Search - Vampirella on DVD

Jefferson N. from BLAIRSVILLE, GA
Reviewed on 10/30/2012...

Vampirella was made during the "Bad Girl" comic book craze to try to cash in on the popularity of the sexy comics character. And, being pushed by Corman, of course the quality was lacking. What was supposed to be a series of movies ended up being just one movie of questionable quality.
The story somewhat mirrors the comic character...Vampirella is a princess from a planet of peaceful vampires that comes to Earth to get revenge for her father's murder by the brutal Dracula. When she arrives on Earth, she must deal with humans and her desire for their blood as her supply of synthetic blood runs out. Can Vampirella and her vampire hunter boyfriend save the planet from the cheesy Dracula? Sure. But will you be entertained while it's happening? Noooot so much.
As far as the story, it's probably not much worse than the comic book. As the comic, so the movie...They hope to distract you from the weak plot by showing a sexy woman running around in a barely-there costume. And that works....Up to a point. Talisa Soto is extremely sexy to look at...I can't deny that. That's why it gets 2 stars instead of 1. The problem is, while she's been in some martial arts flicks and should be able to hold her own in a fighting flick, when you're wearing a costume that is glued on and high-heeled boots you can barely walk in, fighting and chase scenes end up...pretty funny...and a little sad. Like I said, though, Talisa is a pleasure to look at.
On a final note, Dracula is played by Roger Daltry of The Who. And while he has turned in some good work such as in the Highlander series, his over-the-top performance in this one not only doesn't help the movie, it lowers it's street cred even more. His hissing and barely-understandable dialogue just makes it easier to laugh at this craven attempt for Corman to cash in on another genre.
So, if you like looking at hot women in Vampirella costumes, here you are! No nudity, but Talisa is about as sexy a Vampirella as you're ever going to get. Otherwise, run away...unless you like some of Corman's crappier movies. In which case, once again, here you are! Don't say I didn't warn you.

The fanzine princess on the big screen!

Jeffrey Leeper | Seattle, WA USA | 05/21/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Having been a fan of the Vampirella magazine for many years, I was happy to see it renewed as a comic book. Imagine my joy to see it on the big screen! Unfortunately, that joy was short-lived because the movie is quite low budget with a simple screenplay.As in the fanzine, Vampirella is from the planet Drakulon, and the movie covers here beginning there. The love between her and Van Helsing, as well as her use of a formula to avoid the need for human blood, is discussed as well. She even goes against her arch-nemesis, Vlad, who is played here by Roger Daltry. The choice of Roger Daltry puzzled me. He seems to have been chosen so that the director can make Vlad a rock star, which is not from the Vampirella story, but from Anne Rice's Lestat. Why to producers of this movie wanted this in their adaptation is odd since there is only one scene where he sings.There is brief nudity, but it seems more gratuitous than artistic or necessary. Moreover, one of the actresses baring herself has no use to the plot whatsoever than that one moment.If you are a fan of Vampirella, I would recommend giving this movie a skip. If you are a fan of low-budget horror, then you might want to give this one a look."

Good movie, but sixty bucks???!!!

David Leemon (hlid@comic.net) | Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 10/26/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you like vampires you might like this movie. If you like morose, moody vampires verbosely brooding over deep, dark gothic secrets that they long to share with mortals, who would never understand them, then this movie probably isn't for you. If you like science fiction action/adventure, where a gorgeous female in a shiny red costume saves the universe from malicious destruction, then this is your kind of movie.Alright, so Vlad only wants to destroy one planet. We've still got a good action/adventure story where the female is more than just a doll. The quality is much superiour to what one might expect, although the acting is a little uneven in places, the suspense does not build up as much as the concept would promise, and the special effects are a little on the economical side (better than BBC but nowhere near Babylon 5 standards.) The storyline is great, the dialog is well-written, and the actors are convincing most of the time.This is definitely a science fiction movie, not a horror film. The other reviews show that people either like it or hate it. I'm one of those who really liked this movie, despite it's obvious flaws."

Only if you love the comic

Charles Harrington | Calif, USA | 05/07/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Only buy this movie if you absolutely LOVE the comic version (I do). This satisfied my need to see Vampirella in a film but that was about it. Talisa Soto as Vampirella was the only good acting in this whole movie. She really did a good job (but then she always does). The rest ranged from unbelievable. I really find it hard to believe that after spending several thousand years on earth the head vampires would be this stupid. Unless you have a penchant for Ms. Soto or the Original character this one isn't going to tak eyou anywhere, I wouyldn't even recommend it to general vampire movie fans."