Genres

Visitors Review

Masticina Akicta 2012-05-21 10:27:29

A quite well done vampire movie!

I watched Perfect Creature today, the newest vampire movie right out ofAustralia. Surprising movie? Yes, in a way it is quite interesting andbeyond the usual standard vampire movie stuff.Ah let me explain, first of all it is driven by an alternate reality.Yes in this "modern" society vampires are accepted and it is reasonablemodern, some old stuff like horses and coaches but also high risebuildings and slums. Quite an interesting mix These vampires are thebrotherhood, and they run the church. Yes interesting twist isn't it,the brotherhood is "to protect the blood" ( aka mankind ) . And runchurches, where some indeed give blood for the vampires to feed upon.Very sophisticated, and they seem to love to wear priests dresses! Nowthat definitely is different from the usual vampire movie, except well.It seems one of their brethren is out, feeding and murdering. A no-noin this brotherhood! And the brother called Syllus has to deal withthis issue, he is next to become part of a certain inner ring.The brotherhood goes along with the humans and the movie begins withthe hunt for this brother that has escaped. Here comes in the humanfemale police officer, in the crappiest of slums she lives and she is ahard bloke indeed! In the first half hour or so they catch this losebrother and no the movie goes on! Seems one of the nastier secrets isthat the brotherhood has no women. And that since seventy years nobrother has been born. A troubling thing as many are not as powerfuland capable to lead and protect. Having barred "fooling with nature" asthey came into existence due to a rather nasty disease. They thoughbeen secretly trying to get that virus "changed" to also get femalebrothers.Obviously the brother escapes, he was caught in the first half hour andthe movie speeds on from his escape on. Don't expect a shoot fest fromthere though but there are certainly some action points in the story.Much more then then some other movies (ahum, from hell), and the movieasks some good questions and portrays the best..and worst in politicsand humanity! As a vampire movie, this one definitely is refreshingdifferent! Showing the vampires as, well trying to hold unto humanityas much as they can! Good movie to see!

2012-05-21 00:06:10

Style over substance

Perfect creature is a very visual film, set in an alternate reality somewhere around 1900. Here Vampires belong to the Brotherhood, they look after the human race and are the focus of all religion. Part of the agreement is that people donate blood to the Brotherhood and do this willingly and it is a great honour. Never has a Vampire taken a human life - until now. Again the setting is terrific, costumes are good and this alternate reality is a harsh impoverished place. For the setting the film gets top marks. What I found troubled me is that the film is like watching a docudrama about the alternate reality because it lacked almost all suspense. It has an evil vampire but only a few scenes have much to get excited about, and towards the end there are hardly any at all. It makes for an o.k. viewing but I really don't know how to classify it, it isn't horror, probably more like drama - with vampires. Not very good at all.

aussiefilmlover 2012-05-20 15:17:32

Fully developed world with a less than developed plot

The highlight of this film is that it creates a whole world that istotally believable even though it is quite odd. That they were able tocreate a world and convey how that world works with very little moneyor exposition is brilliant. However the plot did not live up to theworld that was created. I kept on expecting more plot development, morecharacter development beyond the three leads. Saffon Burrows acted wellbut too much time in dazed victim stance. Dougray Scott was ideal forthis role but I longed for more overt character development. Thevillain promised to have some depth but then didn't deliver.However it wasn't until the film was over that I was aware of howsimple the plot was. I was completely and totally pulled into the filmand that is a sign of damn good film making. I would love to seeanother film set in this world. I wanted to spend hours exploring theworld creating with it's characters and styles ranging from 1890bordellos to WWII rations and mixing all kind of quirky things. It'sthe kind of movie you want to watch again to pick out new things.With proper exposure this can become a cult movie.

2012-05-20 03:53:57

Oh brother, where art thou!

This is a visually stylish movie that puts an interesting spin on the vampire myth. Unfortunately this new mythology is underused and this is, in effect, just another 'hunt the monster' movie. In this respect it is moderately successful but suffers a couple of major flaws. Neither Scott nor Burrows have been suitably cast. Both are talented actors but neither is able to bring their derivative characters to life, despite their best efforts. Scott is forced to recite some woefully portentous, painfully enunciated dialogue, and Burrows has to perform a stereotypical hard-nosed but damaged cop routine. Ally this with a rather predictable plot and the whole thing is bit of a let down. On a brighter note, the ending blatantly paves the way for a sequel. Let's hope they can improve on this promising but underdeveloped beginning.

singinghawk 2012-05-13 22:58:41

"Perfect Creature" is an enjoyable ride that make me want to see more!

