At the onset, I didn't know whether this movie was in English or Chinese and whether it was a U.S. production or a Hong Kong one. After all, the DVD didn't come with a Chinese title and the opening credits were in English. In selecting language, I opted for Cantonese and the words seemed to match the mouths so I guess it is a Hong Kong production.
As the movie progressed, I realized what veteran Hong Kong director/writer/producer/actor Tsui Hark (who writes and produces here) was trying to do with Vampire Hunters. Most likely, he wanted to break into the western market by introducing one of the Hong Kong movie industry's most beloved genres - the campy vampire horror comedies, just as how Ang Lee brought the classic kung-fu movie to the West with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Ultimately, Hark fails in his attempt to arthouse-isfy his movie, and Hunters doesn't even come close to the opulence of Crouching Tiger. It runs like a drama, but throws in gratuitous scare scenes that aren't scary, and tries to instill humor that isn't humorous. The villains look to be the typical caricatures that are the villains of period horror-comedies but they carry themselves with a seriousness that doesn't match their looks. The special effects, while certainly more ample and advanced than the vampire movies of old, are largely overdone and blatantly unrealistic. Who knew Chinese vampires had vision similar to those nocturnal creatures in Pitch Black?
To clarify, Vampire Hunters isn't bad, it just doesn't rise much above the average Chinese vampire flick despite Hark's efforts. It does have some things going for it like excellent cinematography, competent kung-fu displays, and a cool, creepy plotline about the Waxmaster, who has taken to preserving his deceased relations in, well, wax.
As the movie progressed, I realized what veteran Hong Kong director/writer/producer/actor Tsui Hark (who writes and produces here) was trying to do with Vampire Hunters. Most likely, he wanted to break into the western market by introducing one of the Hong Kong movie industry's most beloved genres - the campy vampire horror comedies, just as how Ang Lee brought the classic kung-fu movie to the West with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Ultimately, Hark fails in his attempt to arthouse-isfy his movie, and Hunters doesn't even come close to the opulence of Crouching Tiger. It runs like a drama, but throws in gratuitous scare scenes that aren't scary, and tries to instill humor that isn't humorous. The villains look to be the typical caricatures that are the villains of period horror-comedies but they carry themselves with a seriousness that doesn't match their looks. The special effects, while certainly more ample and advanced than the vampire movies of old, are largely overdone and blatantly unrealistic. Who knew Chinese vampires had vision similar to those nocturnal creatures in Pitch Black?
To clarify, Vampire Hunters isn't bad, it just doesn't rise much above the average Chinese vampire flick despite Hark's efforts. It does have some things going for it like excellent cinematography, competent kung-fu displays, and a cool, creepy plotline about the Waxmaster, who has taken to preserving his deceased relations in, well, wax.