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Released by: Warner Brothers
Released on: 10/12/2010
Director: Dario Piana
Cast: Corey Feldman, Casey B. Dolan, Tanit Phoenix, Jamison Newlander, Seb Castang
Year: 2010
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The Movie:
Remember the first sequel to The Lost Boys that came out a while back called The Tribe? Forget it ever existed. You don't need to know anything about that movie to enjoy this third installment, Lost Boys: The Thirst, so it's best not to bother with that turd of a picture. Skip it. Enjoy the first one for the important slice of eighties pop culture that it is, and go straight to this follow up in which Edgar and Alan Frog (Corey Feldman and Jamison Newlander reprising their roles) are seen battling vampires in Washington D.C. five years ago. Alan gets bit and turns, leaving Edgar to more or less live a lonely life in a trailer home somewhere in the California desert. When the bank tells him he's got a week to get out after not making his payments, he sells some comic books at a store where the cute clerk Zoe (Casey B. Dolan) works, but it's not going to be enough. That all changes when a foxy and wealthy author of a popular line of vampire novels named Gwen Lieber (Tanit Phoenix) approaches Edgar. She needs his help - you see, her waifish brother, Peter (Felix Mosse), got involved with a bunch of vampires at a rave lead by DJ X (Seb Castang) and is being held hostage. They intend to use him as a sacrifice at their next party where X is going to the hundreds of attendees into vampires, something that doesn't sit well with Edgar.
Initially Edgar refuses the offer, but eventually changes his mind and winds up being teamed with macho reality TV star Lars Von Goetz (Stephen Van Niekerk) and his cameraman, Claus (Joe Vaz). Before you know it, all involved are careening through tunnels under an abandoned slaughterhouse on a remote island with squirt-guns full of holy water and hoping to stop DJ X from unleashing a vampire plague before it's too late.
Depending on how old you were in the eighties, it's very possible you're going to get a big kick out of seeing Feldman and Newlander reprising their roles from the seminal American vampire film of that decade and it's amazing how well they fit back into those roles here, more than twenty years later. Yes, they're both older, but they're still very much The Frog Brothers of 1987 and the movie is all the better for it. Had the pair (Feldman in particular as he gets considerably more screen time) not been into it, the movie would have flopped but they play their parts well. Feldman's grizzled and jaded Edgar provides some good laughs as he reluctantly gets back into the game, while the comic relief provided from the over the top Lars Von Goetz character is amusing as well.
The supporting cast isn't given a whole lot to do here, Feldman gets almost the entire spotlight and he makes the most of it, but all involved are fine in their respective roles. As far as scares go, don't expect many, though there's a fair bit of bloodshed here and there. There's more emphasis on action and comedy than on horror but it's all done with enough tongue in cheek self awareness that you can't really fault the picture for that. The picture is well shot for a DTV effort and has sufficient enough production values to add a bit of welcome gloss here and there. While it might not be a cult classic like the first picture, it's entertaining and plenty amusing and fans of the Frog Brothers characters will probably enjoy it quite a bit.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The anamorphic widescreen transfer is fine for what it is - but you'll notice fairly early on that this movie was shot with a pretty sour looking color scheme. There are a lot of browns and dark greens and grays used throughout the film and as such, color reproduction won't floor you - though the reds look good, as is noticeable in the arterial spray and Edgar Frog's trademark red bandana. Black levels aren't quite inky black but they're good, and the image is clean showing no problems with dirt or debris. Some mild line shimmering is noticeable here and there but there aren't any compression artifacts to note.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix on the disc, the sole audio track provided, is a good one. Surround use is strong during the action scenes and provides some nice directional effects when the story calls for it. The score and effects are well balanced and never overshadow the dialogue, which is clean, clear and easy to follow. No problems with hiss or distortion, overall, things sound good here.
Aside from a static menu, chapter stops and some previews that play before the main menu loads, the disc includes a twelve minute featurette entitled The Art Of Seduction: Vampire Lore, a fluff piece hosted by Charisma Carpenter that's supposedly intent on discussing why we're so 'turned on' by vampires but which isn't much more than some really basic interviews and clips from the feature.
The Final Word:
Lost Boys: The Thirst isn't all that interesting or original but it lets Corey Feldman reprise one of his most memorable roles and as hard as it is to admit it, it's his performance that makes this otherwise pedestrian vampire outing watchable. Warner's DVD release looks fine and sounds pretty good, but it's light on extras. The movie itself, however, is quite a bit of fun.