Search - Moon Child on DVD

Content Advisory: Violence Movie Release: 2003 DVD Release: 05/18/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: Japanese Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 59 mins Studio: TLA Releasing Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Action, Horror, Action Thriller, Sci-Fi Horror

Combining yakuza, science fiction, and vampire elements may sound like an outlandish recipe for campy excess in the United States, but former pinku eiga director Takahisa Zeze plays things remarkably straight in this truly unique effort from Japan. In the near future, a group of desolate citizens spend their days and nights in Mallepa, a large refugee community located in the "Asian Special Economic Zone." Though brothers Sho and Shinji survive on the streets with a little resourcefulness and the help of friend Toshi, an encounter with wounded vampire Kei forever changes the course of their lives. Soon after taking Kei back to their hideout so that the desperate vampire may recover, an angry gangster shows up to reclaim a stolen briefcase full of cash. Although Kei is quick to make dinner out of the angry gangster, his efforts to keep his trio of friends from harm is too little too late when the determined gangster fires a fatal bullet into Shinji. When Sho and Toshi plan to rip off a rival gang a decade later, Kei follows and the team soon meets up with similar-minded Chinese troublemaker Son (Wang Lee Hom) and his sister Yi-Che (Zeny Kwok). Soon stalked by the revenge-thirsting rival gang, the trio lose track of their bloodsucking friend in the ensuing melee. It's not long before Sho and Son have a falling out and end up in rival gangs, but can the re-emergence of condemned vampire Kei be enough to bring the two old friends back on the same side of the fence again? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Hideto Takarai - Kei
Gackt Camui - Sho
Wang Lee Hom - Son
Taro Yamamoto - Toshi
Susumu Terajima

An ambitious and stylish action-horror hybrid featuring Japanese pop stars Gackt Camui and Hideto Takarai (aka Hyde) embarking in vampiric John Woo-style gunplay, Takahisa Zeze's Moon Child makes its stateside DVD debut courtesy of TLA Releasing. The picture is shown in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, but the visual presentation leaves much to be desired. Though free of edge-enhancement, the disc is marred by constant artifacting -- with distracting, dancing pixels evident throughout (especially in the wildly unstable blacks). The already intentionally gritty cinematography is increasingly muddied as well, offering a washed-out image despite generally accurate skin tones and the occasional vibrant blast of color. The Dolby Digital Stereo audio track offers a bold mix with no discernible hiss or distortion. English subtitles are presented in easy-to-read white font with bold black outlines. As for extras, viewers can access a handful of stills from the feature in addition to four trailers (presented in non-anamorphic widescreen) for other TLA Releasing titles. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide