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Summer time is usually where studios will burn off their
flicks that didn't get a theatrical release on DVD because
most folks are either on vacation, planning on vacation.
In the event they don't go on vacation they'll probably
see one of the high profile releases in theaters. "Perfect
Creature" is an odd horror film. Actually it plays more
like a suspense thriller than anything else and while it
isn't a perfect film, it has its moody moments. ***
Set in an alternate universe where vampires co-exist
with humans and have formed a religious order devoted to
science where they serve the needs of humanity just as humanity
provides them with blood, police detective Lily (Saffron
Burrows) is called in to investigate a series of murders
involving Brother Edgar who had developed an influenza vaccine
that saved humanity during a deadly outbreak. Assisted by
Brother Silas (Dougray Scott) who is related to Edgar, this
unlikely duo must stop Edgar before he turns humanity against
the Brotherhood. Silas discovers that there might be fueling
Edgar's change from benefactor to serial killer. ***
"Perfect Creatures" looks marvelous and is filled with
wonderful details creating a believable alternate universe.
The premise of the film is very promising but "Perfect Creature"
quickly becomes derailed as it ineffectively mixes fantasy,
horror and mystery genres. The pacing of the film is turgid
and while its less than 90 minutes it feels like an episode
of "The Twilight Zone" or "The Outer Limits" that has been
padded from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. The performances
of the actors are certainly winning but the film is like
a placid lake-all surface with no activity truly visible
under the murky water of the plot. The film is too low key
for its own good promising a horror thrill ride but turning
into nothing spookier than the Tunnel of Love. ---
Image & Sound:
The film looks extremely good with nice detail and
color. Audio sounds very good with nice use of the 5.1 format.
This was a preview disc from Fox and, as such, there was
some minor issues with edge enhancement and digital noise
that will probably be cleaned up on the final released product.
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