Blood and Chocolate

Plot synopsis:
Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) is a nineteen-year-old werewolf born in Bucharest, Romania to American parents who then moved back to America. When Vivian was nine years old, her parents and two siblings were killed by two hunters who then proceeded to burn down their house. She then moved back to Bucharest to live with her aunt Astrid (Katja Riemann), who was the mate of the pack's leader, Gabriel (Olivier Martinez) at that time. To Astrid's distress, Gabriel left her after seven years in accordance with pack law to choose a new mate. The culmination of another seven years is only a few months away and Gabriel wants the reluctant Vivian as his.
This is not, however, what she wants. She begins a romance with a graphic novelist Aiden (Hugh Dancy) who is researching for his latest book. Though he is human, he knows much about her kind, the Loups-Garoux (werewolves). Their romance is closely watched by her cousin Rafe (Bryan Dick) and his friends Ulf (Chris Geere), Gregor (Tom Harper), Finn (John Kerr), and Willem (Jack Wilson), together known as The Five. Believing that she is telling him all their secrets- as seen by a drawing he did of her and wolves because he knew her as "The Wolf Girl"- and may grow to be a danger to their pack, Rafe tells Gabriel of them. Gabriel then tells Rafe that Aiden must leave or he must be dealt with.
Rafe lures Aiden to an abandoned church with the ruse that Vivian wanting to reconnect and attempts to scare him away. When this doesn't work, Rafe attacks and underestimates Aiden who defends himself and forces him back into a table where he cuts himself. Aiden, who did not know prior what Vivian and her friends were, sees the golden glow of the Loups-Garoux and realizes what he's been dating. The two fight, with Aiden attacking Rafe with a silver pendant and Rafe turning to a wolf, until Aiden eventually gains the upper hand and sends both over the rail, killing Rafe.
Afterwards, Aiden confronts Vivian about what she is, tempting her with his blood. She does not give in but is hurt that Aiden would think she was such a monster. Not long after, Aiden is captured by the pack to answer for killing Rafe, Gabriel's son. He is made to run through the forest while being chased by the pack. If the pack catches him, he dies. If he makes it to the river and crosses it, he lives. Vivian is scared for him and changes into her wolf form, a white wolf, to save him from the rest of the pack. Aiden makes it to the river by confusing the pack, using his blood to spread his scent and make it harder for the pack to track him. Gabriel, however, is angry that Aiden made it to the river and attempts to follow him anyway, to kill him. Vivian helps to protect Aiden by throwing Gabriel off. Aiden, not realizing that the white wolf is Vivian, strikes her with a silver knife causing her to slowly die unless she gets an antidote.
After hiding from the pack, Aiden and Vivian find the pharmacist who has the antidote for the silver poisoning and steals it from him, but not before he calls the rest of the pack. After being chased, Vivian tells Aiden to save himself and is captured by the pack. She is held in a cage and taunted by the rest of the five while Gabriel attempts to curve her to his way of thinking. Aiden comes to Vivian's rescue and in the end Vivian has to kill Gabriel.
Aiden and Vivian go towards the age of hope. Driving past other Loups-Garous, the wolves are shown to bare their necks in respect to Vivian and Aiden, showing Vivian to possibly be the new leader of the pack.

Tags: revenge, horror, murder, romantic, flashback

Review:
It isn't life changing, deep or even particularly thought provoking, but it does draw you in and keep you 'entertained' throughout.Many of the comments below extol the book and damn the film, you'd think they would know better to expect a fairly run of the mill film to outshine the fiction it was based on.
I haven't read the book but I may now.The story is compassionate and attempts to re-consider the wolf-person theme by treating them as an oppressed minority, I couldn't help but think that they were a metaphor for the Roma, a thought that bears scrutiny I think.The cinematography was atmospheric and Bucharest became the star, lots of beautiful rococo buildings and a pleasantly eastern soundtrack.
I kept wondering if the film wasn't a Hollywood offering because the characters all seem normal and manage to avoid behaving in the usual American manner (not an "oh my god" in earshot), but no, the ending isn't European.I was really pleasantly surprised with the beautiful human to wolf transitions, the makers restrained themselves from fx to the benefit of the film, it reminded me of the early eastern European fairytale films (the singing ringing tree).
