Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm.

I'm honestly glad to be here at the last film in the franchise, the first film was great but I've not really enjoyed any of the sequels, I'll be glad to have this finished and behind me. I hope you enjoy the review, any way!

Bloodstorm is an odd creature. As simply a film, it's a pretty enjoyable one but as the final part of a franchise, it's a fucking nightmare. Not only does this film make absolutely no sense in relation to the other movies, it doesn't even make sense in itself. I know this franchise doesn't have the best consistency...but fuck me it's bad this time and it's frustrating too because it lets down what could have been an otherwise enjoyable movie. Honestly, I'm just glad it's over, this franchise isn't horrible but I must say I haven't exactly had the most enjoyable time, getting to this point.

Bloodstorm has less of a plot and more of a mess. Michelle ends up finding sanctuary in a monastery that is now a clinic ran by Dr. Niculescu. He apparently has a treatment for her bloodlust and inability to walk around during the day, but there is no cure for vampirism entirely - although all is not as it seems! Anyway, between experimentation on Michelle, Niculescu is also preparing for the inevitable arrival of Radu, not that it'll make any difference, his bullshit main character powers have allowed him to come back to life almost as much as Michael Myers. Then basically stuff happens...honestly in a similar vein to Vampire Journals, the film is pretty strong for the first hour or so, but then falls apart for about half an hour before the film rushes to try and conclude itself and fails miserably at trying to wrap anything up.

Okay so forgetting the fact that Mel and Becky randomly die at the start of the movie, the connection to Vampire Journals and where Subspecies 4 fits in the Subspecies timeline causes headaches. Dimitri from Vampire Journals is now someone else entirely? I mean his origin is the same as Dimitri's (well at least as to how he became a vampire), so I kept waiting for this to be like a 'thing' but I think we were genuinely just not supposed to notice. Ash is back too, as said and looking considerably younger than he did in the last film with the sword he took from Zachary. Hell, they even reuse whole bits of dialogue from Vampire Journals, what the actual fuck?

So I've never really talked about this before, because I never had a benchmark until Vampire Journals but basically in the Subspecies universe, vampires all suffer from small man syndrome. They don't want wealth, respect or any of that really, they just want full obedience of everyone around them, basically forcing everyone into slavery. It just makes the vampires seem so insecure and it just makes them come across so pathetic, with their tantrum throwing when it all goes belly up. If I wanted teenage vampires, I'd be watching Twilight, hell they seem more mature than Radu or Ash ever do. No matter how many super powers Nicolaou adds, I think the Subspecies vampires are easily some of the worst in movie history. And I mean this is really, really played up in this film, way more than it is in any of the others, I mean since when did fledglings have a uncontrollable urge to protect their Masters when the Master was in danger? This doesn't even end up making any sense in the same film in the end, considering how it concludes, let alone in relation to the other films. I mean sure, they would have lost like the last forty minutes of the movie without this but still, breaking your own rules to stretch out your film is fucking bullshit.

Wait so, when the dawn rises the vampires actually basically become dead, is that why Ash turned into a corpse in the other film? I thought vampires were permanently dead, the dawn just dropped them in a coma? I didn't realise until this and Vampire Journal's just how little of Nicolaou's mythos had any clear definition. I mean just look at Ash in the sun, Radu in the sun and Marin in the sun...three different outcomes with no logic as to why. Another added confusion is Niculescu goes on to explain that a stake through the heart simply immobilises a vampire, then you have to either cut off its head or wait for the sun to rise to finish it off - and this only works if done by a mortal. Not only has this never been true for Radu but this hasn't been true of any vampire in the series so far.

In defence of the film, Niculescu is a fascinating concept even if he's not a particularly good character. A vampire who is fighting the 'curse' through science, they never explain how he does it, which feels a waste but with the advances of modern science, especially now, a vampire who alters himself and removes his weaknesses through science is really cool and an obvious idea I haven't seen done before.

Subspecies has had pretty decent effects, although Vampire Journals looked a little goofy but Subspecies 4 is by far the worst looking out of the bunch. I mean I know Radu has had subtle changes to his make up in each of the films but, I don't know if it's because of his bad case of Sunburn, it's at its most noticeable in this film. He looks awful and for the wrong reasons.

So do I recommend it? Trancers was also all over the place and although there is no excuse  that at least had a range of different writers and directors...this on the other hand is written and directed by the same guy (well minus the first one, which was written by someone else) so how can the continuity be such an utter and complete mess? The film actually isn't that bad, it's probably better than the first one even, but I just kept being pulled out of it over and over by all the continuity errors and an absolutely terrible ending. A great film but a truly awful finish to a largely mediocre franchise, I'm just glad it is all over.

Think About It!

-Locke