Full Moon Fever
Teen Twist on an Old Werewolf Tale

In the early 1990s, Joss Whedon put a new spin on the old vampire stories by bringing in a teen cheerleader named Buffy to become the next vampire slayer. Although the story sounded crazy to some, the film eventually spawned a smart, action-packed television series. While there are bound to be some comparisons, the new werewolf film Blood and Chocolate is similar only insofar as both are targeted to a teen demographic.

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Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) doesn't want Aiden (Hugh Dancy) to discover the secret she hides in Blood and Chocolate. (MGM, 2007)
Directed by:Katja von Garnier
Written by: Ehren Kruger and Christopher Landon, based on the book by Annette Curtis Klause
Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy, Olivier Martinez,
Katja Riemann, and Bryan Dick

Rated PG-13 (for violence/terror, some sexuality and substance abuse)
Running time: 98 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 5 out of 10.

Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) is a young girl with a dark past. Her family was brutally murdered when she was a child. Since then she has been living in Bucharest with her aunt Astrid (Katja Riemann), under the protection of Gabriel (Olivier Martinez).

On the verge of becoming Gabriel's new wife (apparently a high status symbol), Vivian risks everything to be with a young artist named Aiden (Hugh Dancy). But all is not as it would seem. Vivian and her family are werewolves.

Unlike the old werewolf stories, Blood and Chocolate creates a new mythology. Instead of monsters, Vivian and her family are "loup garoux," shapeshifters who can take animal form whenever they wish. This is something one is born with, not passed on through a bite as in countless horror stories. In the old world, they were considered blessed and holy. Now the shapeshifters must hide from humans for fear of extinction.

The story is almost sadly predictable. While her family wants her to be Gabriel's wife, Vivian is in love with the artist. Her love affair with Aiden is reduced to a number of musical montages as they gallivant through Bucharest hand in hand. She tells him stories of the loup garoux, the subject of his latest graphic novel, which inevitably leads to his discovery that she is one of the shapeshifters.

By the third act of the film, the plot degenerates into a wildly silly series of chases as the pack chases first Aiden and then Vivian in an attempt to keep the secret of the loup garoux.

Bruckner is a stunningly beautiful young girl, who does little but run throughout the film. The other characters are equally two-dimensional. The only one who becomes the slightest bit interesting is Aunt Astrid, who was once Gabriel's mate and still mourns over his subsequent conquests. Sadly, she is never given the chance to have her revenge on Gabriel.

For those who are hoping for a little more action, some may be disappointed. Despite the fact that this film is billed as being from the producers of Underworld, it is nothing like that film. By comparison, it is almost sedate. It is not a horror film, nor an action film. If I had to categorize Blood and Chocolate, I would be more likely to put in a genre similar to the teen dramas that prevail on television. Ironically, this film might find a more suitable audience as a weekly television series rather than a film franchise.