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THE LITTLE VAMPIRE
THE LITTLE VAMPIRE proved to be rib-tickling fun that plays well with both kids and parents. Once again, New Line delivers the goods with a first rate DVD presentation. If you are going to pick up THE LITTLE VAMPIRE for the kids anyway, make sure you are picking up the DVD for yourself. DVD reviews are Copyright © 2001 THE
CINEMA LASER and may not be copied or reprinted without the written
consent of the publisher.
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This DVD review 
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DVD
reviews are Copyright © 2001 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
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Although
it's supposed to be a kid’s movie, THE LITTLE VAMPIRE ($25) is
one of the most enjoyable surprises that I've popped into my DVD player
in quite some time. THE LITTLE VAMPIRE is a genuine delight that
will appeal to school age kids, as well as their parents, which provides
a whole lot of laughs and some creepy cool horror movie inspired atmosphere.
Even the CGI special effects are very good, with computer generated vampire
cows being one of the most inspired and amusing uses of the technology
that I've seen. The vampire cows give the movie's imagery just the right
amount of comic fairy tale charm, thanks to the fact that the effects
never push for stark realism. My only reservation about THE LITTLE
VAMPIRE is for the smaller tykes, who may become frightened during
a couple of scenes in which the creatures of the night bare their fangs.
THE
LITTLE VAMPIRE is based upon the books by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg
and tells the story of an American boy Tony Thompson (Jonathan Lipnicki)
who has moved to Scotland with his parents, after his father takes on
the job of designing a new golf resort. Because he is an American, Tony
is something of an outcast with the local children, however his wild tales
about his vampire nightmares make him a regular target for the class bullies.
As you might expect, Tony's parents are concerned about his nightmares
and his inability to make new friends, but the situation changes when
Tony's vampire games attract the attention of a real vampire boy named
Rudolph (Rollo Weeks). Although initially afraid, Tony befriends Rudolph
when he learns that he and his vampire family don't dine on people, but
subsist on the blood of cows. Through his friendship with Rudolph, Tony
develops the courage to help protect his new friends from an obsessed
vampire hunter, while helping them locate a magic amulet that may be able
to make them all human again. As I stated above, THE LITTLE VAMPIRE
is a very funny movie that benefits from jokes, slapstick, amusing visuals
and solid performances that don't play down to a juvenile level. The cast
of THE LITTLE VAMPIRE also features Richard E. Grant, Jim Carter,
Alice Krige, Pamela Gidley, Tommy Hinkley, Anna Popplewell, Dean Cook,
John Wood, Ed Stoppard Jake D'Arcy, Iain De Caestecker, Scott Fletcher
and. Johnny Meres.
As
usual, New Line Home Video has done a standout job with the presentation
of THE LITTLE VAMPIRE on DVD. The dual layer DVD offers a choice
of full screen and wide screen versions, but I'll confine my comments
to the 16:9 enhanced presentation. Framed at 1.85:1, THE LITTLE VAMPIRE
really looks terrific on DVD. The image is sharp, crystal clear and beautifully
detailed. There are occasional soft shots, but there is nothing to really
complain about. Although the movie has a lot of dark sequences, there
is very little appreciable film grain present. Colors tend to be fully
saturated, with natural looking flesh tones for all but the undead characters
in the film. Blue and red lighting is effectively used in key scenes,
however none of the intense hues cause any problems with chromatic distortion
or bleeding. Blacks are accurately rendered, with the picture displaying
excellent shadow detail and depth.
The
Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack provides a good level of ambient
atmosphere, as well as some nicely deployed directional effects that do
make use of the split surrounds. Channel separation is quite good across
the forward sound stage and dialogue reproduction is clean, natural and
fully intelligible. The bass channel lays a solid foundation that enhances
the sound effects, although it never becomes artificially boomy. Overall,
this is a very good soundtrack that parents will appreciate more than
their kids. An English Dolby Surround soundtrack is also encoded onto
the DVD, as are English subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound all serve to enhance the interactive
menus. Through the menu system, one has access to the standard scene selection
and set up features, as well as a few nice extras geared towards the kids.
There are three interactive games, jokes and recipes that the kids will
enjoy after watching the movie. A theatrical trailer and cast filmographies
will appeal to the older viewers. THE LITTLE VAMPIRE is also DVD-ROM
enabled, offering access to the original screenplay, theatrical website
and web links.
