Synopsis

Vampire slayer Reeve takes on a new partner in a young woman named Gypsy. As Reevetrains Gypsy in the art of killing the undead (of which there seems to be a constant plague),Reeve’s sister Helen is starting up a new relationship with Kazef, who just happens to be theFifth Prince of Vampires. Kazef is a nice enough sort, however, limiting himself to bottled blood,and genuinely in love with Helen. Unfortunately, the Duke, a European vampire, is killing offthe other royal families, g…thering all their power to himself.

Imagine turning Blade into a romantic comedy, and the dropping in a random scenefrom a Jackie Chan film. That’s Vampire Effect for you: a hybrid of martial arts action(wire fighting and otherwise), giggly romantic hijinks, sudden shifts in tone, and a plot that tearsoff on a total tangent for no other reason than to insert guest appearances from Jackie Chan andKaren Mok that have nothing to do with anything. It’s all very entertaining, even it doesn’t makemuch sense.

Audio

Though I could wish for a bit more power and base to the sound during the fight scenes, theaudio is generally very impressive. The music is strong (outside of the fight scenes), and thedialogue is clear and undistorted. The sound effects are just wonderful. The placement — left,right, front and back — is excellent, whether we’re talking about thunder, rain, bat wings, orwhatever. The environmental effect is close to total.

Video

The disc looks terrific too. The colours are brilliant, and the contrasts, flesh tones and blacksare equally good. There is no grain or edge enhancement, and the image is beautifully sharp. Infact, the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture is damn near close to perfect, the only visibleflaw being a tiny bit of shudder that I caught during the climax.

Special Features

Nothing on offer except trailers for The Medallion, Underworld,Returner, Tokyo Godfathers and Tsui Hark’s Vampire Hunters. Thesubtitles must be following the dubbed dialogue, as we occasionally get a subtitle when no onehas spoken. The menu is basic.

Closing Thoughts

Utterly goofy and nonsensical, but loads of fun. Excellent sound and picture too.

Special Features List

• Trailers