Rise (2007)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Sebastian Gutierrez

Writer (WGA):

Sebastian Gutierrez (written by)

Release Date:

6 July 2007 (Turkey)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

They didn't leave her alive. They left her UNDEAD.

Plot:

Supernatural thriller in which a female reporter wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the undead. She vows revenge against the sect that put her there and hunts them down.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Morgue | Goth | Female Reporter | Undead

Cast

Robert Forster	...	Lloyd
Cameron Richardson	...	Collette
Lucy Liu	...	Sadie Blake
Allan Rich	...	Harrison
Samantha Shelton	...	LA Weekly Editor
Kevin Wheatley	...	Ethan Mills
Margo Harshman	...	Tricia Rawlins
Cameron Goodman	...	Kaitlin
Holt McCallany	...	Rourke
James D'Arcy	...	Bishop
Carla Gugino	...	Eve
Michael Chiklis	...	Clyde Rawlins
Paul Cassell	...	Detective Easton
Mako	...	Poe
Sam Cooper	...	Coroner's Assistant

Also Known As:

Rise (USA) (working title)
Rise: Blood Hunter (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity, language, and brief drug use.

Runtime:

USA:94 min | 122 min (unrated DVD version)

Country:

USA | New Zealand

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 (cut) | Malaysia:18SG | Australia:MA | UK:18 | Germany:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-18 | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:18 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mandate Pictures

Trivia:

The word 'vampire' is never spoken during the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the detective is first shown placing photographs on his wall, there's already a picture of Harrison's bloody wheelchair wheel at the top. However, that crime scene is not discovered until several minutes later.

Quotes:

Eve: Good and evil are just imaginary friends.

Movie Connections:

References Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Disappointing, confusing & predictable

I saw the trailer of this a while back and thought it could be one of those sleeper hits, as it had a relatively good premise and I've always been intrigued by vampire films, so when I saw it on the shelves I thought I'd give it a go.

As the film was overall a disappointment for me, I won't put any spoilers in this review. I will say however that from the outset, the sequence of events are disjointed and make for confusing viewing. The film tries to be too clever throughout and ultimately ends up being hard to follow. For a vampire film, it doesn't really give much background to the whole vampire genre as most do and adds to the confusion as to who is who and what is what. Apart from Lucy Liu's character, there is no back story or build up to the antagonists, everything just happens randomly, which makes it an effort to keep track of things.

As for the acting, I find it a shame that Lucy Liu continues to make films that don't really challenge her. She spends most of this film looking either in distress or moody, oh and naked. Having seen her in Kill Bill and her earlier turns in Ally McBeal, Rise & Ecks vs Sever really don't do her justice as an actress. The vampire contingent here are pretty poor too, with James D'Arcy playing a poor mans version of every other bad vampire we've seen before (notably Stephen Dorff in Blade). Michael Chiklis is at best, mediocre, looking like he did this when short of a few bob, in his spare time from filming Silver Surfer.

Overall, another addition to the growing number of mediocre vampire-themed films. I would avoid this if I were you, but if Lucy Liu (+ a few others) prancing about naked and lots of blood tickles your fancy, then give it a go.