Liga Contra o Mal

The first time I saw Twins Effect, I was stunned. I bought it because the case (lovingly Pirated in China) was a picture of Jackie Chan and one of my favorite pop duos Twins. I thought I had to see it. I didn't know whether to love it or hate it. The character development is slow, but quite interesting. You really have to love the personality that each of the girls brings in.

Gypsy (Ah-Jiao) Really makes her mark as a possible action or drama hero. Her acting is very skillful, and thankfully not over-done. Helen (Ah-Sa) also brings charm to the screen but more in a quite concious over-acting (Which though sometimes annoying, is also quite endearing).

The Vampires are scary, funny and different at the same time. The film pulls elements from Buffy the Vampire slayer, as well as kind of a euro-coolness for the Vamps. It is a crazy mix and doesn't exactly pull me into the film, but it pushes the plot through and, though not convincing, they are fun.

Obviously some of the draw to the movie is the great ensemble cast which includes several Hong Kong stars and starlets. Jackie Chan and Karen Mok bring some of the funniest and most endearing scenes in the movie. Karen, as a booze-loving bride steals the scene in her short cameo.

Action, Romance, Vampires, and cool stunts really make this a good all around movie. It can be a date movie, or an action flick, or just a fun mindless movie. In the beginning I said that when I saw it I didn't know whether to love it or hate it. Well, now I've seen it about 12 times and I love it more with each viewing. My recommendation is give it a chance, you may like it.

BY the way the opening song done by Jackie and Twins is really cool, if you want to hear it with the vocals look it up: The song's name is "Bian Bian Bian" It really is a good piece of HK Pop.

I give this movie an 8 out of 10

One comment I have to post for this movie: Make sure you buy the Asian (not US) version of this film! Like many big name HK films (eg Iron Monkey, Drunken Master etc) the version sold by the big retailers (WalMart, Amazon etc) is cut to ribbons! About 20 minutes have been removed from the film! (Some of which are major plot points for later)

This film is pretty much a HK version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Take some very popular HK idols & throw them into a vampire story. Jackie Chan even has a cameo (& his son ends up getting a role in Part 2... hmm...) Its a quite good film & is recommended. 4 out of 5 stars. Oh & the teddy bear fight scene is a classic :)

I think a strength of this film is that it never takes itself too seriously. The subject matter is fairly dark, a love "square" revolving around a Vampire Hunter, his new assistant, his sister, and a vampire prince who is being hunted by his fellows so that a vampire lord may ascend and become a daywalker.

The love story between the Sister and the Prince is cute and touching at times. He falls for her instantly, and pursues her with vigilance and charm, not falling on the very clichéd vampire seduction. How does a girl resist a guy who risks his life just to see her during the day?

The movie does a good job foreshadowing the action. The hunters use an equalizer that quickly plays into the Hunter/Assistant relationship. The story shows us right away what the girls are capable of with a hilarious fight over a stuffed bear. Even Jackie Chan's bit part ends up being more than a cameo, as his characters reappears to help the heroes out.

The choreography was refreshing to me. I watched "Hero" recently, and while the story was excellent, the fights were laughable with people spinning around in the air like they just had a major stumble in zero gravity. In Vampire Effect the action ranges from, car chases, tug a war with a stuffed bear, a tight roof top chase with capoeria involved, an excellent all out brawl between the girls and the legions of vampires, and extensive use of grappling techniques which I rarely see in movies.

The use of caucasian actors for most of the vampires was clever, it fit into the plot as these type of beasts were supposed to be from out of town. They also looked tall, pale, and alien against the mostly Asian cast.

If you like good choreography, a bit of angst, and a nice dose of humor. I would recommend it. Don't expect Hero.

In Hong Kong, Reeve (Ekin Cheng) is a vampire slayer, who belongs to a league that fights against vampires, living with his sister Helen (Charlene Choi). When his partner dies, killed by the powerful vampire Duke Dekotes (Mickey Hardt), Gypsy (Gillian Chung), who has a crush on Reeve, is assigned as a replacement to work with him. Meanwhile Helen falls in love for Kasaf (Edison Chen), a vampire that belongs to a royal family and does not attack human beings. However, the powerful Duke Dekotes is chasing Kasaf to increase his powers.

"Chin Gei Bin" is a silly, but also funny vampire adventure / comedy movie. Showing many special effects and a nice cast, the story is not so bad, following basically the idea of Buffy, being watchable and forgettable. I regret only that "Universal" cheats the Brazilian consumers with a huge picture and the name of Jackie Chan on the cover of the DVD released in Brazil. I expected to see a Jackie Chan movie, and in the end his participation is limited to two scenes to give his name to the credits, being the first one of his wedding totally ridiculous. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Liga Contra o Mal" ("The League Against Evil")

Like a very expensive Buffy episode peppered with plenty of humor. Lots of wire and stunt kung fu. The Twins Effect goes on the list of classic must see HK films. The vampires have a cool blend of hopping ghost type and the pretty boy European style. If you get the opportunity to see this one in the theatre it is worth a 30 minute drive, otherwise buy the import DVD before someone screws it up by giving it a bad dub.