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Perfect Creature 2007
Starring Dougray Scott, Saffron Burrows, Leo Gregory, Scott Wills, Stuart Wilson, Craig Hall, Robbie Magasiva
Directed by Glenn Standring ('The Irrefutable Truth About Demons')
Written by Glenn Standring
Science Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Action | 1hr 35mins | Rated (R16) | contains violence, offensive language and horror | Origin: New Zealand, UK
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Flicks review
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Perfect Creature makes you glad you’re not a lot of people – anyone involved with Perfect Creature, for a start. But in particular, it makes you glad you’re not Dougray Scott.
Scott has clearly been given exactly two pieces of direction for the entirety of Perfect Creature: “look dour” and “now tilt your head”. Whenever nothing’s happening (this is often), it’s Scott’s job to act morose, make sure nobody’s having any fun.
What a trial! Trying to get through a scene, remembering the time you stopped a bullet for John Malkovich, your days filled with almost-actors snarling in your face thinking they had pathos! The poor fellow doesn’t even get any scenes with the delightful man from the Ferritt ad…
Oh, but wait - maybe this is the scene where Dougray gets to fire the magic vampire-killing bullet-time gun! Wait, Dougray, before you do anything rash, let’s have that head-tilt that’s the only piece of character you’ve been given and thus have used in every single reaction shot in the movie.
Whether it’s the requisite scientific mumbo-jumbo or the requisite religious-metaphor schtick, good ol’ Dougray’s there, being dour. And on the frequent occasion that Perfect Creature gives the plot a rest and focuses on the unique visual universe it’s cobbled together from all the movies with the exact same story – you can bet he’s out there somewhere, not smiling, and tilting his head.
At the end of the movie – well, I say “end”, but being as nothing much has happened, all we really get is a cessation of the dullness and some credits – Dougray stands, looking dour, and solemnly intones that his character would like a sequel.
And somewhere, in a parallel universe, everyone’s seen this movie, so they don’t care whether the next installation is called Perfect Creature 2 or Underworld 3 or Blade 4. Everyone except Dougray’s chiropractor. He’s just bought a boat.
Reviewed by Tom Goulter.
The Peoples voice
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Good Film
4
The general audience for vampire stories must expect the same old sex-and-blood-bath formula with a few mad caps laughs or smart comeback lines time after time judging by the reviews here. I'm neither deeply into art film or mainstream but I found this film engaging viewing and highly original in its church of the vampire conception. The irregularities of the alternative time-line annoyed me at moments and the action didn't rise as dramatically as it could have toward the last act of the film, but it was well handled, evenly paced and solidly acted. More reviews with less tall poppy and less English as a 6th language on flicks would be good.
By Aden Shillito
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Good Film
4
The general audience for vampire stories must expect the same old sex-and-blood-bath formula with a few mad caps laughs or smart comeback lines time after time judging by the reviews here. I'm neither deeply into art film or mainstream but I found this film engaging viewing and highly original in its church of the vampire conception. The irregularities of the alternative time-line annoyed me at moments and the action didn't rise as dramatically as it could have toward the last act of the film, but it was well handled, evenly paced and solidly acted. More reviews with less tall poppy and less English as a 6th language on flicks would be good.
By Aden Shillito
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Hmm agree's with Rodney.
5
I agree with Rodney those that have posted the reviews before him do not know a good movie even if it jumped on them, this movie was a master piece.
By Lasse
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IT SUCKED !!!!
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Well this movie wrecked vampire movies for so well done. It was TWO HOURS OF SOME ANNOYING VAMPIRE TILTING HIS HEAD!!.
For those who have the underworld movies did any of 'Perfect creature' ring any bells ? they could re-worded underworld evolution with the whole 'My brother is out of control' Act .
Tisk tisk , never watching another vampire movie as long as i shall existBy Tobias
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I thought this flicks review was terrible
5
I thought this flicks review was terrible and amateurish, not the film. The movie was cool and so different from most Kiwi films, celebrate originality is what I say. I note it's got several big nominations in the Qantas Film Awards too.
By Barry
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and it could have been good...
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from hearing the plot of this movie I was expecting big things.. i was sadly wrong. What could have been a really exciting movie was let down by the slow, tedious pace & the dull acting (Saffron Burrows & Dougray Scott). Oh well..
By Cullen8
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Harsh reviews!
4
This is by no means a great film, but as far as Vampire flicks go - it's highly original. It's a bit slow, but I found that refreshing and the film all the more intruiging for it.
The real star of the film is the production design - it has a gorgeous look, very Kiwi but very dingy and very odd.By Rodney
Press Reviews
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Dominion Post [Graeme Tuckett]
2 2 out of 5 stars
1/2 Perfect Creature is a film that badly needs a transfusion of some of the goof and momentum of a Blade or Underworld, but instead winds up playing like the vaguely pretentious and sulky kid brother to those franchises...
Click to read the full review -
Fangoria
While the backstory is ambitiously imagined, the front story is thin and sketchy, suggesting that a more ambitious narrative got lost somewhere along the line...
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NZ Herald [Russell Baillie]
3 3 out of 5 stars
There's so much intriguing thinking behind locally-made internationally-cast vampire flick Perfect Creature - which is matched by a bold sense of style on screen - it's hard not to enjoy the flawed result just for its grand ambitions...
Click to read the full review -
The Christchurch Press [James Croot]
3 3 out of 5 stars
Although it's nice to have a change of pace from the usual hyper-kinetic vampire stories that have dominated the last decade, Standring's characters really don't stand up to the extra scrutiny devoted to them. Scott's (Mission Impossible 2) Silas is expressionless and hence virtually characterless, like Nicolas Cage in City of Angels but with less mope, while Burrows' (Troy) cliched, troubled cop simply disappears, as if her altercation with a Dunedin tree kept her off the set for a considerable period of time...
Click to read the full review -
TV3 [Kate Rodger]
3 3 out of 5 stars
From New Zealand director Glenn Standring, this is not what you might expect from a vampire flick, and for my tastes all the better for it...
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Twitch.com
The main star of the movie is the alternative reality that is created... The amount of detail that has been put in the design of this world is amazing...
Click to read the full review
