The Film
Set in the retro futuristic world of the graphic novel universe created by Min-Woo Hyung, Priest takes place after a great war between vampires and mankind. What's left is a post- apocalyptic, dystopian future where cities of darkness are ruled by the church and a handful of people eke out a struggled existence outside cities on barren land and vampires are confined to reservations.
Don't confuse this vampire story with the romantic creatures of the night seen most recently on shows like HBO's True Blood and the CW's Vampire Diaries or even the brooding teen angst seen in movies like Twilight. These are faceless beasts with just one thing on the mind: blood.
During the war a group of priests were trained, armed and sent to defeat the growing vampire power. Once the threat was contained the group was disbanded but one of the trained priests must go against the church to chase after a band of insurgents, led by a vampire with a familiar face who has torn apart Priest's family.
The story's history is filled in by an animated sequence inspired by the original graphic novel and holds up for those interested in this genre. Along the way several predictable plot twists occur that attempt to add interest to the story. In the end, we're all just watching for the action, and the gore.
Drink up the review of Priest by Lora Grady for another taste.
The Picture
CGI-heavy, Priest dazzles without revealing too much behind-the-curtain by way of artifacts and jaggies. Three settings set the color tone for the movie: dark cities you've come to expect in a cyberpunk world -- ones that that never see the light of day; the wild frontier desert washed out by the sun; and night in the same wild frontier. City sequences are dark and have a blue cast. Daytime on the frontier shows a world faded by the sun -- but presented here in impeccable detail. Nighttime shots cloak the action in a blue cast similar to the cities. All three settings highlight the incredible attention to detail paid by set decorators and props professionals.
The film's creators fabricated many of the buildings, weapons and vehicles - not to mention the beastly vampires that jump across the screen. Much of the above elements were enhanced by CGI. One example might be the steampunk-inspired motorcycles -- the main mode of transportation in the film -- constructed to be fully functional. But the special effects mavens added CGI to make them more bad-ass by spreading the wheels just a little farther apart. This was revealed in one of the making-of features, but is hard to detect even in the rich detail of this 2.40:1 transfer.
The Sound
Watch Priest with the volume high, as it should be watched. If you have a family member down the hall trying to do work, expect complaints. The 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack rumbled my entire living room during a few scenes. The slimy, faceless vampires startled as they zipped around the perimeters of the screen and howled as they made their way into view. Priest was originally shown in theaters in 3D (and is available on Blu-ray 3D as well as standard Blu-ray) and the sound pushes that envelope of filling theaters -- or livingrooms -- with a landscape of sound.
The Extras
While the bonus materials aren't extensive, there's a handful of interesting making-of featurettes and commentary that add to the Blu-ray. One segment shows what went into making the world of Priest while another special featurette goes into how the weapons and vehicles were fabricated for the film. A picture-in-picture commentary "Bullets and Crucifixes" is a Blu-ray exclusive and offers background while the film is rolling. Deleted and extended scenes round out the package.
Final Thoughts
The film pairs director Scott Charles Stewart and actor Paul Bettany in a similar story as the 2009 release of Legion. Find "evil army" and replace with "vampire" and the script is complete. Version 2.0 demonstrates better execution, but the storyline and many of its elements are far too predictable.
Fans of the comic book series will be happy with the Blu-ray, and everyone else will enjoy a stunning presentation of special effects that provide an evening of entertainment. It's a different take on the vampire genre with a faceless horde of creatures of the night rather than a debonair Dracula haunting the screen in a tuxedo and cape.
Product Details
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