Also, in the character of Aiden, the filmmakers were able to acknowledge their respect of the loup garoux storyline; they were practically screaming, "This is not some cheesy werewolf story!" Katje Riemann and Bryan Dick also gave nuanced performances as Astrid and Rafe.
Post Matrix every vampire or werewolf movie (Van Helseign, Underworld, Blade) seems to involve copious amounts of special effects, Martial arts and the main character decisions being whether they kill the bad guy with a gun, sword, falling building, poison that makes people explode, or giant stake improvised from the radio antenna on top of the Empire State building.Blood and Chocolate follows the traditions oh movies from the 1980s (The hunger, Wolf, Cat people and even The Lost Boys).Characters are not fighting over whether to enslave the human race (if vampires planned to enslave the human race, wouldn't it be easier to let everyone know, and 1.3 Billion people versus a few thousand vampires or werewolves will be a very short battle indeed).Blood and Chocolate tells the story of a teenage werewolf who wants to escape what she is being told she should be and a young American writer/artist who has already escaped from his domineering ex-ranger father).In this story, werewolves are blessed, not cursed, they are the best of man and the best of beast.
In fact the special effects are so bad, it is likely that was a conscious choice (I think the transformation is a homage to Cat People).If you like this movie, check out the old stuff from the 80s..
It's hard to really point out what was wrong with this movie: the acting wasn't terrible, the characters were fine (albeit a little weak), and the story was sound.
And just using real wolves gives this movie a plus.The acting wasn't bad at all, and i was glad this wasn't a typical werewolf movie where the main female (Vivian) is just some pro-ana matrix woman who kills everyone in matrix style, and can carry big guns, just like in the Underworld movies.
BLOOD & CHOCOLATE is less of a horror film (splatter addicts will hate its lack of gore and nudity) than it is a supernatural romance, lush with gorgeously photographed Medieval locations, a sensual soundtrack, and beautiful actors in every role.The international cast is led by rising American starlet Agnes Bruckner, perfectly cast as the Juliet to Hugh Dancy's star-crossed Romeo, caught in a deadly interspecies tryst.
Not having read her book BLOOD & CHOCOLATE, I can't comment on any possible differences, but the screenplay is well-crafted and the characters nicely drawn.Based on a book by a woman and directed by one, this is a great movie for couples or family viewing, with a good story told well, plenty to like, and nothing too exploitive or controversial.
IMDb writers said enough to make the idea of seeing this film especially since most of the academy award nominees seem like freak show films.The era of classic vampire and werewolf movies has been over for over 20 years.
Silver is still the main protection against werewolves.The idea that the wolves hunt in packs add a new tense dimension to wolf man movies.The 3 lead actors are fine.
After I cast all things in the book from my mind, I enjoyed the premise of the movie and the new take in the werewolf genre..
I Read the book for this a long time ago, it was given to me by a friend and while it is not the sort of book I would usually buy while browsing for a new read I was enthralled by it and read it in one sitting (its not that big anyway) and then again the next day.Knowing this I watched this movie with some trepidation, I was expecting the usual rip off (ala Lord of the Rings, Narnia etc.) with too much special effects and most of the story missing including some of the most important/memorable parts.Now while there is a fair bit of the book missing here and a few changes, I was very pleasantly surprised, This film does manage to portray the storyline very well, the acting is believable and the characters look right.
It makes such a refreshing change to see a werewolf film these days that does not rely on special effects and all out action, One that tells a story and tells it well.I finished watching this movie with a sense of satisfaction that the job had been done properly, this is the highest praise I can give those involved in this film.
The fact that they ended up to be Vivians cousins, or at least Rafe, which takes away another good story found in the book.
Out of all the characters, he was very one dimensional.Now, the movie is nothing like the book except for a few major details and the producers added there own twist to them.
If you put the book out of your mind when you go to see it and try not to compare (which ended up to be very easy since the movie is so different you can't even tell it was based on the book) then I think you will enjoy this.
However, as picky as I am about good story lines and books fitting with movies I'd say this is terrible.
If you want to find a sci-fi movie that fits nicely with its book counterpart, find something like Interview with the Vampire.
