Blood and Chocolate (PG-13, 2007)

common sense media says

Young, beautiful werewolves battle in Bucharest.

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while this werewolf movie doesn't include any truly horrific onscreen violence, it does show the results of violent attacks -- namely, bloody injuries and dead bodies. As a child, the central werewolf witnesses her parents' shooting deaths (the child's perspective might be troubling to younger viewers). Most of the rest of the violence is less emotionally invested. Lots of images of wolves hunting and attacking humans; fights include leaps, punches, and kicks, as well as stabbings and falls. Some chase scenes through streets feature tense cuts and dark shadows. On the sex side, there's some cleavage on display, a girl dances provocatively at a nightclub, there's talk of "mating," and a romantic couple kisses (sex is implied). Once they're dead or wounded, wolves revert back to human form, nude (the crucial parts are covered). Fairly mild language; the characters drink liquor and discuss drugs and drug dealing.

Positive messages: Werewolves range from ferocity to nobility; human male protagonist is earnest; Vivian is torn between her wolfness and her humanness.

Violence: Wolves hunt and attack humans, leaving bloodied carcasses; one attack on a girl is rendered so that the result makes the point (but quick, flashy cuts omit the actual assault); prolonged attacks on the hero, with fighting and throwing/slamming, ripping of bodies; he assaults the wolves with a silver knife and sharp-edged pendant (bloodied wolves transform into human bodies); wolves growl and look menacing; assault on drug dealer has him smashed into bar and floor, begging for his life; lengthy shootout at film's end (werewolves shoot at each other).

Sex: Discussion of pack leader "taking a mate" every seven years; romantic scenes and kissing between primary couple; one cutaway from a prolonged nighttime kiss suggests that a couple had sex; some cleavage-baring outfits; after transforming into wolves, the human bodies appear naked (the crucial bits are always covered); girl dances provocatively, with shot of her bottom from male observer's point of view (she later appears later in a nightgown, about to be wolf-meat); lyrics in nightclub song include "I want to taste you."

Language: Fairly minor, including "hell," "damn," "bitch" (several times).

Consumerism: Not applicable.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some drinking in nightclub; several mentions of absinthe (once as "poison"); reference to drug dealer's bad acts ("dirty needles" and selling to children).

Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about the tension between Vivian's family expectations and traditions and her desire to be "free" of them. How does she come to trust her own instincts? How does Vivian's position represent that of other women in the pack? How does her childhood trauma affect her decisions? How does Vivian's struggle relate to the kinds of issues that real teens deal with? What could the movie be a metaphor for?

What's the story?

In BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE, werewolves have a hard time. Lurking in shadows, unable to "be themselves," the werewolves feel resentful and surly. Though they must hunt (it's their instinct), they try to hunt those humans deserving of a bad end. Enter 19-year-old Vivian (Agnes Bruckner), a werewolf who still suffers from her traumatic childhood in America. Now living in Bucharest and working as a chocolatier, Vivian loves to run free through the forest as a wolf, but doesn't much like ripping victims limb-from-limb. Her attitude doesn't sit well with her fellows, who want her to do as she's told. She's supposed to "mate" with pack leader Gabriel (Olivier Martinez), but she's not fond of him and falls in love with a human, Aiden (Hugh Dancy), a novelist who's in Bucharest to research the loup garoux. He's smitten when he meets a girl he believes to be human, but he's also well-versed on werewolf lore. Vivian is also rumored to be the subject of a prophecy, making her extra-valuable to Gabriel: She might be "the one" to lead her fanged community into a new sort of existence, deemed the "age of hope."

Is it any good?

The story is told from the werewolves' point of view, which makes for an interesting film. The wolves' perspective makes humans look scary, especially when they come bearing large guns. The film never quite articulates what the "hope" is, so it's unclear whether wolves and humans will actually find a way to get along.

It's not easy to read Vivian's face -- she's always sensual and slightly pouty, as well as by turns angry, aggressive, aggrieved, and accusatory. In this, she embodies the movie's unresolved tensions. Still, she makes a solid case for girl werewolves' rights, seeing the world in a more "holistic" way than her masculine counterparts. That alone makes her heroic.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details

Studio: MGM/UA
Director: Katja von Garnier
Cast: Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy, Olivier Martinez
Genre: Horror
Run time: 98 minutes
Theatrical release: January 26, 2007
DVD release: June 12, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: violence/terror, some sexuality and substance abuse.

Watch our review

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs

Review It

What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

cortright5
adult

Very stylish

Good young beautiful werewolf coming of age film. Human young man meets werewolf fall in love (sexual scenes abound) and then the conflicts begin. It runs along the same lines as Underworld except it misses some of the intensity. The story is a little to clean, however there is plenty of blood and gore to go around. A caution for the under 16 age bracket. Know your kid.

Movie Details

Starring

Genre

Blood and Chocolate (PG-13, 2007)

common sense media says

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

More on Blood and Chocolate

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

What's the story?

What's the story?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?

Movie themes & details

Movie Details

Watch our review

Review It

Review Blood and Chocolate

What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

Very stylish

(I must -read a book every 8 years.)

A must see movie for adults!

Gives wolves a bad name.

Not for the impressionable

Werewolves with a twist

it was ok

THIS IS MY FAVORITE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Movie about Wolves

More reviews ...

An independent voice for families

Age-appropriate reviews

Advice on the big issues

vote now

Will you see Blood and Chocolate?

Already seen it? What do you think?

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Browse more movies

About our rating system

Browse our library of reviews

See what our editors recommend