Blood and Chocolate

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source: Blood and Chocolate

I haven't read the book so this is a commentary on the movie by itself as a movie. For some reason I was expecting this movie to be darker, edgier, perhaps even a horror movie. The PG-13 rating didn't phase me as so many horror movies are coming out now with PG-13 rating. But this one borders on PG on it good-heartedness and gentleness. It's not particularly entertaining since there's not much drama in the movie, not much to look forward to. The main character is too reserved and withdrawn to be particularly interesting. The main bad guy is hard to understand because of his thick accent. There's some ambivalence here on the good/bad dichotomy as the werewolves aren't really bad by nature, they're just trying to blend in and protect themselves, so you can't dislike them all that much. Plus it's hard to dislike wolves. My concern here that the wolves may have been harmed during filming. At the end of the movie there is no disclaimer that no animal was harmed, instead there's something to the effect that efforts were made avoid injury, which isn't quite the same. The love story didn't convince me all that much. Does it always have to be the American tourist? On the positive side, I like the fact that this was filmed in Bucharest, it sure looks like an interesting city so there are some great sights here. The mythology behind the story is good too. I like the special effects and the transformations. They look very unique. And something can be said for a movie that's not as malevolent as most movies. This is a good film for teens.

First of all, Blood and Chocolate is one of my all-time favorite books. Therefore, when I saw that they were making a movie based on the novel, my first thoughts were "Finally! I get to see how the author saw it in her head!" Sadly, this was completely untrue. It seemed that "based on the novel" means, we took the very very VERY basic storyline and added our own twists and revisions in Hollywood lingo. First of all, in the book, they were still in high school...it's how they met. And Astrid was so not Vivian's aunt! Aidan was a hippie-wannabe kind of, Rafe was NOT her cousin (Ulf was Astrid's son), and Gabriel was only 24 (and he'd never been married before!!). Also, Vivian's father was the only family member she lost in the book, not her mother too. I don't know, it seemed that the movie strayed so far from the book that it lost the meaning of Blood and Chocolate all together. But if you step back and forget the book, it was a pretty decent adaptation of the werewolf myths and legends... So, my final words of wisdom: *If you haven't read the book, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. *If you have read the book, don't spend the entire movie comparing the two or anticipating things to happen like I did. Just sit back and watch the movie as just that: A movie.

The movie was great, and not like those other kind of werewolves movie where the creatures looks like masculine gorillas. But this showed another nature of werewolves, as well how wolves behave. And just using real wolves gives this movie a plus. The acting wasn't bad at all, and i was glad this wasn't a typical werewolf movie where the main female (Vivian) is just some pro-ana matrix woman who kills everyone in matrix style, and can carry big guns, just like in the Underworld movies. I was also glad to see Aiden wasn't some superhero who suddenly become a strong guy and kills everyone in some awesome way. Thru out the movie he showed he was weak, but had courage. The romance was cute, and it showed how the relationship was developed between Vivian and Aiden. It wasn't like "I hate you because you're human" then suddenly the both persons screws each other and suddenly loves each other which makes it epic. It also showed the werewolves just wanted to survive, and could be friendly than just the kind who hates everyone and want to take over the world. Although if you're a typical sci-fi Gothic nerd who just want a movie with sexy slim tomboy girls, large gorilla looking wolves and feminine vampires which hates each other and fights just like how they fight in the matrix movies. Then this movie ain't for you. I then point at the Underworld movies.

Never once have I seen a movie so drastically different from the book. The only things these two have in common are the name of each piece and some character names. 1. Aiden is a total tool in the book, not a over-glorified "graphic novelist". He isn't courageous. He doesn't have any substantial feelings for Vivian. From the film's perspective he comes off as totally hokey. Why would he care about some obviously disturbed young woman hanging out in closed churches? She obviously doesn't have a thing for him (which later in the movie he asks her "Why didn't you make me stop?" when she had made clear that she didn't want to talk to him.) If werewolves were "hunting" me in Romania, I would flee the country as soon as possible, not hang around to be rescued by the girl I'm suddenly afraid of. 2. Gabriel is tall, not old, and certainly not her uncle. His character is very one-dimensional in the movie, where in the book he takes a more deeper role. The accent the actor had was the only one in the movie that actually seemed like it might have fitted in Romania, even as faked as it seemed, whereas the rest of the cast either had misplaced British or American accents that the only reason I could draw from was because they congregated in Romania from different areas. This fact not being presented in the movie, but only taken from my own desperate attempts to try and rationalize the movie. 3. Who, with the exception of Goths, drinks absinthe? As a person that traveled through Europe, the only bar or club I ever went to that had absinthe was a goth club in Leipzig and the only ones drinking it were American tourists. 4. If they were at least to differ from the book, I had at least hopes that they would maybe make the history believable. How can I say it, right...They had wolf-people in the stained glass in the cathedral! Any high school student with the most brief of World History classes could tell you that Europe went through a rather large movement that burned witches, werewolves, vampires, and the like. They did not revere them at all, especially not in churches. Heck, even the species of the European Wolf was hunted to near extinction (even currently "critically endangered") because of this. In the movie they said that the humans killed them but once in another scene they said that they had just "gone extinct" or something to that extent with no explanation. They could have at least blamed the plague and I would've been happier. 5. The general character development of the entire movie was a sham. What a massacre of great characters. Someone earlier said that they destroyed the message from the original book about knowing who you are and coming to terms with it. This movie completely compromised that since Vivian decided to run off with her "graphic novelist" and go to "the Age of Hope". Vivian had no depth other than "vague" and "defiant", for no apparent purpose. Apparently the makers of the movie didn't even keep the author informed of the works in the movie and she had to get all her info online. 6. Why does everyone in this Romania speak English, even with other Romanians, except for the one poor lady that worked in the chocolate shop? She must have a hard time getting around. Don't see this movie. Regardless of having read the book or not, its a bad movie. It seems that the makers of Underworld couldn't sell the idea of Underworld 3, and so stole the name "Blood and Chocolate". They took vampire wars out of the picture, kept some of the names accurate, and the title to attract the book's previously established fan base to make a quick buck. I'm going to go buy the book now, not the movie edition, and make sure I give some of my money to the real deal.

