D V D C R Y P T

BLOODRAYNE

Directed by Uwe Boll
Written by Guinevere Turner
Cinematography by Mathias Neumann, bvk
Music by Henning Lohner
Cast: Kristanna Loken., Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Madsen, Ben Kingsley, Matt Davis

2006/99 mins/Color/5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
2.35:1 Anamorphic/English/German/NTSC Region 1

Review from Visual Entertainment DVD

Rayne (Kristanna Loken) is a beautiful dhampir which means she is half human/half vampire (hence crosses have no effect on her). She escapes the traveling circus where she was kept, after losing control and attacking a bunch of people, including her friend who gave the cross she, now wears. She is determined to kill and defeat the evil Kagan (Ben Kingley); the man who raped her mother, thus impregnating her with Rayne. And, ultimately returning to kill her, while, Rayne in hiding, bares witness to the horrid act. She must get the pieces of a dead powerful vampire, including The Eye, to defeat Kagan, but he wants them, too, to get incredible power. Joining her in her quest are there members of a secret group called Brimstone, led by Michael Madsen’s character, who want to destroy Kagan, as well.

Based on the cool video game of the same name, this does not take place during World War II like, that one. Instead, it said to be, and plays like a prequel, to the game, giving back-story and origin to Rayne. The game’s fans should not complain, as there is still much of the game left, including the awesome blood-rage, which is captured perfectly.

The cast is amazing, I mean truly amazing. It is fun to see Kingsley play the heavy in this film. Loken is the perfect embodiment of Rayne. She is impossibly gorgeous and is able to whoop ass and exude raw sexuality. In fact, at times her beauty leaves the viewer in utter awe. She is the hottest woman to ever portray a vampire in any movie, at any time. And, considering the babes who have played vampires in the past, which is no mean feat! But, to me the best casting here is Billy Zane as Rodriguez’s dad. This guy is fucking incredible in the film! Throw in cameos by Udo Kier and Meat Loaf, and the rest of the cast, and you have a film as stacked as some of the chicks that role around with Meat Loaf in his scene!

The film really does feel like an 80’s sword and sorcery film. Sure, it’s silly at times, and even inspires some chuckles, but the film moves at fast paced and is a lot of fun. Not only that, but there is actually some rather beautiful cinematography. And, there is an over the top spirit that is hard to resist. In all, this is Boll’s best film, inarguably, which may not be saying much to some, but so what? Gore wise it delivers some of the best splatter that 2006 has seen. This unrated version is drenched in the red stuff including decapitations, dismembering, impalings, stabbings, blood drinking, slashings, etc, and more splashing, splattering, and spraying blood, then you shake a sword at! Plus, it throws in an extended montage, flashback filled ending, sure to leave gorehounds drooling in joy! And, more drooling ensues thanks, to the ample flesh. Aside, from the aforementioned babes that accompany Meat Loaf, the stunning Loken, reveals her beautiful breasts in a pretty hot sex scene.

Visual Entertainment has presented the film in a gorgeous anamorphic transfer. The colors feature rich blacks and excellent flesh-tones. The sound comes out powerful and strong. It is very action oriented.

The extras include: “CGI Making of the Film” which is silent, but shows some of the CGI shots used in the film. Now, usually CGI stuff bores me, but I gotta say that this was definitely cool. Then there is “Dinner with Uwe Boll”, in which a dude and a cute girl from IGN interview him while having dinner and wine with him. It is an interesting chat that manages to go into his past. In fact, some of the best stuff is just hearing him go into movies and his past scripts. But, the best quote comes from the girl who says that “the more blood & tits a film has the better!” Now, where can I find a babe like this? All kidding aside, it is even more interesting to hear Boll talk about his anger at Lion’s Gate for not releasing the unrated version of ALONE IN THE DARK. Boll is completely honest and open and just comes off as an awesome guy. Also, included is a rather short storyboard feature and the trailer for the film, itself.

But the ultimate attraction is the running commentary with Boll, Loken, and some other cast and crew members. No one, and I mean no one, does running commentary like Boll. He is just so entertaining and funny! And, the rest of the gang sounds like they are having as much fun doing commentary with him as we are having listening to him. He has some amazing stories to tell, including one about an ugly, fat bride! What other commentary can you name that talks about bad food, German investors playing vampires, hookers, McDonald’s, and a shitload more! Boll clearly has no qualms about having sex and violence in his films, which is always great to hear and see. Loken and others get the props that they deserve. And shit, we even learn that Michael Madsen cried during filming! Their talk during the climatic fight scene is one of the parts I loved most. Sadly, they are commenting on the R-cut and hence, they talk about missing gore shots, which are present in the UR cut. And, during the added montage scene it is all quiet, but stick around for when the credits appear as he calls the hair dresser a piece of shit among other cool moments! Had this running commentary been from the UR cut it would have been perfect!

Plus, you get the “Bloodrayne II” computer game for free! How cool is that?

The DVD is broken into 12 chapters with a cool active menu screen. The keep case holds both discs and comes with a cardboard slip-over cover that has cool reflective colors. There is no inlet card.

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