"Vampire Assassin" is basically a scam, a bait and switch operation. Lionsgate bought the rights to a glorified home video, then put it in a nice box so you might mistake it for "Blade". It is NOT "Blade". It's a bunch of Z-list actors running around a backyard or occasionally an abandoned warehouse. There's some fighting going on, but it's never clear who's fighting who and why. Also, there are vampires somewhere in the mix.
Ron Hall is clearly a skilled martial artist (he was also in "Bloodsport 2"), but he's hardly a compelling screen presence. The man has one facial expression, and that expression is intense boredom. If you're lead looks bored throughout the movie, what chance does the audience really have? If Ron Hall has charisma, it certainly doesn't translate well to the screen. You get tired of his face very quickly, which is a bummer because he's in every scene. Mel Novak is a more experienced actor and fares slightly better, but can't hide how much disdain he feels for this 'production'.
The real nail in this movie's coffin though is the production values. There are none. The movie looks incredibly ugly and the sound is somehow even worse. The characters sound like they're talking into a tin can. I'm pretty sure they just used the on-camera microphone for this. That's fine for your Christmas party but come on, you're going for a feature film here. The weapons come straight from a Halloween store, with plastic-looking daggers galore. Again: this movie was released on an actual DVD. That you could actually buy in actual stores. It kind of boggles the mind.
"Vampire Assassin" boasts a 'special' apperance by comedy legend Rudy Ray Moore. He sits at a table and reads lines from a clearly visible script for two scenes, which I guess counts as special. He's still by far the best actor in this movie, despite the fact that he's you know, not a very good actor. Dolemite deserved better than this, damn it!
"Vampire Assassin" is the kind of movie that I'm hoping will slowly go away with the death of video/DVD stores. I mean, is anyone really going to put this on a streaming service? It's just trickery, selling a movie that's so clearly not a movie. For shame, Lionsgate.
Ron Hall is clearly a skilled martial artist (he was also in "Bloodsport 2"), but he's hardly a compelling screen presence. The man has one facial expression, and that expression is intense boredom. If you're lead looks bored throughout the movie, what chance does the audience really have? If Ron Hall has charisma, it certainly doesn't translate well to the screen. You get tired of his face very quickly, which is a bummer because he's in every scene. Mel Novak is a more experienced actor and fares slightly better, but can't hide how much disdain he feels for this 'production'.
The real nail in this movie's coffin though is the production values. There are none. The movie looks incredibly ugly and the sound is somehow even worse. The characters sound like they're talking into a tin can. I'm pretty sure they just used the on-camera microphone for this. That's fine for your Christmas party but come on, you're going for a feature film here. The weapons come straight from a Halloween store, with plastic-looking daggers galore. Again: this movie was released on an actual DVD. That you could actually buy in actual stores. It kind of boggles the mind.
"Vampire Assassin" boasts a 'special' apperance by comedy legend Rudy Ray Moore. He sits at a table and reads lines from a clearly visible script for two scenes, which I guess counts as special. He's still by far the best actor in this movie, despite the fact that he's you know, not a very good actor. Dolemite deserved better than this, damn it!
"Vampire Assassin" is the kind of movie that I'm hoping will slowly go away with the death of video/DVD stores. I mean, is anyone really going to put this on a streaming service? It's just trickery, selling a movie that's so clearly not a movie. For shame, Lionsgate.