This is an absolutely original script with a fresh point of view. Giventhe current craze over The Twilight Saga, the elements of thevampire-human relationship in Perfect Creature almost seems to be afuturistic sequel. I like the overall atmosphere of the film, the storyintrigued and involved me completely. When it ended I was definitelywanting a next chapter. I really enjoyed the performances of all thecast and felt that they developed complexity and depth in theircharacters that perhaps the script itself did not sufficiently support.I felt the actors had more to offer, but the dialogue and scenessometimes limited their ability to express it. The casting wasdefinitely spot on. The visuals worked extremely well and gave the filma really polished feel. Would like to have seen the relationshipsbetween Silas and Lilly and between Silas and Edgar given a little morescreen time to let us in on the interpersonal qualities of each. Afterreading the plot synopsis here on IMDb, I realized that the lack offilm time for the main characters' relationships likely resulted froman effort to include too many of the details of the story. I stillfound it enjoyable. Would like to see more from this writer-director.

2012-05-13 07:55:59

Don,t buy

This review is from: Perfect Creature (DVD) I got this CD for free from Pepsi points. If I had spend money on it I would be really upset. If you a fan on vampire movies very disappointing. Reminded me on a bad version of Blade and Resident Evil in the 1800 Century. Don't waste your money if you really whant to see it, rent it.

2012-05-10 19:50:46

The Vampire Guardians!

this is an odd little movie about vampires being the guardians of humanity and they have a murderer in their midst. now its time to find the killer and put an end to his reign of terror once and for all.set in the 1960's created by primitive science and breeding projects sometime in the early 18th century. At first, these Vampires were hunted by mankind, burned, tortured and killed. However, they eventually became a part of the Church, to create a new religion so to speak, ovampires as God's servants to mankind which I must admit was wierd but definately a cool premise. The background is a little hazy, which is fine since films like "the breed" pull off about the same quality with less action and do it well. but that doesn't detract from the story, about a female detective in the city of Jamestown (feels a bit weird again and one of the characters says something about a queen? when did america get one of those?) who is investigating a series of Jack the Ripper-style killings with the help of a vampire 'priest', Brother Silas. A very strange but fairly unique vampire film worth a lookthe special effects could have been a little better so I took off one star for that and lack of good special features. 3 Stars and I love vampire films but this just is not up to snuff with todays technologies. it has so much promise and even better a unique tale that fell totally short. also the bullets used to kill the vampires are the most innovative idea I've sen yet. (just remember it was filmed entirely in new zealand) loss of another star due to low quality special effects.here it is:Perfect Creature

2012-05-10 14:02:16

Refreshing vamp flick

This was a great new on the vampire concept that introduced and explored some great "what ifs". Like what if science sent us technologically backwards and we all embraced the church? The plot runs the line of Jack the Ripper, but with some unique twists. In some ways it looked like a dirty 'Ultraviolet'...except with a bit more plot and a lot less stylized fights. For people who love vampire flicks that actually contribute to the vampire genre in insightful ways rather than for the use of a cheap monster movie this one's for you. The actors made some great character choices and the direction did a good job making sure everything flowed together...that and the use of wires added just the polish this movie needed to give the vampires a sense of style.

