Film Review: Blood & Chocolate
There will be many that will dismiss this film simply from the fact that it looks like another teen horror film and that its rated PG-13, but I must admit I found myself enjoying this film.
First off, you should realize that the film is based on a series of novels for young teens so right there the target age group is somewhere between 13 and seventeen years of age; not a very big age group, so, anyone expecting anything more hard core you’re out of luck. Secondly, it’s being marketed as a romantic fantasy hence the more angelic werewolf (or is that just wolf?) transformations. And thirdly, this film in no way advertises that these werewolves are suppose to be feral creatures with uncontrollable urges that transform during the full moon. I mention all this because every review I’ve read about the film thus far has commented on the lack of these typical “clichés” as the fault for the film itself, which in my opinion is why they aren’t “getting” the film.
The werewolf metaphor (which is what it is) is suppose to represent an outsider group that doesn’t fit in with the rest of society. And when one of this outsider group tries to leave “the pact” it becomes detrimental (or it may appear to be) to the whole group. Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) is this member who has always felt that she never truly belonged in this outsider group and when she meets Aiden (Hugh Dancy) she sees her opportunity to leave and have a life of her own. This is the story of every teenager who is trying to leave the comfort ability of home to make it on their own.
It’s the story of Romero & Juliet which has been passed down for centuries and which will continue to do so. What grounded the story of Romero & Juliet was Romero & Juliet as is here with Bruckner & Dancy whose Vivian and Aiden, respectfully, is perfectly cast. You believe that there is a bond between them that would force Vivian to leave the safety of her family forever.
What the film lacks is a guiding light in villain Gabriel (Oliver Martinez) who is anything but memorable or villainess. This is where the film needed a heavy hitter because every scene he’s in feels forced and out of sync with the rest of the film. Plus throughout the whole film I was wondering where all the other older and more grown up members of the pact were. The entire supporting cast was no older than eighteen years old which made the hunting scenes (where the pact would all gather to run through the woods after a normal human who would be killed) lackluster and boring when they should have been bombastic and energetic.
The transformations, although beautifully rendered, are few and far inbetween but then again I don’t remember there being any transformations in the cult classic THE LOST BOYS.
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