Frost: Portrait of a Vampire

release year: 2002 direct-to-video
genre: horror/drama
viewing setting: home DVD, 12/21/03

synopsis: After a group of elite mercenaries disbands, one turns out to be a vampire, while another (his best friend) must hunt him down and stop his rampage.

impressions: Most viewers won't know that this was written and directed by the guy who wrote the comic book back in the 1980s. The good news is that the movie is a faithful adaption of the comic book, which was entertaining. The bad news is that the comic book was built on drama and relationships, which translates to a less-than-entertaining movie in this age of CGI monsters and gigantic explosions. There's no way to get the comic's story across in 90 minutes and on a shoestring budget. Still, I give it an "A" for effort, and the movie's watchable...just not outstanding like the source material. I think a voice-over narrative might have subtly helped. A complaint: inconsistent vampire powers and weaknesses.

acting: The guy who played Frost did a pretty good job, though he was a little on the pudgy side. The guy who played Nat, the vampire, actually stood out with the best performance; his "first I wanted to die but now I realize this is pretty cool" attitude is probably what most of us would have.

final word: Decent, but not outstanding. Then again, few vampire movies are outstanding. Check out the comics for more: Frost, by Kevin VanHook.

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