Perfect Creature (2006) Reviews

• An Absolutely Original and Stylish Vampire Movie

  claudio_carvalho2008-01-12

  In a world not unlike ours in the 50's, the human race has been coexisting for three hundred years with a genetically enhanced breed of vampires called The Brotherhood that lead the church and researches. The fragile humans are under an influenza epidemic and shortage of the vaccine has been developed by The Brothers, and the police is struggling against the black market. In this environment, Captain Lilly (Saffron Burrows) is assigned to investigate the murder of a woman in an alley of the local slums, and she finds that the murderer is a Brother. Due to the political issue, the church sends Silus (Dougray Scott) to help her, and he discloses that his brother Edgar (Leo Gregory) was infected a couple of weeks ago and killed other women, but the Brotherhood has covered-up the murders to avoid the return of prejudice against their race. Silus and Lilly succeed to arrest the insane vampire, but when Edgar escapes from the compound, he begins to infect the human race. "Perfect Creature" is a surprisingly good, underrated and absolutely original and stylish vampire movie. The acting is great, with an excellent development of the characters and situations; and the plot is dramatic, consistent and well resolved and gives an excellent hook for a sequel. The art direction blends different styles and ages of "our world" prevailing the 50's, and together with the dark and Gothic cinematography, produce a very pleasant and entertaining feature. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Criatura Perfeita" ("Perfect Creature")

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• Finally, A Vampire Flick With Some Originality!

  zara862007-03-30

  I saw a preview screening of this film without really knowing what it was about, and I was thoroughly impressed. The plot centres on an alternate world and time, the location being loosely set in New Zealand (based on the accents) and the period being a curious combination of the 1900s, 1920s and 1960s. In this place, all vampires belong to the Brotherhood, a church which has protected humans from the many outbreaks of a mutating influenza through its advances in medical science. The great thing about this film is that we slowly grow to understand the society of this new place, rather than it all being rammed down the viewers throat as is usually the case with alternate realities. The casting, though unlikely, actually works well. Dougray Scott was in my opinion an unusual choice for the role of the male lead, the vampire Silas, but rose to the challenge quite well overall. His acting was convincing to the most part, but left a lot to be desired in the weaker parts of the film. Saffron Burrows, playing the detective Lily, gave a stand out performance in this film though. I have previously seen her as a supporting actress in many things, such as Troy, and didn't realise she had the capacity and range of a lead, but she gave a captivating performance. The dynamics between all of the characters seemed genuine, with the romantic aspect taking a backseat to the actual story. The script was well written, with succinct dialogue, and didn't include the usual cheese this genre is unfortunately full of. The score was sufficiently atmospheric to complement the moody tone of the film. The plot and special effects were thrilling, and thoroughly entertaining. In summary, this is not a vampire B-movie, but a distinctive film which addresses the issues of prejudice and medical ethics (and just so happens to have vampires in it) It sets itself up well for a sequel, which I cant wait to see. Highly recommended!

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• Vampire brother trying to hunt down a renegade vampire with the help of a mortal policewoman.

  abogucki-12007-03-11

  Very good,original vampire action movie ... I'm very impressed. one more proof that there can be a good original action movie outside of Hollywood. This should be playing in the theaters. Has a dark, depressed "batman city" feel, contains an original storyline and enough action to satisfy action buffs like me. Special effects are pretty good, do not get in the way of the storyline. I'm surprised how well this relatively unknown cast performed, the leads blended with their roles seamlessly. Definitely looking forward to a sequel. Way better then most of the late Hollywood stuff out there...

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• A vampire movie for Sherlock Holmes fans

  Blekkhart2010-10-31

  I don't understand the poor rating this movie has. There is so much crap being made that people seem to love, and when something really good and original comes along people don't care about it. This movie touches on the theme of vampires, but it's not your ordinary vampire movie. It's a vampire movie with a twist. It is set in what looks like a somewhat futuristic "Jack the ripper era London" type of environment. This is beautifully done. Movies that come to mind are Sherlock Holmes, Bram Stokers Dracula and Wolfman. If you like those movies, you should find this movie interesting. You don't have to be a vampire buff to like this movie since it's not really a vampire movie, as much as it is a Sherlock Holmes type of suspense thriller where the murderer just happens to be a vampire. This movie is high-end quality filmmaking. It looks far more expensive than what the budget would suggest. The casting and acting is superb. The cinematography, editing, directing, visual effects...everything is superbly done. The story in this movie is even interesting and could have opened up to a number of sequels if this movie wasn't so poorly received (for reasons I don't understand). Anyone who found Sherlock Holmes interesting are advised to give this movie a chance.

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• A fascinating world

  benmanager2007-03-16

  I thought this was a really good film. The world of the film - an alternate world where vampires are like priests who look after humanity and whom humanity respects - is original and feels very solid. When watching the film, it really is like stepping into another world. The production values are superb for what would be a low budget Hollywood movie and there are some terrific action sequences, but it is more of a sci-fi thriller than a straight out action movie for me. This film has a lot of ideas in it, something most Hollywood films don't; the role of religion within a state for example. Recommended.

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