Review: Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids

Sometimes a movie comes along that challenges your sensibilities as a moviegoer, and as a critic; one that leaves you conflicted about your overall opinion, because it plays to things you like, but falls short in other areas.

Writer/director Vincent Soberano's Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids is one such movie.

On the one hand, this is martial arts/action/horror/sci-fi mashup that delivers all the martial-arts action, horror, and science-fiction elements I could want. And Soberano definitely gives the film a comic-book vibe, thanks to some opening scene animation and graphics that pop up throughout the story.

The film's short running time is basically 75 per cent action, which is mostly comprised of some well choreographed martial arts and knife combat. Soberano can shoot a fight scene, and the rumbles are smoothly shot so we follow the action. Well done!

Soberano also cast a collection of beautiful women, including Sarah Chang, Roxanne Barcelo, and Mayling Ng. They look good AND they know how to fight!

Otherwise, the film isn't that well made. Scenes are either too short or poorly edited, so it's hard to keep track of what's going on at first. The acting is poor too, which usually wouldn't matter in a movie like this, but it did this time. Pretty much every actor who played the villainous Aswang sucked, especially Temujin Shirzada. Over acting is a privilege, not a right, sir!

So the movie fan in me appreciated the action and scenery, but the movie maker in me cringed at how everything was put together. I find this is happening more and more, the longer Shawn and I run From The Basement.

Which means Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids is a Bad. Nice try, but not a win.

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