However, the evil son of Gabriel and Vivian's cousin Rafe (Bryan Dick) poisons Gabriel about the love of Vivian, forcing her to choose between her bounds with her family and her passion for Aiden."Blood and Chocolate" is an entertaining romantic adventure, with an attractive story, good performances and great special effects.
Unfortunately the film makers have botched the job and we're left with a barely okay little movie.Why use a well known story if you're going to change things around?
Its not engaging or surprising simply because once a scene starts you can tell how its going to play out, actually once the movie's basic premise is set up you'll know whats going to happen, regrettably you won't care.Not worth bothering with unless you need a lesson in how not to adapt a book for the movies..
Based on a book by Annette Curtis Klause, and directed by Katja von Garnier, it's difficult not to draw comparisons because of the subject material and similar themes, this time though doing without the vampires, and sets the spotlight firmly on a group of hunted werewolves called the Loups-Garoux.
The soundtrack too had a tinge of Hindi(?!) music influences, which I totally enjoyed, but too bad, the film had been intrinsically destroyed by a lack of a strong storyline, plagued with non charismatic and weak villains with zero diabolical plans, with preference to hang around and do nothing, save for showing off their pitiful skills (which I suspect is because of the lack of budget).With a strange title, Blood and Chocolate correctly named itself - a weird and silly mix which doesn't go down well at all.
There's a distinct lack of gore, and the violence isn't overbearing, while the astounding art direction and overall moodiness of the movie is only heightened by filming on location in Romania, a perfect backdrop for the heavy gray feeling of Blood and Chocolate.
It lacked a good plot, it turned every character with the exception of Vivian completely around, making the werewolves evil and the poor humans the victims.
The other characters are too...the dialogue is very bland and predictable.The absolute WORST part of the movie is the transformations between the "humans" and the "wolves." If you wanted something kick-ass like Van Helsings, you're gonna be really upset.
Hugh Dancy's accent has to be one of the best American accents I have heard from British actors, though there are certain things that he says to give it away.I highly recommend that you go and see "Blood and Chocolate," though for fair warning, I have not yet read the book and this opinion of mine on the movie is based only on the movie, no comparison to the book at all..
The film could have been a little more realistic if they didn't try to stuff it with so much fake werewolf lore with churches and kingdoms surrounding them.The film has so much bad with it, that you almost forget that the best part is they use real beautiful wolves instead of CGI or makeup.Pass on the movie and pick up the book instead.Cheers.
If you like a good werewolf flick, then give this movie a try..
You can always be stuck with effects that are horrendous (see Stay Alive, or even Van Helsing), however, Blood And Chocolate used it minimally and well enough to where you're not left saying, "That's SO fake!" I'd recommend this movie to anyone who enjoyed flicks like Ginger Snaps, Twilight, or Dracula 2000.
While this probably won't go down as my favorite horror movie ever, I thought Blood and Chocolate was a very solid, interesting vampire story.
If you'd like a more thoughtful and introspective story that touches on the effects of living through violence and what it means to be different, outcast, and a member of a violent, isolated group, then this film is probably worth your time..
There was another post that bugged me when someone said that he was upset because the Romanian people were speaking English, even between them.It's not our fault that this may look awkward since the American speaking actors couldn't learn few words in Romanian, but in our country there are many English speakers, and lots of them who are actors.So before complaining about this aspect try reconsidering your opinion.I didn't saw any good comments about the whereabouts of this movie, the beauty of the city, of the chapels etc but few by few i consider that this movie deserves a 5 because it was shot here, in my country.
Oh, and he's Vivian's brother, apparently.We learn than Vivian may be "chosen" to be the next wife of current pack leader Gabriel (Olivier Martinez) and there's a lot of big talking about tradition and sticking with the rules of conduct for wolves.Of course, Vivian is not into that whole "tradition" stuff, and instead becomes interested in a "Meat" named Aiden (Hugh Dancy) who is acts cute and charming and whose acting probably adds points to this flick.After playing hard to get for a while, Vivian softens up and she and Aiden become an item with the happy segues and cut shots as a happy couple together, sharing lollipops and ice cream together.Of course, this movie is a tragedy and it turns into darker times when Rafe discovers the romance and brings it to Gabriel.This brings us to the pinnacle of the movie, which by any account, was pretty unspectacular.