Let me preface by stating that I grade my movies against their genre peers, not across the board. Ten stars for a Fellini film and 10 for BLOOD & CHOCOLATE translate into two different animals. For a modestly budgeted, PG-13 supernatural thriller, B&C ranks high in its class. That is not to diminish the directorial skills of Katja von Garnier, who also directed the quirkily charming, award-winning BANDITS. Thanks to her very capable hand, BLOOD & CHOCOLATE joins the ranks of recent memorable movies (THE HOWLING, WOLFEN, GINGER SNAPS, American WEREWOLF, CURSED) in a generally anemic sub-genre. BLOOD & CHOCOLATE is less of a horror film (splatter addicts will hate its lack of gore and nudity) than it is a supernatural romance, lush with gorgeously photographed Medieval locations, a sensual soundtrack, and beautiful actors in every role. The international cast is led by rising American starlet Agnes Bruckner, perfectly cast as the Juliet to Hugh Dancy's star-crossed Romeo, caught in a deadly interspecies tryst. Olivier Martinez and Brian Dick are superb as "homo lupine" royalty. Subtle attention to costuming enhances the characterizations. In his black leather jacket and tousled hair, Martinez's dominant scent practically wafts off the screen. Dick plays his son and heir apparent, a snidely confident Brit preppie leading a pack of hormonally driven young followers. Katja Riemann is the lean, sexy MILF of the pack, which is made up of dozens of hot young Romanian actors who perform their minor roles with vigor. It's nice when even the background players take their roles seriously and contribute greatly to the atmosphere, and too rare. The one area I could quibble with is the special visual EFX, but I won't because the single faulty effect is very minor, the kind that turns up frequently, even in big Hollywood blockbusters. Garnier makes effective use of action and stunts coupled with some great animal casting. The animals, by the way, are excellent actors as well. Blessedly, she forgoes the slash-and-burn digital editing effects so popular among lesser directors who rely on it to disguise their lackluster direction. She actually knows how to drive an action sequence without digitally blurred swishpans and chopshots that break the narrative flow to remind you how clever the filmmaker is. Instead she frames her shots masterfully, gets plenty of coverage, and uses traditional cross-cutting to add dynamism and suspense. The cinematography and production design are topnotch, taking full advantage of the architectural treasures of Romania, from palatial mansions to grungy industrial cellars. The soundtrack is excellent, the music hip but not obtrusive. The sound efx are rich and clean. The screenplay is by Ehren Kruger (THE RING, BROTHERS GRIMM, SKELETON KEY) and Christopher Landon (DISTURBIA, and son of Michael!). Their screenplay is pretty straightforward, ticking along like clockwork. It's based on a novel by Annette Curtis Klause, who's written some interesting, off-the-wall novels. Not having read her book BLOOD & CHOCOLATE, I can't comment on any possible differences, but the screenplay is well-crafted and the characters nicely drawn. Based on a book by a woman and directed by one, this is a great movie for couples or family viewing, with a good story told well, plenty to like, and nothing too exploitive or controversial. Its sexiness is very low-key but I suspect it would be a good tool for seduction. When the werewolf king flashes his wolf eyes, I'm sure hearts will melt and knickers will get misty.

In Bucharest, Romania, the orphan Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) was raised by her aunt after losing her parents ten years ago in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado. His family belongs to a bloodline of werewolves and Vivian is promised to the leader of the pack, Gabriel (Oliver Martinez). When the American cartoonist Aiden (Hugh Dancy), who is researching werewolves for his publisher for the next edition of his magazine, meets Vivian, they immediately fall in love for each other. However, the evil son of Gabriel and Vivian's cousin Rafe (Bryan Dick) poisons Gabriel about the love of Vivian, forcing her to choose between her bounds with her family and her passion for Aiden. "Blood and Chocolate" is an entertaining romantic adventure, with an attractive story, good performances and great special effects. The gorgeous Agnes Bruckner and the great actor Hugh Dancy show an excellent chemistry in the lead roles, and Bryan Dick and Oliver Martinez are great villains. The wonderful locations in Bucharest are highlighted with the angles and movements of the camera, in a magnificent cinematography. I enjoyed this underrated movie a lot, and my vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Sangue e Chocolate" ("Blood and Chocolate")