DICK STEEL 2012-05-07 22:15:28

A Nutshell Review: Perfect Creature

Written and directed by Glenn Standring, Perfect Creature falls intoone of those fantasy, alternate universe timelines where because ofgenetic engineering and the likes, humans now are living side by sidewith the more powerful vampires with whom have forged a truce, that is,to never feed on the blood of humans, but instead, get their dosage ofplasma through religious rites of sorts.Which serves as an intriguing premises to begin with, except that ithad so much going for it, that it failed to capitalize on the wealth ofits potential, instead choosing to coast through the expected until afinale made up of standard fare, with too many plot elements than itcould handle, with mistrust between the two species of homo sapiens, aninfluenza virus, and a murderous vampire hell bent on creating havoc byunleashing his own brand of justice to the world.With movies like Underworld and various other genre incarnations thatdwell on super- beings, Perfect Creature at best was on par in terms ofthe visuals, where the filmmakers have created a stunningly lookingdark city, which seemed like a cross between Victorian England, exceptfor the vehicles such as zeppelins which crowd the sky. Special effectswas rudimentary, and you can feel the lack of slickness in themovements of the vampires, not so much as they couldn't fly, but theiressence of speed wasn't properly brought across, and looked quiteclunky.The story, bared down to the basics, is about how human detective Lilly(Saffron Burrows) has to team up with a high ranking vampire / priest(yes, you read that right) called Brother Silus (Dougray Scott, whowalks really stiff here and nary breaks into a smile), despite her andher team's discrimination against the vampire race. And their commonadversary Edgar (Leo Gregory) happens to be a researcher of sorts gonerenegade, and with blood relations to Silus, puts a dampener on socalled conflict of interest.As an action-fantasy piece, don't expect any award winning acting here,because what thrills are the set action pieces in claustrophobic spaceswithin dark and dank apartment blocks. However, unlike its contemporarypeers, there aren't any fancy gadgets, weapons or moves to wow you,well, maybe perhaps the cool stunt gun that Silus carries which firesoff projectile rounds to immobilize his kind. And of course somethingtells you it's not quite right when the mid-point action sequencetrounces the finale which had a distinct lack of excitement.But on the whole, for its mood, settings, and imaginative spin on thevampire genre, Perfect Creature does deserve a watch.

2012-05-07 13:30:50

I neveer received this movie

I never received the DVD. I send and e mail to the seller let the person know this situation.. The person answer was: "sorry". but no DVD.

aaronrourke 2012-05-03 23:25:43

Another sleeper from New Zealand

While not reaching the heights it could have, "PERFECT CREATURE" iscertainly an intriguing little film that throws up a lot of fascinatingtwists on the well-worn vampire genre.The alternate world created (which feels like a mix of OLIVER TWIST andDUNE) is wonderful, and a lot of care and attention has gone intomaking this environment seem believable and convincing.A capable cast do their best (when was the last time Dougray Scottactually smiled in a film?), bringing an effective melancholy to theircharacters that the script unfortunately lacks. If the characters wereas well-constructed as the setting, the movie would have had moredramatic impact.At a scant 90 minutes (and I hear it is being chopped down for it's U.Srelease), writer/director Glenn Standring could have spent more timeopening up this eye-popping world and its history. At least it doesn'tmake the same mistake as UNDERWORLD, another vampire film that gave usits backstory in 2 minutes, but then still managed to go for ayawn-inducing two hours.PERFECT CREATURE may prove a hard sell, as there is very little in theway of action, gore, and over-the-top CGI set-pieces. But the very factthat director Standring has made a film that doesn't easily fit into aparticular category or formula, shows that a genuine attempt has beenmade to give us something different. He comes so close to succeeding.

sushibear2002 2012-05-03 13:33:13

Untapped potential but none the less novel and entertaining

Given its mediocre reviews and ratings, I was not expecting much from"Perfect Creature." However, I found the film to be liberating in lightof common vampire representations. Though the film does maintaincertain Vampire lore like rapid healing and increased senses, theirrole in the world is fascinating, representing the major religion ofhuman society.The merit of the writing lies in this concept that is, sadly, exploredvery little. Why not revere a race that is faster and stronger than weare, whose blood has medicinal uses? Their strength can be used toprotect mankind from its greatest threat: itself. There is mention ofThe Brotherhood collaborating with the human government, and politicalintrigue when one of The Brotherhood goes rouge. However, theseconcepts are not pursued beyond their direct affect on the chosenstoryline.Mankind typically does one of two things when faced with a forcegreater than our own; we worship it or we destroy it. Where mostvampire tales will feature the latter, in which a 'champion' of sortsarises from a terrorized society to overcome, the setting of "PerfectCreature" lies in the coexistence between humans and The Brotherhoodwhere both support the other. In a world torn apart by the Influenzaepidemic, humans supply blood as sustenance and vampires developvaccines for resistant strains of the virus. Though they also providethe religion of the city, there is no depth to this aside from three orfour lines of dialog. It is reasonable to complain that too much focus is invested in thecop-serial killer plot, but there is still value in the concept thatlies beneath the film's surface. Perhaps the writer/director planned topursue the greater story in future endeavors, but it is sad to reporthis first installment did not hook audiences as it could have. The fight scenes should have been mixed up a little bit, where theytended to resemble the same cookie-cutter processes. Perhaps too muchscreen time was wasted on the exact same things over and over,excessively showing off the director's visions. But if it had beenmanaged a little better, and made a little longer, then this could havebeen a real success.As it is, you should watch "Perfect Creature" just for the exercise ofthe imagination on how vampires in a human world could be received.

