "The Making of Blood: The Last Vampire," in which the cast and crew discuss the making of this new action classic, and "Battling Demons: Behind the Stunts," in which fight choreographer Corey Yuen and cast reveal the secrets behind many of the film's gravity-defying stunts.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray edition of Blood: The Last Vampire is "Storyboard Gallery" which provides an illustrative look at how the filmmakers achieved Blood's unique look. Priced to own at an SRP of $34.95 (Blu-ray) and $24.96 (DVD).

Blood: The Last Vampire, released in Japan as Last Blood, is a 2009 live-action remake of the 2000 anime horror film of the same name. The film focuses on a half-human, half-vampire girl named Saya who hunts full-blooded vampires in partnership with humans and seeks to destroy Onigen, the most powerful of vampires.

Saya is a 400-year-old half human-half vampire who hunts other vampires. Raised by a man named Kato, she works loosely with an organization known as "The Council" while seeking out Onigen, the highest ranking and strongest of vampires. Seeking clues about Onigen, Saya transfers to a school near the Yokota Air Base. Normally a loner, Saya forms a friendship with a young girl named Alice that she rescues from some vampires.

Blood: The Last Vampire was directed by French filmmaker Chris Nahon, who previously helmed the action epics Empire of the Wolves and Kiss of the Dragon. It was written by Chris Chow (The Eye 3, Jet Li's Fearless) and produced by William Kong (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero).

Starring Gianna Jun (If I Were Superman) and Allison Miller (TV's "Kings", 17 Again), the film's supporting cast includes Koyuki (The Last Samurai), Michael Byrne (Gangs of New York), and Colin Salmon (Die Another Day). The film was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films and has a run time of approximately 89 minutes.

BONUS FEATURES include: (Blu-ray & DVD)
• The Making of Blood: The Last Vampire
• Battling Demons: Behind the Stunts

Blu-ray Exclusive:
• Storyboard Gallery
(BD-Live Enabled)
(Region A Blu-ray Disc)



BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE — Explore further:
—> Blu-ray Review by William David Lee »
EXCERPT: Everybody loves vampires and zombies nowadays. They used to be nightmarish creatures that have become almost cute and cuddly. As cool as zombies are, vampires have always had a mystique about them that has made the bloodsuckers sex symbols. The baffling phenomenon known as "Twilight" can certainly attest to that. Two of the most popular television dramas currently airing are the vampire-centric "True Blood" and "The Vampire Diaries." "Let the Right One In" was one of the best films of 2008 and one of the best vampire films ever. Vampires aren't just objects of lust and mystery, but they can be serious ass kickers too as evidenced with "Blood: The Last Vampire."

The original "Blood: The Last Vampire" was an anime film made in 2000 by Production I.G., the animation studio behind "Ghost in the Shell." That version of "Blood" was decent enough if somewhat empty at a scant forty-eight minutes. This live-action version may be twice as long, but it's also twice as empty. Gianna Jun (aka Jun Ji-hyun) won over international audiences as the title character of the South Korean comedy, "My Sassy Girl." Here, she plays Saya, a 400-year old half-human, half-vampire hybrid.

The live-action "Blood" is an international production all the way. The star is South Korean and the cast is primarily American with a little Japanese, British and Irish mixed in. The film's director is Chris Nahon, the Frenchman who also directed the Jet Li actioner "Kiss of the Dragon." Though it's based on an anime feature and set in Japan, the film was shot in Argentina and Hong Kong. The Hong Kong influence continues as the producer for the film was Ronny Yu ("Bride with White Hair"), the screenwriter was Chris Chow ("Jet Li's Fearless"), and the fight choreography was done by Corey Yuen ("Fong Sai Yuk," "The Transporter"). The Hong Kong hand is definitely felt in the action sequences with elaborate acrobatics on display.

As decent as the fight scenes could have been, they are ruined by some of the most absolutely awful special effects I've ever seen. Two vampires transform into CGI gargoyles look about as real as your average porn star´s breast implants. Copious amounts of computer generated blood are spilled at the edge of Saya's sword and not a single drop looks authentic. Blockbusters like "Wolverine" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" have no excuse for bad visual effects, but "Blood" (with a budget of $30 million) has something of an excuse due to less resources. Yet, I cannot fathom the reasons behind this over reliance on CGI when practical effects would have worked so much better. A sequence where the characters run across rooftops look laughably fake, especially in comparison to one from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" which used plain old wire work.

In terms of presentation, you can't go wrong with "Blood: The Last Vampire" on Blu-Ray. However, the film itself suffers from bad acting, terrible dialogue, and dreadful FX. Gianna Jun, who was wonderful in "My Sassy Girl," gives a stilted performance due to her poor command of the English language. If all you're looking for is the simple experience of watching a cute female in a schoolgirl uniform hack evildoers to pieces with a sword, then "Blood: The Last Vampire" might satisfy your shallow appetites.

(Click thru the Link above for the full review)

—> Visit the film's Official Site »
(from Sony Pictures - view the Trailer)

—> Visit the Japanese Official Site »
(View a different trailer, in Japanese)

—> Visit the film's FACEBOOK page »
—> Visit the film's MYSPACE page »

Rated R for strong bloody stylized violence

"There's something delightfully kitschy about placing a Japanese sword fighting story on and around an American military base in Tokyo in 1970, with Edwin Starr's War (What is it Good For) on the soundtrack."
—(Washington Post)

Film Synopsis:
Where evil grows she preys
Now that she's here, there will be blood...
The deadliest assassin to stand the test of time. From a producer of Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon comes BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, based on the cult hit anime series.

Demons have infested Earth. And only one warrior stands between the dark and the light: Saya, a half-human, half-vampire samurai who preys on those who feast on human blood. Joining forces with the shadowy society known as the Council, Saya is dispatched to an American military base, where an intense series of swordfights leads her to the deadliest vampire of all. And now after 400 years, Saya's greatest hunt is about to begin.