Rise: Blood Hunter

[Director] Gutierrez sustains a heightened mood of sex and violence that, without breaking new ground, entertains in the way Gothic flicks do: a combination of cheap thrills and a good old-fashioned crusade against evil.

You can thank a capable cast led by the estimable Lucy Liu, and work by writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez that succeeds in making the formulaic seem fresh.

Mediocrity. [Full review in Spanish]

Lucy Liu is always welcome on my screen, an actress who marries intelligence with feminine mystique, bundled with a dry wit and the ability to make action roles credible.

Torturous vampire bloodbath is a waste for all.

A tedious Blade rip-off. No suspense or scares, but lots of boredom.

While Rise: Blood Hunter isn't a terrible film, it's a predictable one.

far from perfect, but it's better than most direct-to-video horror you'll find out there. Heck, it's better than some of the theatrical releases we've seen this year

...a far more effective piece of work than one might've expected...

It's a blood-red affair thrown together in a dash, a little number that will ultimately get the same kind of treatment from audiences as it did from those who made it: something you might cue up in the DVD player on a whim and forget just as easily.