It ends in a predictable fashion, and not in a "gee that was a predictable but entertaining ending", more of a rather, "gee that was a predictable ending that just wasted another 40 minutes of my time."We'll break from the synopsis here to just give the raw review:In general, this movie is trying so hard, but fails in so many ways The acting is tough to pull off as authentic, the director could have done a lot better to create real drama While the score brings the movie up a notch, it's almost all it's got going for it The effects, while cutting edge for 1985, are pretty low-budget and do not much more than transform a human mid-leap into a dog.
I mean, if you haven't read the book the movie was overall pretty good.
Good plot and such, but if you are a fan of the book like me and my friends are,we went to the first showing of the movie at 3:50 pm on Friday and well..
They do change some of the names in this and the way the characters were described in the novels isn't what they look like in the movie.
While the book had an ending that was both unexpected and much more realistic (in some ways) than what you expect, the movie has a fairly typical movie-like third act.
This isn't totally a bad thing; in some ways, it made the story a bit easier to enjoy without too much thinking.That, really, is the key to enjoying Blood and Chocolate; don't turn off your brain, but don't try to make it any more than it is.
the romance of the movie between Aiden (a human graphic novel writer) and a chocolate candy store worker named Vivian, kept me interested in the film.
Unlike some I actually did enjoy watching this movie, it didn't have the big special effects, nudity, or gore that what seems like all mainstream movies have now-a-days.
The cinematography was outstanding, the "transformations" were a pretty classy way for them to change, and it was a nice special effect, too.Neither my friend or I had ever read, or even heard of, the book that this is based on.
Seriously, this is the best advice EVER: Do not watch movies with previous expectations, you might miss what's actually good about the work because you're too busy complaining about changes from the original source or debating special effects.I have to say that I didn't follow my own advice.
I watched the movie fully expecting to be disappointed (I had loved the book when I was younger and heard that they'd butchered it).
As for the plot, it's entirely simple, but sometimes simple is better, and moves pretty fast.Before summing up, I want to just touch on some people's complaints, namely those given by viewers disappointed by the special effects, and the fact that the loup garoux were, gasp, actual wolves and not man-wolf hybrids.
The underworld movies were good and hopefully the new one called skinwalkers will be good.Blood and chocolate has good special effects and I liked the story as well.The only thing I didn't like was the opening scene where Vivians family is murdered was too rushed.It should have been longer and the characters should have been introduced and explained better.Olivier Martinez was excellent and convincing as their leader.Hugh Dancy did a good American accent and I didn't know he was even British.
If you accept this, you can enjoy it as a completely different story.The actors that portray these characters did and exceptional job and the special effects for the changing from human to wolf was very well done.
This movie was not AT ALL like the book but I still loved it.
Also, I get a nack out of literary movies (as I said many, many times); even from horror novels like this werewolf story.
Usually I hate werewolf movies that use real wolves for the werewolves instead of special effects monsters, but in this film it works instead of feeling like a cop-out.
It involves werewolves and the romance between a female werewolf and a human.Watching this for the first time in 2015 on DVD it makes an interesting comparison to the Twilight movies which came later.
A viable effort to turn one of the greatest supernatural teen books into a movie to capture a new audience, Blood and Chocolate has been changed from it's original form to be adapted to an older teen audience.
The acting was good, the characters were interesting, and the story wasn't bad, but the changes that occurred are what make this film a problem.
Not only is it painful to watch after reading the beautiful novel, it's a poorly processed werewolf flick on it's own.As many have stated, nothing between the book and the movie are the same except for the characters' names.
I've always been a reader since I was little, and around my middle school years I bought the book Blood and Chocolate, which the movie is based on.
The great book Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Clause was completely butchered by this movie.
the only two good things about this movie was the names of the characters are the same, and the actor's appearances are exactly as the book describes them.
I read the book, which made this movie the worse thing I have watched in years.
The only thing like the book was the names of the characters.
I don't know, it seemed that the movie strayed so far from the book that it lost the meaning of Blood and Chocolate all together.
*If you have read the book, don't spend the entire movie comparing the two or anticipating things to happen like I did.
The movie is supposed to be based on the book blood and chocolate but they're both very different.