Giấy phép số 56/GP-CBC ngày 05/12/2022 của Cục Báo chí, Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông. Địa chỉ: 60A Hoàng Văn Thụ, P.9, Q. Phú Nhuận, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh Liên hệ: 12 Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Phường Võ Thị Sáu, Quận 3, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh CÔNG TY CỔ PHẦN DỊCH VỤ DI ĐỘNG TRỰC TUYẾN Lầu 6, Toà nhà Phú Mỹ Hưng, số 8 Hoàng Văn Thái, khu phố 1, P. Tân Phú, Q. 7, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh Lầu 6, Toà nhà Phú Mỹ Hưng, số 8 Hoàng Văn Thái, khu phố 1, P. Tân Phú, Q. 7, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh©Copyright M_Service 2023 Cậu chủ ma cà rồng is allegedly the first Vietnamese vampire film – and I can’t think of another one that could take that title. This doesn’t feature the traditional vampire form of the region, the ma cà rồng, which is much like the arp of neighbouring Cambodia or the Thai krasue, in that it was a disembodied head with viscera dangling beneath it. However, according to Bane the preferred food of the creature was cow dung (only attacking humans if it could not find the preferred meal). Apparently, the name has been transposed to the traditionally Western vampire and that is exactly what we get in this (and the pretty version of that too).  The film starts with background information on the world we are in – and we are not in Kansas anymore. A place where one of the kingdoms is home to centaurs and elves, and another where merpeople and harpies have been at war. Our story centres on a kingdom where there are humans (and vampires hidden amongst them). It is also a place where folks have the latest smart phones apparently. Duc Cuong (Truong Minh Thao) cannot remember his life as a human. He is butler to the Master, Huy Long (Vo Dang Duy Luan), and the elder vampire has been injured in one of the supernatural wars. To restore his strength they must perform a ritual using Rh- blood from five women on the night that occurs every 9000 years, when the planets align. To get that blood they have come up with an elaborate plan. Five women have been selected to be the new housemaid for his home. They will compete for the honour, but are actually only there because of their blood type. The women also have alternative reasons for being there. One suspects that Long is a vampire and wants immortality, one wishes to become his wife, one, Tu (Mai Ky Han), is a journalist and one, Thien Ngan (Yeye Nhat Ha), has an anti-vampire agenda (and works for a secret society). The film really failed to develop these backgrounds meaningfully. They aren’t happy that they have to surrender their phones and follow the rules of the house. The journalist hides a second phone in the woods and uses it to call her editor but Ngan also uses the phone. Tu is caught and sent home, intercepted as she leaves, knocked out with a vampiric click of the fingers and then… Well we don’t work out what happens to those who are ‘sent home’. They aren’t at the ritual and Cuong has taken their blood to use, so why they couldn’t just take the blood of the ladies early on is beyond me. Ngan and Cuong begin to fall in love also. The cover for the 2019 Vietnamese fantasy drama "Cau Chu Ma Ca Rong" (aka "The Vampire") sort of has a young adult vampire TV show feel to it. And that was sort of turn off, to be bluntly honest. But still, since I hadn't already seen this movie, and it being an Asian movie, of course I had to watch it. Director Tran Nhan Kien delivered an insanely boring movie. It was nothing at all as what I had expected. I mean, with a movie titled "The Vampire", and the movie starting out by introducing a land full of mythical creatures, then I figured that this movie would be good. But alas, director Tran Nhan Kien delivered something else entirely. This movie is something aimed at a young adult female audience, so I was definitely not in the target audience. The movie's story utterly failed to entertain me, and the characters in the movie felt like they belonged in something like "Melrose Place". It was pretty terrible to witness, especially when one was expecting some sort of vampire movie laced with mythical creatures. I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble, given my limited exposure to Vietnamese cinema. However, it felt like the majority of the cast were cast solely because of their beauty. Not a single female cast member was ordinary, they all looked like models. "Cau Chu Ma Ca Rong" was a swing and a miss, and a big one at that. Definitely not my cup of tea. My rating of director Tran Nhan Kien's 2019 movie "Cau Chu Ma Ca Rong" lands on a two out of ten stars. |
