Ninjas vs. Vampires

Released by: Breaking Glass Pictures
Released on: 5/3/2011
Director: Justin Timpane
Cast: Jay Saunders, Daniel Ross, Cory Okouchi, Devon Marie Burt
Year: 2010
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The Movie:

Aaron (Jay Saunders) is in the middle of professing his love for his friend Alex (Devon Marie Burt), when they are attacked by vampires. In the middle of the attack, from out of nowhere, comes a group of people who save them. The Ninjas consist of the leader Cole (Cory Okouchi), wiseacre Kyle (Daniel Ross), reluctant vampire Lily (Carla Okouchi), and sorceress Ann (Melissa McConnell). Aaron is curious who these people are and ends up finding himself caught up in the middle of a war between the semi-superhero group of do-gooders and uppity snob vampires. He decides to accept the offer to join the gang of saviors and fight the fight, especially when the vamps take his girl pal.

The vampires are a scummy bunch that have a secret weapon, Manson (Daniel Mascarello), who is brutal and without mercy, even for his own kind. There's also a cloaked vampire that looks like Destro from G.I. Joe, and then there's the smarmy leader Seth (Kurt Skarstedt), plus a gaggle of other blood suckers who burst into flames when killed, a la Blade (or maybe Buffy the Vampire Slayer?).

The mission is to snuff out the vampires, and they have to kill the leader in order for this to be effective. Being forced into a magic portal can kill him, but one of the team members must sacrifice themselves for whatever reason in order for the portal work correctly. Things go wrong for some, better for others, and in the end it really comes down to which members of the group will survive the vicious battle.

This all sounds like some cheese that can be found on any given night on SyFy television, but really it isn't. Instead it's a well-made little picture with a tiny budget and big aspirations. For the most part it delivers the goods and at times packs a pretty good punch. Lots of CGI can be found, which looks better than one might expect, and doesn't get in the way for the most part. There are some well-constructed action sequences and plenty of fight scenes throughout and very little quiet time to bog the story down. Humor is prevalent, mainly through the use of one-liners, and yes some of it is groan-inducing, but never to the point of excess.

The acting is somewhat inconsistent. Some actors do a decent job while others are wooden, and a few just aren't very good (at least with the material they are working with). The story itself isn't anything groundbreaking or overly original, but the way it is presented is entertaining. The pacing is a positive thing, and the look of the movie is impressive, especially based on the rumor that it cost less than a mid-range automobile. It's easy to see the influences on the writer/director and although he borrows things from this movie and that movie, he manages to makes this story his own. Ninjas vs. Vampires is miles better than a lot of direct-to-DVD fare that floods the market, and certainly much more palatable than the marginal cable fodder that clogs up the channels. Certainly worth checking out for fans of this type of movie; it's a fun little flick.


Video/Audio/Extras:

*Sigh* The disc viewed for this write-up is a crummy test disc. Hopefully this is NOT how the finished product looks because it doesn't look very good at this juncture. A huge watermark appears frequently that says “Property of Breaking Glass” and fills most of the screen. The audio is a 2-channel Dolby Digital track, but that may not be what is on the commercial version. There are absolutely no extras, not even a menu. Until the distributor sends the actual disc available to consumers, the review ends here.


The Final Word:

Surprisingly enjoyable and an impressive effort. Hurry up and send us the real thing, Breaking Glass, and we can give it proper treatment.