2012-05-02 04:12:34

Steampunk Perfection

Late last year I read the amazing book Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale, an anachronistic mash-up of futuristic sci-fi technology and Victoriana, that served as my introduction to "steampunk," a genre of literature and film that I'd never heard of before. Perfect Creature, like Hale's book, is a steampunk thriller that pairs up a stoic police officer (Saffron Burrows) and an ethereal non-human (Dougray Scott) in a murder investigation/manhunt. It takes place on a "world not unlike our own" where horsedrawn carriages share the streets with London black cabs, while dirigibles float silently overhead. Despite the fact that the Jamestown slums, with their rampant poverty and workhouses, seem to harken back to Dickens's Victorian England, the technology is straight out of WWII and fashion seems to span the better part of the Twentieth Century. In lesser hands, this all might have come off as cheesy, but the art direction is amazing and it was easy and enjoyable to be a part of this world for an all too brief 85 minutes. [Brevity being yet another quality it shares with Ginn Hale's book.]Beyond the incredible worldbuilding, Perfect Creature offers moving performances by the three leads as well as the entire supporting cast. There's not a clunker in the bunch. Dougray Scott (who left me cold in Drew Barrymore's delightful Ever After) puts in a restrained and ultimately heartbreaking performance as the lonely priest/vampire and Saffron Burrows is affecting as the police captain who has never recovered from the loss of her husband and young daughter to influenza. Where a Hollywood genre film will always sacrifice emotional impact for a cheap throwaway "catch phrase," this film has none of that. It's serious and heartfelt. When someone dies, even a minor character, we are given a glimpse into the sadness of the survivor(s) and through them, we grieve too. The writer/director doesn't underestimate the intelligence of his audience; we're allowed to understand all the characters, even if we don't like them. Plus it's deeply romantic. I actually cried near the end. I never, and I mean NEVER, cry at the end of films like this. But really, my point is, there are no films like this. This isn't your typical vampire film. This is an entirely different animal. I mean, for heaven's sake, there's even an homage of sorts to one of my favourite German art-house flicks - Wings of Desire. Your typical C-Grade Hollywood vampire movie (Blood Rayne, anyone?) - this is not.On the surface, this film might be compared to the stylish Russian sci-fi films Night Watch/Day Watch, but it has much more heart. And there is no US film that comes close. Everything that the Underworld, Blade and Matrix films want to be, this film is. And then some.

Claudio Carvalho 2012-05-01 13:21:48

An Absolutely Original and Stylish Vampire Movie

In a world not unlike ours in the 50's, the human race has beencoexisting for three hundred years with a genetically enhanced breed ofvampires called The Brotherhood that lead the church and researches.The fragile humans are under an influenza epidemic and shortage of thevaccine has been developed by The Brothers, and the police isstruggling against the black market. In this environment, Captain Lilly(Saffron Burrows) is assigned to investigate the murder of a woman inan alley of the local slums, and she finds that the murderer is aBrother. Due to the political issue, the church sends Silus (DougrayScott) to help her, and he discloses that his brother Edgar (LeoGregory) was infected a couple of weeks ago and killed other women, butthe Brotherhood has covered-up the murders to avoid the return ofprejudice against their race. Silus and Lilly succeed to arrest theinsane vampire, but when Edgar escapes from the compound, he begins toinfect the human race."Perfect Creature" is a surprisingly good, underrated and absolutelyoriginal and stylish vampire movie. The acting is great, with anexcellent development of the characters and situations; and the plot isdramatic, consistent and well resolved and gives an excellent hook fora sequel. The art direction blends different styles and ages of "ourworld" prevailing the 50's, and together with the dark and Gothiccinematography, produce a very pleasant and entertaining feature. Myvote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Criatura Perfeita" ("Perfect Creature")

