Very similar to Bloodrayne, but can't reach it
15 April 2014
I would really like to give this a better rating, but sadly, I can't. I don't know if the good reviews here are coming from friendship or adoring Tara Cardinal, but they aren't to be taken seriously.

Sorry Miss Cardinal, you had a lot of troubles to bring this project to life, and you did a big job, given the circumstances, and you had really a lot on your shoulders, but in the end the movie didn't turn out well.

It reminds me of some productions from Romania about Vampires, but we all know, those aren't good movies. Blood Rayne itself is in my opinion much more watchable. Still, there are other similarities than story and red-headed vampire heroine, particularly when it comes to common weaknesses. But that's another topic and is not to be questioned here.

The sword fights here are too slow, there is not much to enjoy with the action scenes. They are far away from their announced greatness, and when I remember "Monty Python And The Holy Grail" decades ago, the action there had more impact.

Of course, for insiders or dedicated fans, and those who can actually oversee the flaws by knowing how low the budget was, the movie may be fun, but for one who is spoiled by modern fantasy productions (and willing to close one and a half eye) it is disappointing.

Especially the big bad enemy, who should be at least a dark, disturbing one, he is only a weak Wraith Clone (Stargate Atlantis). White hair and a electronically manipulated voice isn't enough (since 20 years or so) to give a frightening impression.

All post-production done for this movie in an attempt to give it a little atmosphere, a more modern look, will be useless until there is the harsh decision made to cut out at least 20 minutes of footage, to fasten the pacing and to eliminate bad scenes. Furthermore, the story has to be straightened in the process and disburdened from several dead weight. For instance, the envious sister of Aella could probably be eliminated since she has no impact on the story. I personally think that at least partially a new soundtrack would help. And even then, I don't know if those efforts would be sufficient. But I recently watched a movie where the soundtrack was about 60% of what it made watchable, so....

"Legend of the Read Reaper" was not the worst movie I have ever seen. It's not even among them. But frankly, it's rare for me to rate only 3.
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