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Review #381 of 365
Movie Review of Blood and Chocolate (2007) [PG-13] 98 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $8.75
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 28 January 2007
Time: 10:00 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Katja von Garnier (Bandits)
Screenplay by: Ehren Kruger (The Brothers Grimm) and Christopher Landon (Ice-Cold in Alex) based on the book by Annette Curtis Klause
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Agnes Bruckner (Peaceful Warrior) • Hugh Dancy (Basic Instinct 2) • Olivier Martinez (Taking Lives) • Katja Riemann (Ich bin die Andere) • Bryan Dick ("Bleak House") • Chris Geere (Wondrous Oblivion) • Tom Harper (The Upside of Anger) • John Kerr (S Club Seeing Double) • Jack Wilson (The Stepfather)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Taking a more noble approach to the subject of werewolves, Blood and Chocolate extends the mythology with the story of a Romanian clan of loup-garou, literally wolves that shape shift into human form at will, and their struggle to stay alive and live amongst human beings. Unfortunately, the noble aspect is just about the only interesting angle and the sole fresh aspect—these people turn into average, garden variety wolves not terrifying beasts—to an, otherwise, recycled love story we've seen over and over again. A fan of the genre, even I am losing interest. The story begins with young Vivian some how exposing her family and self to the neighbors who organize a hunting party and kill her family. She survives, somehow, and is quickly shipped back to Bucharest to live with her Aunt Astrid (Katja Riemann). The now grown up Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) helps out her Aunt in her chocolate shop. Turns out that the family has a secret. They are all loup-garou, and their rule-abiding, by the book leader is Gabriel (Olivier Martinez). Astrid was taken to be his wife at his last 7-year ritual. Next on his list is Vivian. Who gets in the way and creates conflict? An American named Aiden (Hugh Dancy) strolls into her life one day with his eyes full of dreams of writing all about the noble loup-garou and how all the werewolf mythology is wrong. Unfortunately for him, he falls for her causing Gabriel to turn loose his pack to prevent the two from getting too close.
"…a tame version of the stories we've seen too many times before."
Decent, lyric dance-like special effects during the wolf transformations are about the only other thing the film has going for it. Mediocre dialogue, acting, and plotting unfortunately made for a restlessness-inducing combination—according to the legend, if you believe you will turn into a wolf, you will, and I kept wanting to jump up and try leaping from seatback to rail and over the wall to test it, but I worried I might just continue out the door. Entirely predictable, the film never really gets out of first gear. Part of this, unfortunately, must be put on the director and part on the leading lady. Katja von Garnier never quite decides who the villains of the story are. Is it the humans who hunt the loup-garou for sport? Is it the high and mighty Gabriel who takes it upon himself to clean up the city? Is it the Vivian's nasty cousins who play with humans, whom they refer to as meat, for amusement? As for Vivian, she's too icy to love. As protagonists go, she's got the tragedy-filled childhood thing going for her, but are we supposed to feel sorry that the leader of the pack plans to abandon his wife, her aunt for a new mate and might pick her? What does she do other than mope around and make chocolates? She's simply not likeable. It's too bad, because the idea that maybe all wolves, really are loup-garou with a noble animal spirit and the ability to shape shift into people is a fun one that might have gone somewhere new. Instead, it's just a tame version of the stories we've seen too many times before. Now, if Vivian had eaten Little Red Riding Hood, well, then, that would have been different.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Blood and Chocolate (2006)
Cast Members
Agnes Bruckner
• Hugh Dancy • Olivier MartinezKatja Riemann
• Bryan Dick • Chris GeereTom Harper
• John Kerr • Jack WilsonDirector
Katja von Garnier
Co-writers
Ehren Kruger
• Christopher LandonNovelist
Annette Curtis Klause
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| VHS | Related Book |
Blood and Chocolate (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Taking a more noble approach to the subject of werewolves, Blood and Chocolate extends the mythology with the story of a Romanian clan of loup-garou, literally wolves that shape shift into human form at will, and their struggle to stay alive and live amongst human beings. Unfortunately, the noble aspect is just about the only interesting angle and the sole fresh aspect—these people turn into average, garden variety wolves not terrifying beasts—to an, otherwise, recycled love story we've seen over and over again. Decent, lyric dance-like special effects during the wolf transformations are about the only other thing the film has going for it. Mediocre dialogue, acting, and plotting unfortunately made for a restlessness-inducing combination. Entirely predictable, the film never really gets out of first gear. The result is a tame version of the stories we've seen too many times before.
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