Based on Hiroyuki Kitakubo’s eerily absorbing, if thematically under-elaborated animation set in a US military base in 1970s Tokyo, this live-action adaptation of 'Blood...' tells the story of Saya, the ‘last vampire’ (perfectly cast Korean actress Gianna Jun), who slashes her way through a demon-infested world to avenge her father’s death at the hands of Onigen (Japanese actress Koyuki, unfortunately involved), the head of all man-eating demons. Why is Saya tasked with killing bloodsuckers if she’s one herself, you may ask? Because 'it’s her duty', declares her guardian in a supposedly illuminating sequence: we may well be witnessing The Myth of Sisyphus.
With special effects so fake that they actually look animated (or maybe that’s the point?), 'Blood' has notably accomplished three things: first, the film has conveniently removed all the thematic undertones (racial, religious, and political) of the original; second, it has supplied a blonde schoolgirl (Allison Miller) as Saya’s sidekick, veering the story from cold-blooded enigma into teenage drama territory; lastly, perhaps as an attempt to satisfy fans of the original, the filmmakers have thrashed out an entire back story for Saya, which twists her origins and makes the film title erroneous. But then again, who needs narrative logic if you have a heroine dressed in Japanese schoolgirl uniform, ferociously chopping up demons with a sword?