Vampire
Hunter D (1985/Sentai Blu-ray)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B Extras: C- Film: C+
In
the future mankind lives in a dangerous world where mutants and
monsters exist they are ruled by the 'Nobility' or vampires class. A
young girl and her brother becomes targeted by the Nobility and their
only hope now lies in the mysterious hunter known only as 'D'. D
will have to not only face the Count, but his army and paranoid
villagers who reject anyone associated to the vampires in the Anime
feature film classic Vampire Hunter D (1985) debuting on
Blu-ray for its 30th Anniversary from Sentai Filmworks.
10,000
years in the future, mankind has gone through a nuclear apocalypse
and through the darkness monsters, demons, mutants have emerged. The
ruling class or species is no long human but vampires are at the top
of the food chain... while there are evidence that high technology
still exists, much of it remains lost, or controlled by Vampires or
the rich/corrupt. Only one man still stands for justice, D. D is a
dhampir, a half breed child born between human and vampire. Through
the use of his supernatural powers, skills and resourcefulness he
faces incredible odds and fights on an equal footing with vampires.
While strong, he still resists his vampire urges and instinct for
blood, and only needs to rest once every few years.
This
was a blast from the past and now on Blu-ray (along with a separate
DVD version), but unfortunately like all older movies transferred
onto Blu-ray there is only so much you can 'digitally remaster' and
it was no difference if you already have the older DVD (see the links
below), unless you have a serious home theater system properly
calibrated and can see minor improvements in the 1080p 1.33 X 1 (vs.
1.85 X 1 presentation on that older DVD) and more of the original
film frame. But, as noted before, it is still considered one of the
founding early vampire anime that have lead to the birth many more
vampire anime/series.
Fortunately,
we get a lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 mix that is richer,
warmer and more authentic than the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on the
out of print DVD. Extras include trailers, but you can read more
about the older DVD and sequel to this film on DVD from another
writer who liked them even more...
Original
film DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/783/Vampire+Hunter+D
Bloodlust
sequel DVD
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/784/Vampire+Hunter+D:+Bloodlust
We
look forward to seeing the upcoming Bloodlust Blu-ray.
-
Ricky Chiang
