My SyFy Catechism (shorter version) and 'Perfect Creature'
Question: What is the chief end of the SyFy Channel?
Answer: The SyFy Channel's chief end seems to be to show some great shows, a lot more so-so programs, too many things that have nothing to do with science fiction, and a heckuva lot of truly sucky movies-of-the-week.
Question: When does a SyFy movie not suck?
Answer: A movie shown on the SyFy Channel may fail to suck when it was not made by or for that channel.
Question: What movie on SyFy didn't suck this week?
Answer: "Perfect Creature" entirely failed to suck on Sunday night.
Here endeth my irreverence (for now).
But seriously, if you didn't catch "Perfect Creature" (2006 vampire movie starring Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows, made in New Zealand) on the SyFy channel two nights ago or haven't already seen the DVD released a couple of years before that, then you might want to seriously consider searching for it on cable, Netflix, Amazon, or your local video rental place. It's definitely worth a viewing . . . or two or three.
Yes, there were certain aspects of the history and culture of the alternate reality earth in which it was set which I wish had been more fully explored or developed. And yes, the ending did leave me wanting a sequel (though not an unsatisfactory ending, by any means).
However, any minor quibbles I might have are greatly outweighed by my sheer delight in encountering a vampire movie with such an intriguing and original take on the mythos. Plus, there's Dougray Scott, who takes his vampire character from remote-but-revered religious icon to passionate defender of humanity over the course of the movie without missing a step.
Some of the blurbs I've encountered online since I first watched and decided not to delete Perfect Creature from my DVR have made it sound like just another version of the buddy-cop movie: vampire and human cop reluctantly team up to stop a crazed vampire serial killer, before he destroys any chance of peaceful co-existence between the vampire and human races.
And if you're thinking that plot-line sounds kind of familiar, you may be thinking of 2001's The Breed, starring Adrian Paul as the vampire half of the unlikely friendship/partnership. There are some superficial similarities, I'll admit.
But where "The Breed" depicted vampires (usually referred to as "the Breed") as a heretofore hidden and/or persecuted minority, living in ghetto-like enclaves (and just in case anybody missed the historical reference, we're pretty much told that the vampire hero, Aaron Gray, was a Polish Jew who was turned during WWII, after losing his family to the Nazis), "Perfect Creature" takes a different tack, showing the all-male "Brotherhood" (no mention of the word 'vampire' that I can recall) as an elite religious order, of at least 300 years' standing, admired and almost worshiped by the church-goers who apparently donate their blood to nourish the Brotherhood (a regular donation which is regarded as something akin to the way very devout Roman Catholics might go to Confession), and who receive the Brothers' blood in turn during very special rituals.
(The back-story on how a very rare genetic mutation which was first identified in a few male infants 300 years earlier, quickly became a source of hope and faith for so many humans, with the extremely long-lived and superhumanly strong Brothers forming a fairly ascetic celibate clerical order is one of those things that I wish had been fleshed out a bit more. But oh, well . . . )
We even see glimpses of the devout Brothers' rituals among themselves, emphasizing their sense of divine calling to protect and serve the humans (so many of whom also serve the Brothers, in turn, through the gift of their blood) and learn that the movie's title comes from a sort of eschatological hope -- not for a new heaven and a new earth, as in the final chapters of Revelation, but rather for the union of the vampire and human races to form 'a perfect creature' in the service of God.
On top of all that, the other hero of the movie -- the truly decent, intelligent, and tragedy-prone lead detective, played by Saffron Burrows -- gets to kick butt and totally save the day in the end (as well as inspiring celibate Brother Silas, played by Scott, with a more passionate and not-entirely-spiritual affection for humans)! I gotta love that.
I admit, the film's intriguing spin on the symbolic importance of blood in the Hebrew Bible and especially in the Christian New Testament and religious practices is what really lifted "Perfect Creature" out of the realm of mere, "Ooh, cute vampire in a murder mystery! Well, that was nice while it lasted . . ." and into the land of, "Hmmm, cute vampire cardinal investigating a murder mystery that could undermine the faith of millions of believers! Let's see that again!" for me.
Definitely worth a look-see . . . especially if you're eager for something decent to wash the bitter taste of some recent SyFy Channel made-for-TV, CGI-monster-of-the-week suck-fest (in the not-fun meaning of 'suck-fest,' I need hardly add) out of your brain.
