In Blood: The Last Vampire Onigen (Koyuki), the world’s most powerful bloodsucker, stares down at Saya (Gianna Jun), the film’s half-human/half-vampire heroine as if to say, “Silly girl, katanas aren’t for kids.” Though Saya may look like your average, angst-ridden teenager, she’s actually a 400-year old demon hunter. Transferring to an American military base in Tokyo where she senses evil’s abrewin’, Saya befriends Alice (Allison Miller), a general’s daughter, while she searches for Onigen who murdered her father. Ultimately, the paper-thin plot, cartoonish CGI, and mediocre dialogue drag this film down. Vampire lore has an interesting history of exploring traditionally taboo subjects, and die-hard anime and manga fans may insist that Blood is a veiled indictment of American imperialism in post-world war II Japan or a commentary on traditional Asian and gender roles with Saya, a modern warrior, fighting Onigen, a throwback to feudal females in her full-on geisha garb. But don’t be deluded. The filmmakers only substitute one stereotype for another, that of the fetishized schoolgirl beneath the glossy samurai façade. (Liesl Swanbeck)
Opens at the Landmark Theatres Friday, July 10th
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