HIGANJIMA: ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND Blu-ray Review

Editor, U.S. ; Dallas, Texas (@HatefulJosh)
HIGANJIMA: ESCAPE FROM VAMPIRE ISLAND Blu-ray Review
Higanjima: Escape from Vampire Island is a goofy, but not altogether abysmal time pass for the viewer well versed in medium budget Japanese horror. The film tells a familiar story of a group of teenaged friends whisked off to an unfamiliar place and left to battle a sinister force, not unlike the plot of the vastly superior House (Hausu, if you must). In this case, though, it is vampires. On an island. Vampire Island.

FUNimation delivers a solid Blu-ray presentation of a film that would really be pretty hard to screw up.  The movie was shot digitally, so transferring it to Blu-ray is really a one shot deal, and it looks and sounds great.
Akira and his ragtag group of teenage friends enter a world of danger and action when they land on the shores of Higanjima, an uncharted island that's overrun by vampires.

After learning that his missing brother might be somewhere on the island, Akira leads his friends on a chilling adventure that takes them from Higanjima's highest volcanic peaks into the subterranean chambers of the island's ancient ruins. They'll face entire villages of sword-wielding vampires while racing to stay a step ahead of winged she-beasts and giant gargoyles. Worst of all, the gang will encounter the deadly master of the island's monsters: the pale, blood-sucking freak show known as Miyabi. If the devilishly cruel Miyabi gets his way, none of the young heroes will live to see Akira's brother - or the mainland - ever again.
Higanjima is a fun ride, if you can moderate your expectations and not go in expecting a genre classic.  The film is full of silly moments, and kids who are a bit out of their depth as far as their acting skills are concerned. The film is as much a youth comedy as it is a horror film. Each of the characters is an archetype, and not really a well-rounded character.  In fact, the only characters who get any kind of back story are Akira, the lead, and Atushi, his brother.  The rest are just vamp-fodder.

Honestly, the film is a bit out there, and liberally abuses any kind of logic in favor of spectacle. However, after a while, that can become a bit endearing, as you learn to let go and just experience the film as it happens without seeking explanation.  It isn't incoherent, but the film is populated with cartoonish characters who have no backstory but probably really need one.  The biggest WTF of the story is during the climax when a huge ***** (redacted for spoilers sake) appears with no rhyme or reason and the film offers absolutely no explanation. This is an example of simply checking your brain at the door and trying to enjoy it for what it is.  Some people won't be able to, and I don't blame them, but it wasn't bad enough for me to completely give up.  With as many J-splatter films as I've seen in the last three years, this one is practically Citizen Kane by comparison. 

The Disc:

As I mentioned in the intro, Higanjima, for all of its faults content-wise, looks and sounds spectacular on Blu-ray.  The disc is tested on numerous occasions with some raucous audio panning and stereo effects, and it succeeds very comfortably.  The image is also mostly bathed in dark blues and blacks, which the disc handles admirably.  Those are tough hues to manage for some Blu-rays, but this one is a good presentation.

In the way of extras, FUNimation has ported over an SD making-of documentary that is fairly comprehensive at around 45 minutes.  It covers all of the lead and supporting roles, much of the special effects work, and gives us several extended looks behind the scenes.  I enjoyed it, it reminded me of Goemon's BTS documentary, and that's a good thing.  The only other extra is a Japanese trailer for Higanjima and some other trailers for titles coming soon from FUNimation.

This is a fun and occasionally silly movie that goes on a bit too long, but delivers some solid action and blood spatter to help keep your attention.  They could have chopped out a bit of the melodrama, but hey, can't win 'em all.

On an entirely personal and OCD note.  I don't like the practice FUNimation has started of releasing Blu-ray/DVD combo packs in DVD cases.  The geek in me gets frustrated when they mess up the appearance of my Blu-ray shelves.  This isn't the case on all of their Blu-ray releases, but Higanjima is one of them. Let's hope they move to Blu-ray sized combo packs.
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