Answer: The SyFy Channel's chief end seems to be to show some great shows, a lot more so-so programs, too many things that have nothing to do with science fiction, and a heckuva lot of truly sucky movies-of-the-week.
Question: When does a SyFy movie not suck?
Answer: A movie shown on the SyFy Channel may fail to suck when it was not made by or for that channel.
Question: What movie on SyFy didn't suck this week?
Answer: "Perfect Creature" entirely failed to suck on Sunday night.
Here endeth my irreverence (for now).
But seriously, if you didn't catch "Perfect Creature" (2006 vampire movie starring Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows, made in New Zealand) on the SyFy channel two nights ago or haven't already seen the DVD released a couple of years before that, then you might want to seriously consider searching for it on cable, Netflix, Amazon, or your local video rental place. It's definitely worth a viewing . . . or two or three.
Yes, there were certain aspects of the history and culture of the alternate reality earth in which it was set which I wish had been more fully explored or developed. And yes, the ending did leave me wanting a sequel (though not an unsatisfactory ending, by any means).
However, any minor quibbles I might have are greatly outweighed by my sheer delight in encountering a vampire movie with such an intriguing and original take on the mythos. Plus, there's Dougray Scott, who takes his vampire character from remote-but-revered religious icon to passionate defender of humanity over the course of the movie without missing a step.
Some of the blurbs I've encountered online since I first watched and decided not to delete Perfect Creature from my DVR have made it sound like just another version of the buddy-cop movie: vampire and human cop reluctantly team up to stop a crazed vampire serial killer, before he destroys any chance of peaceful co-existence between the vampire and human races.
And if you're thinking that plot-line sounds kind of familiar, you may be thinking of 2001's The Breed, starring Adrian Paul as the vampire half of the unlikely friendship/partnership. There are some superficial similarities, I'll admit.
But where "The Breed" depicted vampires (usually referred to as "the Breed") as a heretofore hidden and/or persecuted minority, living in ghetto-like enclaves (and just in case anybody missed the historical reference, we're pretty much told that the vampire hero, Aaron Gray, was a Polish Jew who was turned during WWII, after losing his family to the Nazis), "Perfect Creature" takes a different tack, showing the all-male "Brotherhood" (no mention of the word 'vampire' that I can recall) as an elite religious order, of at least 300 years' standing, admired and almost worshiped by the church-goers who apparently donate their blood to nourish the Brotherhood (a regular donation which is regarded as something akin to the way very devout Roman Catholics might go to Confession), and who receive the Brothers' blood in turn during very special rituals.
(The back-story on how a very rare genetic mutation which was first identified in a few male infants 300 years earlier, quickly became a source of hope and faith for so many humans, with the extremely long-lived and superhumanly strong Brothers forming a fairly ascetic celibate clerical order is one of those things that I wish had been fleshed out a bit more. But oh, well . . . )
We even see glimpses of the devout Brothers' rituals among themselves, emphasizing their sense of divine calling to protect and serve the humans (so many of whom also serve the Brothers, in turn, through the gift of their blood) and learn that the movie's title comes from a sort of eschatological hope -- not for a new heaven and a new earth, as in the final chapters of Revelation, but rather for the union of the vampire and human races to form 'a perfect creature' in the service of God.
On top of all that, the other hero of the movie -- the truly decent, intelligent, and tragedy-prone lead detective, played by Saffron Burrows -- gets to kick butt and totally save the day in the end (as well as inspiring celibate Brother Silas, played by Scott, with a more passionate and not-entirely-spiritual affection for humans)! I gotta love that.
I admit, the film's intriguing spin on the symbolic importance of blood in the Hebrew Bible and especially in the Christian New Testament and religious practices is what really lifted "Perfect Creature" out of the realm of mere, "Ooh, cute vampire in a murder mystery! Well, that was nice while it lasted . . ." and into the land of, "Hmmm, cute vampire cardinal investigating a murder mystery that could undermine the faith of millions of believers! Let's see that again!" for me.
Definitely worth a look-see . . . especially if you're eager for something decent to wash the bitter taste of some recent SyFy Channel made-for-TV, CGI-monster-of-the-week suck-fest (in the not-fun meaning of 'suck-fest,' I need hardly add) out of your brain.