Films - THE LITTLE VAMPIRE


The Little Vampire Universal

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It is not easy being a 9 year old in a new country. Tony has just moved with his parents, Dottie and Bob Thompson, from a big bustling city in America to a small village in a remote corner of Scotland. Every night, in his new home, Tony has nightmares about vampires, and he has no idea why. He soon becomes so absorbed by them that he starts studying every book he can find on the subject. His classmates tease him about his vampire obsession, especially the cruel local kids, Nigel and Flint, nephews of local squire, and Bob's employer, Lord McAshton. The teacher at his new school is so shocked he tells Tony's Mom about how worried he is; not a good start for the new kid in town. One evening, while in his room, practising basic vampire moves, Tony gets a visit from a large bat, which transforms before his eyes into a 9 year old vampire boy, Rudolph, who happens to be extremely hungry, and convinced that Tony is one of his kind. Realising that Tony is not a vampire, Rudolph tries to fly away again, but having no strength he just plummets straight to the ground outside Tony's window. Rookery the vampire hunter in his vampire hunting truck is in hot pursuit, and Tony, intrigued by the real life vampire he has met, protects Rudolph and, at his request, leads him to the local farm, where Rudolph drinks the blood of a cow. What later ensues is an adventurous caper during which Tony helps Rudolph find the mysterious missing half of the amulet that can help Rudolph and his family finally realise their dream - to become human again!

An American ankle-biter teams up with a family of Scottish vampires in this mostly lifeless attempt to suck fresh blood out of the popular series of children's books.

Story

Adapted from German author Angela Sommer-Bodenburg's "Little Vampire" novels, the lighthearted fantasy plotline follows a 9-year-old Yank named Tony Thompson (Jonathan Lipnicki) who has recently moved to Scotland with his parents. Haunted by mystical dreams, Tony is having trouble fitting in at school when he befriends a 300-year-old vampire boy named Rudolph (Rollo Weeks). Together the two search for a magical artifact that could free Rollo's persecuted kinfolk from vampirism.

Acting

"Jerry Maguire" munchkin Lipnicki, looking suspiciously Harry Potter-esque with his tousled hair and round specs, is able to slide through the lead role on sheer cuteness. That's fortunate because he's not particularly convincing when called upon to shed tears in a big dramatic moment or, most hilariously, register eye-rolling surprise while supposedly absorbing an ancient memory via magic. Veteran thespians Richard E. Grant (TV's "The Scarlet Pimpernel") and Alice Krige (the Borg Queen from "Star Trek: First Contact") do what they can with some weak writing as Rollo's vampire parents.

Direction

Uli Edel, making a substantial departure from his racy "Last Exit to Brooklyn" and "Body of Evidence," fails to pull much humour, excitement or anything else out of the material. From the fake-looking sets and special effects to the unimaginative design of elements such as the dumb gizmos used by a vampire-hunter character, the production is a B-movie kid flick all the way. It doesn't help that Edel is saddled with Karey Kirkpatrick and Larry Wilson's run-of-the-mill script, a collection of bad puns and thin plot coincidences.

Bottom Line

For any but Sommer-Bodenburg's most devoted young fans, "The Little Vampire" is undead on arrival.

  • Cast:Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E Grant, James Carter, Alice Krige, Rollo Weeks
  • Director:Uli Edel
  • Producer:Richard Claus
  • Writer:Larry Wilson, Karey Kirkpatrick
  • Duration:105
  • Release:In Cinemas Now
  • Genre:Family, Action/Adventure
  • Distributor:New Line Cinema



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