The Twins Effect 2003 Horror Movie Review

This is a fantastic slice of non-stop, high octane, martial-arts, comedy horror thriller in the vein of Van Helsing and Underworld and even the Blade movies. It’s a film that entertains and doesn’t take itself too seriously. And if, like me, you thought Underworld and Van Helsing were great concepts ruined by poor execution then look no further for how this kind of film should be done.


Of course the plot doesn’t bear scrutiny; something about a European vampire killing off vampire royalty to collect their blood in order to open an ancient and sacred book that grants a vampire daylight immortality (!) Nice. And continuity’s dubious; at the start of the film our hero and his sidekick have trouble fighting off 10 vampires by the end vamps are being despatched in the dozens and our two heroines (KPop stars and both excellent to boot (Imagine Atomic Kitten doing Ultraviolet. It just wouldn’t work!)) have strength and endurance beyond their perfectly formed but still small and dainty frames.


But none of this detracts from the overall experience. The fight scenes are fast and furious and, yes, over-the-top, with some superb CGI/wire work interplay. The comedy includes direct parodies of more famous films along with plenty of inter-character rivalries. The first meeting and subsequent fight between the two female leads is hilarious. The actors themselves also appear to be having a ball and their enthusiasm’s infectious. So long as you’ve checked your brain out at the start you’ll be hollering along in joy. The vampires are also wonderfully characterised. The Royal Prince living in his hi-tech coffin refusing to lower himself to actually sucking blood: He’ll have his decanted by a servant, thank-you-very-much! And the way they move is captured perfectly; exactly how I envisioned Count Dracula in Stoker’s novel: like a malevolent Spiderman!


It’s also worth noting that Charlene Choi is some of the prettiest Asian eye candy around :o)


And it’s got Jackie Chan in it.


So in conclusion, it’s a must. I can’t think of a better way to waste an hour and a half and I’m pretty sure this film will be taking several more hours off my life. Not that I mind in the slightest. It’s so enjoyable I’ve even ordered its two sequels, sight unseen!