The Thompsons

I quite enjoyed "The Hamiltons" of which "The Thompsons" is a kind of follow up, as they have fled away from th States to Europe, where they're up to no good.

They describe the difficult life of modern day vampires. With nowadays surveillance cameras it's not easy to get a drink of blood. After Running away from the US they go looking for their ancestors in Europe, from where Hamiltons origin, the Mandersons. And you could say that they find them. But the foreign visitors aren't politely received.

If you didn't know; you shouldn't be ashamed of being a vampire. In this film we get to know vampire life as the most common thing there is, being a vampire and a killer. And it's a disgrace to not be a real vampire.

It's a modern vampire story well told. The production values is once again very good. The Butcher Brothers knows how to tell their vampire stories, so that we almost start to believe them. It's gory, funny, disgusting and bloody, as a vampire slasher has too be. When the Butcher Brothers decide to do something really serious, they'll know how to do it.

However this story is told so disjointed and without any car, then it falls short from the original one. Too many stupid coincidences and plot holes makes this far off what it should have been. Sloppy, you could say. And that becomes boring and annoying.

You won't miss out if you stop watching this half ways, as the quality falls from there.

The only thing you miss out, is that they sympathetically drive off in an Audi S-line. A pity it'll have to be blood spattered...

Francis (Cory Knauf), the central character in The Butcher Brothers' The Thompsons (the sequel to their 2006 movie The Hamiltons), is something of a tortured soul, a vampire troubled by his bloody lifestyle, searching for a meaning to his existence. Having fled the US with his bloodsucking family, he now wanders the UK looking for others like him so that he can learn about his heritage and perhaps even find love among his own kind.

The photogenic cast; the oh-so-serious emo sensibilities; the romance between vampire clans; the film-makers desperately striving for a sense of cool: The Thompsons might easily be confused for an installment of the Twilight series if it wasn't for all the graphic sex and violence on display. I doubt very much that Bella Swan would ever get it on with an absinthe addled Parisian whore, or whether Edward would savagely tear the throat out of his victims, drenching himself in blood in the process, but the vampires in this film have no such qualms, narrowly preventing it from being another worthless piece of PG-13 horror-lite and just about earning it a recommendation from yours truly.

Forced on the run, a vampire clan arrives in London looking for help and recuperation only to find their hosts have far more diabolical plans in mind when they're captured and forced into a breeding program to ensure survival, putting the two families against each other.

Surprisingly, this turned out to be quite a decent enough vampire effort that does have some pretty enjoyable features about it. One of them is perhaps the most controversial of the film's changes, in how it deals with the vampires in here. Rather than being remorseless nocturnal bloodsuckers unsympathetic with humanity in the slightest, this one portrays two distinct differences that are rather unique: being a condition received at birth and thus being able to walk about in sunlight with no ill effects, and the second issue of having no real interest in humanity other than feeding time and being out and about without getting into the strange, rabid intensity around fresh meat. Here, they're given a little more of an ability to blend in with the rest of humanity and that's quite a fun option here as it goes against so much of what's known and given about the creatures in the folklore. While this change may not be for everyone, the fact that it's no excuse for how slow and uneventful the first half of this is really hard to take into account, which has the ever-familiar stamp of British class and restraint that makes nothing seem important to get worked up over and really drains this of its energy. That said, there's still some good parts here with some fine gore scenes from the multiple kills, a couple of outstanding action scenes coming from a multitude of brawls and gunfights, and a twisting, convoluted storyline that stays on-track throughout these twists and turns that keep this quite enjoyable though not entirely perfect.

Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence, Full Nudity and several sex scenes.

I haven't seen The Hamiltons so I can't comment on its relationship to this movie. The story of The Thompsons isn't told linearly but it starts more or less in the middle and then backtracks. I'll summarize the story linearly.

An American family of vampires (one girl, 2 guys, 1 kid) try to mind their own business and are driving around the desert when the kid gets shot accidentally when a bunch of thugs hold up a diner. Now the family is seeking help. Someone tells them to go to Europe and also gives them a name. One of the guys, Francis, travels to the English country side to look for this person who can help them. The twins (guy and girl) end up in Paris having fun. While the other guy watches over the kid.

Francis drives around, his car breaks down but he makes it on foot to some family pub where he draws the attention of the locals. The daughter who works there is attracted to him. But it turns out the owner and their two sons are vampires. They take him to the main vampire who offers to help if Francis calls his entire family to meet him in England. They make the trip but things turn ugly. The main vampire and his family don't have the Thompsons best intentions in mind.

A lot of the movie is told in Francis' voice overs. The filmmakers know how to put the creepy small town English country side to good use. I really enjoyed most of the movie, but when things become physical near the end, the movie loses steam. The main problem is that Cory Knauf who plays Francis (and co-wrote the script) is just too laid back. Even when he's being attacked and his life is at stake, he never loses his cool. He does a good job with the voice overs, but acting in dramatic situations is entirely beyond him. A huge plus is the attractive girls, and there are many here- all of them actually. Elizabeth Henstridge is particularly lovely, attractive and hot. What a gorgeous girl. She basically steals the show. There's some nudity too. The special effects despite being CGI are pretty good and the fangs for once look convincing. There's a lot to like here, the creepiness, the English locations, the story overall, the women. There are some plot holes and details that make no sense. I look forward to the third one and will have to check out The Hamiltons. This movie is a good effort and a very good entry into the vampire genre which has been so mercilessly abused.

People who liked The Hamiltons (2006) can easily pick this up because all the characters are back in action. And even if you haven't seen The Hamiltons you can see this without a doubt.

When things go awry at a diner and people are being killed the Hamiltons do have to hide themselves. Being on the run for the cops they leave the states for the UK and do come across another vampire clan. The Hamiltons now being called The Thompsons need their help but do they get it.

It do delivers on a few points but it never do becomes rather gory. Still it is watchable even as there isn't that much of red stuff. But it is the editing that aves this flick. In the beginning you will get confused by a few things but quickly you will here the story of Francis Hamilton told by himself. It do takes a while before the fighting starts between the two clans and the last part of the flick will deliver for fans over vampire flicks.

If you aren't into vampires then this isn't for you because nothing looks believable of course. Some parts I didn't like but like I just said, the last part is a must see for the ones with fangs. It won't become a classic but it's a nice start to begin your horror evening.

Gore 2/5 Nudity 1,5/5 Effects 3/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5