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- The Forsaken - US DVD -  

"The Forsaken" is another film dealing with an updated version of the vampire legacy.
At first glance I thought that I was watching a cross between "The Hitcher" and "Near Dark" 
(two other movies that I previously reviewed). My first thoughts were that I was not really 
going to enjoy this movie very much. I was wrong. "The Forsaken" might not be the best 
vampire film ever made. It is one of the best in the past decade or so.  
Even though it has shades of the two prior films that I had mentioned, it easily moves past 
any similarities of those.
'Sean' (Kerr Smith) is picking up some extra money by driving a car across country from 
California to Florida. He makes the mistake of giving a ride to a hitchhiker named 'Nick' 
(Brendan Fehr). 'Nick' is an interesting sort of guy. He is a vampire hunter. So naturally 
it did not take long to involve vampires in the plot.  
'Sean' and 'Nick' come across an infected girl named 'Megan' (Izabella Miko). 'Sean' is 
bitten by the young lady. 'Nick' has drugs that can temporarily keep the infection from 
turning a person into a vampire. He also knows how to cure the infection. I am not going 
to tell you how the infection can be cured. You will have to watch the movie to find that out.
This movie shows vampires as I feel they might actually exist today. They are brutal and 
ruthless killers who care little for their prey. Their only purpose in life is to survive 
and somehow not let the entire species succumb to extinction. They have been chased and 
destroyed for centuries. They have been forced to leave comforts of their castles and 
abandoned their former life style. Now they live in blacked out cars and any motel that 
will take them. 
Many past vampire movies gave us the feeling that these creatures were brooding intellectuals 
who we could possibly respect and not feel guilty about doing so. "The Forsaken" portrays 
the vampires as villains to be truly feared. They care only for themselves. I like it much 
better when evil is allowed to be truly evil. To me it makes the film much more interesting.
Writer/Director J.S. Cardone does a very good job with the overall production. He gives the 
viewers more than just the 'good versus evil' theme. We see good and evil doing their best 
in to endure in a small corner of the world. Cardone never lets us think that the fate of 
the entire world may be at stake in this battle. This is a small skirmish between two small 
bands of adversaries.  
The movie moves along at a good pace. Never is there a reason to overdo any elements of the
film to compensate for shortcomings. The dialogue never turns trite. The violence and bloodshed 
are right where they should be for a well-done horror movie. All of the assorted characters 
and the actors who portray them also bring out the best of this film. I found "The Forsaken" 
to be interesting and exciting. It was unpredictable and thrilling. Overall it is a very good 
movie to watch. Those interested in the vampire legacy should definitely see this one. Anyone 
else who considers him or herself a horror fan should pick this one up.
This film has a full bundle of extras. It is available in either Dolby Surround or Dolby Digital.  
The filmed can be watched in either wide or full screen. English, French, Chinese, Korean, or 
Thai subtitles can be chosen. Director J.S. Cardone gives a nice commentary. Like all commentaries 
it is not for everybody. For those of us who have an interest in hearing what one of those 
involved in the film has to say, it is worth the effort. Three deleted scenes are included. 
One of them is very good. It has the infected 'Megan' confronting a vampire named 'Kit.'  
It is wicked cool. I wish it had been included in the film. An extra called "Hard Body Co-star" 
is included. This is one of the most original special features that I have even seen. It is 
about the car in the movie. Yes, you read that correct. There is a profile of actor Brendan Fehr.  
I guess he's an up and coming actor that the studio wants the world to know more about. Also 
available are theatrical trailers of other movies including "Bram Stoker's Dracula", "Vampires", 
"Hollow Man", and "Ghost of Mars".

Reviewed By Scal Williams

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