Neil Welch 2012-04-24 22:09:53

You'll need to be in tune with it

Wow. What a movie. Not very interesting, not very exciting, not veryhorrifying and, especially, not very nice to look at. Striking,certainly, and original in many respects, but pretty unattractive.It's a shame. This parallel world tale of a symbiotic relationshipbetween vampires and humans being put at risk by a lunatic vampireterrorist should have been much more engaging than it was but it didnot, in any way, grab my attention to any serious extent - the onlycharacter to make any mark was the main baddie, and that was onlybecause he was so unpleasant. But his unpleasantness was very one-note,and I didn't want to spend time in his company.However, the film is well enough made that, if you're in tune with it,you'll enjoy it.

benmanager 2012-04-23 23:35:40

A fascinating world

I thought this was a really good film. The world of the film - an alternate world where vampires are likepriests who look after humanity and whom humanity respects - isoriginal and feels very solid. When watching the film, it really is like stepping into another world.The production values are superb for what would be a low budgetHollywood movie and there are some terrific action sequences, but it ismore of a sci-fi thriller than a straight out action movie for me.This film has a lot of ideas in it, something most Hollywood filmsdon't; the role of religion within a state for example. Recommended.

shanecameron 2012-04-19 08:55:49

A nice idea but...

poorly executed.Perfect creature is a clear example of a reasonable that generates asub par script (I'm thinking shortland street which is New Zealand'sstock doctor soap which has been meandering across our airwavesthrilling pubescent girls with ever worsening for the last fifteenyears) and not enough money to cover even that as a result the effectsare TV quality at best, the acting is slow paced and wooden and thegeneral tone is New Zealand morbid ie there is no emotion other thangeneral peevishness and....Ahhh I grow weary.I've already given it more time than it deserves.

2012-04-19 00:52:54

Pretty good vampire movie.....

In the movie "Perfect Creature", vampires are the result of early genetic engineering and have become the protectors of humanity as well as the sciences. They are not the "bite everyone on the neck and go on a killing spree type of vamps," which is really refreshing as vampire movies go. The film is set in an alternate reality version of England. The Brotherhood has watched over humanity for three centuries and have developed a close relationship with the humans until one of its own goes nuts and starts to hunt.

2012-04-17 22:54:22

Perfect chiller!

This vampire movie is heavier on the suspense than the gore (which is unique in a movie about 'bloodsuckers'). It also focuses on characters rather than just relying on shock and awe action. Edgar is a 'bad vampire' in an alternate world where vampires have managed to live side by side with humans. However, with all the prejudice still there from '300 years ago' when people tried their best to wipe out vampires, Edgar threatens to upset the balance. A clever Sci-fi/Horror that leaves room for a good sequel.Chrissy K. McVay - Author

Cemetarygirl 2012-04-17 08:35:32

Bite me!

Another successful film from New Zealand, always a treat as was one ofmy favourites the Truth about Demons.Now this movie might not excitethose who revel in fast paced horror. Or those seeking another Draculamovie, but for those who enjoy another take on the Vampire story....well you cant go wrong. Superbly acted by the main characters with avery strong support cast who all deserve a pat on the back. And it isso refreshing to hear a movie that is not trying to be or appeal toAmerican audiences. But it is one proud of its roots with New Zealandaccents in abundance. A Gothic picture which I tended to assume was setin the Victorian era, with women police and I am sure I caught sight ofa pair of jeans. Oh and guys a mothers love is important as without ityou get renegade Vampires who fill you up with a virus that has resultsthat, shall we say, are not on the improvement side of ones lifespan. Aworld where the Vampires are the controlling religious order whereIlluminati springs to mind rather quickly. The story about 2 brothersand one is the good vampire and one is not. One who has created a virusto increase the vampire race and the other who (and rightly so) wantsto curb these experiments. A new slant on the good vs evilstory.Saffron Burrows excels as a Policewoman doing an excellent jobcatching the day to day bad guys let alone what she needs to do tosurvive Edgars charming ways. Dougray was a Vampire as Vampires shouldbe In control, charming and in this case on the right side of the law.So I gave this 9 because it deserved it Good on Ya! NZ.