Vampire Office - Büro mit Biss

Just finished watching Netherbeast Incorporated and well...it had a few moments. It star's a pretty well-stocked cast and a moderate budget. The general plot is a re-invention of the vampire, and the movie spends about 1/3 of it's time explaining just what they are. For one thing, they're not that different than normal people...except for the fact that well...they eat normal people to survive. The Netherbeasts, as they like to be called, spend their lives in a corporate building, protected from the outside world. It's kind of like Office Space for vampires. They do office work...except they don't retire after 30 years...for some of them it goes on for several decades. Their current lifestyle is in danger from outside sources which is actually more of a sub-plot to their everyday normal office lives.

The problem I had was that the majority of the jokes just fell flat. Whereas I had a few chuckles, they were all delivered dead-pan without any enthusiasm whatsoever. I understand they're portraying the boring office life, and that these netherbeasts are in somewhat of a rut having the same routine for decades at a time, but the delivery of the humor should have been more engaging. The main story is really just kind of going on in the background while a forced romantic story is developing...and the rest of the cast just enters screen to say their lines and walk off. The acting was pretty sub-par, and the lines in general had a scripted sound...the sort where they literally just read it before the director said action.

It had it's funny moments, but from the cast involved I just kinda expected better. For all the actors and comedians I recognized this was probably their worst work that I've personally seen. I wouldn't say avoid this movie, but I wouldn't be rushing out on release day to grab it. If you're more into a small budget, mild dark-comedy, somewhat laggy feeling film...give it a go.

This was alright, but you're not missing anything. I was torn between 4-5 for this one, since it felt like it was *so close*.

Coming off of a vampire-office-comedy kick with Bloodsucking Bastards (good) and The Night Watchmen (not good), I was excited for Netherbeast Inc. I didn't have high expectations, but it seemed quirky and fun as it's a different take on the idea by theming it around a pro-vampire office environment.

It had a really strong/fun opening and a surprisingly recognizable cast. Jason Mewes showing up caught me off guard for sure, but he played a pretty mundane character and didn't bring his usual raunchy-schtick with him.

Contrary to other reviews, I didn't mind their voice-over narration style they used to explain the "rules" of the monsters. I thought it was kind of quirky and it felt like an office meeting with PowerPoint. The office humor was spot-on and a very deadpan depiction of corporate environments.

Overall, though, it just fell flat: The comedy dwindled and became repetitive.

The mystery wasn't very mysterious.

They spent so long clarifying that the "nether beasts" weren't like classic vampires that I would have had a better time if they just committed to that and didn't mention the V-word at all.

With all the stuff they over-explained, they had some pretty big gaps in logic with a few key things they didn't explain at all or well enough to make sense.

Its not terrible, it just felt pretty sub-par. I liked the idea, I liked some of the humor, but it just didn't get there. Its got a lot of 6+ reviews, which is surprising, but it must hit the spot for a lot of people.

I had this movie described to me as a vampire comedy, so I figured I'd like it. It isn't, and I didn't.

The thing is, these creatures aren't vampires - they're a new type of creature that I hadn't heard of yet. Which is great, 'cause we need some original ideas in a world of remakes and sequels. Unfortunately, though, since these are new creatures the filmmakers spend most of the movie explaining to us who they are, their history, their likes and dislikes, how they live, how they die, etc. This goes on . . . and on . . . and on. It constantly interrupts the movie. The filmmakers try to make these scenes of exposition visually interesting but it all comes across like a Powerpoint presentation.

Exposition aside, the story itself is pretty good but I would have liked to have had things explained in a more sophisticated way.

The comedy is there in spurts but it is too uneven throughout the film. The opening scene and the film's climax are the two funniest things in the film. Throughout the rest, though, it felt like a big inside joke that I wasn't in on. Some scenes fall completely flat, some resort to toilet humor, and some make no sense.

As far as actors go, Darrel Hammond is funny doing what is essentially his Bill Clinton routine from SNL. His opening scene is hilarious, but unfortunately he takes a backseat quickly. David Foley is completely wasted in a flat role. I couldn't believe that they bothered to cast one of the funniest men alive and have him do nothing interesting. Jason Mewes pops up for a pointless buddy role halfway through the film. Judd Nelson definitely steals the show as the movie progresses and is at his best in the film's climax.

My other gripe is that the chemistry between the lead actor and the main girl felt very forced. I didn't buy their relationship for some reason.

Overall, it provides a few laughs but feels like a missed opportunity. I would suggest it on DVD only to fans of independent cinema who can get over things like horrible lighting and camerwork. This is one of those movies that will probably get a cult audience but everyone else will hate.

Good cast. Original story. Funny moments. It just doesn't quite get to its potential. I can't even put my finger on why.

saw this last at the 7th London Sci-Fi and Fantasy Festival. It was absolutely brilliant - good laughs in all the right places and not blindingly gory. The general understated tone makes it all that more enjoyable.

The cast was also great - nobody so big it takes your eye off the ball but some familiar faces; Dave Foley from some episodes of 'Scrubs' and Jason Mewes from the 'Jay and Silent Bob' movies were both a pleasant surprise.

Thank you to the creators! I've been waiting for a good 'vampire' movie since Coppola did his take on Dracula. I will be buying this on DVD and looking forward to watching other Ronalds/Dellis projects in the future.