Vampires: The Turning (2005)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Redundant and unnecessary.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Two opposing vampire factions fight for supremacy in Thailand. The ruthless Niran clan wants to feast on human blood while the benign Song Neng group wish to peacefully exist with man. American tourist and karate expert Connor (a pretty wooden, but still likable performance by Colin Egglesfield) must enlist the assistance of the Song Neng after the Niran abduct his girlfriend Amanda (a charming portrayal by the insanely foxy Meredith Monroe, whose incredible ample cleavage threatens to upstage everything throughout). Director Marty Weiss handles the cool premise in a flashy kinetic manner, relates the fun story at a constant brisk pace, stages the fierce bloody'n'brutal martial arts fights and lively action set pieces with fierce go-for-the-throat brio (a lengthy motorcycle chase rates as a definite exciting highlight), pulls off a few genuinely creepy moments, and makes the most out of the exotic location. The imaginative script by Andy Hurst and D.B. Farmer offers an inspired and energetic mix of horror and action elements. The capable acting from the mostly sturdy cast keeps the picture humming: Don Hetrakul makes for a marvelously smooth and wicked villain as the evil Niran, Stephanie Chao contributes a strong and moving turn as the soulful and melancholy Sang, Roger Yuan does well as the wise and benevolent Kiko, and Patrick Bauchau brings a winning dry wit to his colorful part as droll ace vampire slayer Raines. Geoffrey Hall's slick cinematography gives the film a cool stylish look. The moody and spirited score by Tim Jones hits the flavorsome spot. A nifty flick.

This movie "Vampires: The Turning" isn't even really worth the 2 out of 10 I'm giving it. The movie, is very predictable from beginning, up to the very end when our hero kills the leader of the Vampire Slayers. The use of music in this movie was even bad, it kept playing as if you were to expect something significant to happen at any second, though it never did. The acting, was B-Rank at best... And the movie was just, dull. The only reason I give this movie a 2 out of 10 is because the story, had potential though it ended up unable to deliver. Oh, and did I mention the wardrobe? The wardrobe for this movie was obviously cheap to "non-existent" because our hero, and his girlfriend (whom he's trying to save throughout the entire movie) wear the same outfits through the entire movie. I'd suggest this film only if your really bored, and don't have a good wall with fresh paint to watch dry. ~Dave, the Horror Cowboy

...and you kill an hour and a half. Despite the low score on IMDb, this movie is not a 4-out-of-10 vampire movie. Anyone who thinks it is does not know the depths to which vampire flicks can sink. This was a (mostly) competently acted movie with good production value and fun martial arts. Rather than lots of bad SFX, we get a few okay SFX (mostly freaky contacts, fangs and dead-vampire-melting) a net gain in my book. It's predictable, but most vampire movies are, and there are no gaping plot holes, or at least not larger than in most movies.That said, it's not Hamlet, at least not well-acted Hamlet. The main actor isn't particularly charismatic, and seems to have one basic expression throughout the movie, which I read as "fierce determination," but at least he *has* a facial expression (try van Helsing in "Way of the Vampire" for the alternative), and it fits with his mental state for most of the stuff. Stephanie Chao is no great shakes either, but she's pretty, and has a natural sincerity to her voice that makes up for some of her lack of emotion. They should have given Meredith Monroe more to do.This is, too, only a bastard step-child (yes, that's what I meant) of John Carpenter's Vampires. It has a new origin of vampires that is not really compatible at all with the original. It does keep the winch, but it looks like they put it in just to prove some kind of family resemblance. If the producers actually paid anything to get in on this franchise, it was a waste of money, since they didn't bother to put in any element (other than the winch) from the original.Overall, It's far from the worst such movie, but not nearly among the best. If you like vampires and kung fu, and movies with a photogenic cast, this is a good way to waste 84 minutes, especially if you've got some kind of unlimited rentals. Just don't go out of your way unless you're a genre fan.

My husband and I enjoyed this movie. We had watched a lousy rental the previous evening and were afraid this would be bad also. However, we were pleasantly surprised. The main characters were believable and quite sexy and romantic in their trip to Thailand. We always enjoy a vampire movie with a different "twist" on things and this surprised us. There was Ong-Bak (Muay Thai) type of fighting, beautiful costumes (both men and women), original female Thai vampires and the cinematography was top rate! The beautiful and exotic surroundings added to the mystery of the movie. I would tell others who enjoy a variation on the vampire theme to watch this one.