Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Torturous vampire bloodbath is a waste for all.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Rise: Blood Hunter
What's the Story?
Lucy Liu stars as Sadie Blake, an investigative reporter working on a story about a Los Angeles cult. She ventures too close to the vampires at the center of the evil gang and becomes one of their victims. But she's not dead -- instead, she rises from her drawer in the morgue to discover that she, too, has become a blood-sucker. Filled with self-loathing and disgust at what she must now do to survive, Sadie is determined to stay alive long enough to rid the world of the hideous creatures at work in her city.
Is It Any Good?
It's difficult to find anything positive to say about RISE: BLOOD HUNTER, a gory vampire/revenge movie that never lets up on the blood and violence. How many times can the clueless heroine go into a dark, forbidding building? How much over-acting is just too much? How often will the age-old vampire legend be manipulated to meet the needs of the ridiculous plot?
Unfortunately, even if you can get past the vast amounts of blood spattered in nearly every frame; the gratuitous nudity; the graphic, violence-laced sexuality; and the over-the-top brutality, all you'll find a humorless, illogical story, unsympathetic characters, and amateurish production values. The movie is directed without any effective tension or suspense, the music is obvious and corny, and the special effects are far from special -- a supposedly decapitated head in a plastic bag is quite clearly set up at the edge of a table with the rest of the actor hidden in blackness off camera.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about pop culture's fascination with vampires, from movies to books to TV shows. Why are vampires so often associated with sex? What are their other typical traits when they show up in the media? What's their role in folklore? Families can also discuss who the movie's target audience is and what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish. What do you think the main goal is? Is it achieved? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 1, 2007
- On DVD or streaming : October 9, 2007
- Cast : Carla Gugino , Lucy Liu , Michael Chiklis
- Director : Sebastian Gutierrez
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Director(s) , Multiracial Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Mandate Pictures
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 94 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity, language, and brief drug use.
- Last updated : September 21, 2019
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