Starring
Michael Rooker, Leslie Hope, Andrew Jackson, Shawn Thompson, Kevin
Zegers, Tony Todd. Directed by Jamie Dixon. (1998/101 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review
by Josey, the Sudden Catđ
In
Shadowbuilder's first scene, cult hero Michael Rooker
discovers naked sacrificial bodies in a cellar. In the room above, several
robed zealots, led by an evil bishop, are conducting some sort of
demon-resurrecting ritual. Just as all hell breaks loose - no pun
intended - Rooker's character bursts in, guns blazing, and blows
everybody away. As he's standing among the carnage, he dons a clergy
collar.
Michael
Rooker as a bad-ass, gun-toting, leather-jacketed priest?
YEAH!!!!
Of
course, Father Vassey (Rooker) is too late to stop the title
creature, which escapes and heads to the small town of Grand River,
seeking out a young boy, Chris (Kevin Zegers), whose soul will
apparently make it invincible. Along the way, the Shadowbuilder gains
strength by turning other victims into physical shadows who tend to
explode when exposed to light. Vassey teams with the sheriff (Shawn
Thompson), the kid's aunt (leslie Hope) and the town's local loony
(Tony Todd) to try and save Chris. Meanwhile, everyone else in town
becomes possessed, prompting one to question why the Shadowbuilder
actually needs this kid. Any demon capable to making an entire population do
its bidding seems powerful enough already.
 |
| "Dammit, I don't do weddings!" |
But
never mind. We don't watch scrappy little horror films like
Shadowbuilder expecting another Exorcist. Nor do we
expect anything resembling the Bram Stoker story it's supposedly
based on (his name is included in the full title for brand name
recognition, but you knew that already). What we expect are a few
gruesome deaths, some good scares and a story that doesn't insult our
intelligence. In that respect, Shadowbuilder is hit-or-miss.
Rooker
is awesome, of course, going all-in with as much intensity as he can
muster. The other horror icon in the cast, Tony Todd, is also a lot
of fun, providing a majority of the film's comic relief. Elsewhere,
the performances are merely serviceable and we don't really care
about their characters. Shadowbuilder features a few nifty
sequences, though it seldom rises above mildly creepy and is
occasionally undone by inconsistent special effects, mostly involving
the murky-looking title creature. Speaking of which, I think giving it a
voice was a creative mistake. At no point does it say anything
vital to the narrative, and hearing it speak tends to deflate some of
the dread the film tries to build.
 |
| Billy Idol at 80. |
But
for the most part, Shadowbuilder is fast-paced and well made
for its budget. Far from the most original thing ever thrown
together, it's entertaining in the moment. And it goes without saying that fans of Rooker and Todd
should really enjoy this, since they're easily the best
part of the movie.
One
major issue with this Blu-ray transfer: There are numerous scenes
where the picture quality is absolutely terrible - I mean
distractingly grainy - which is surprising. Most films in the
MVD Rewind Collection have great transfers. However, this discs packs in the usual generous batch of bonus features.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
"MAKING
OF SHADOWBUILDER" - A 30-minute retrospective
documentary, featuring interviews with the director, writer and
actors Tony Todd & Andrew Jackson (who plays the title character,
though none-to-happy about someone else providing the voice).
FEATURETTES
- "Shadowbuilder: Visual Effects"; "Shadowbuilder:
Kevin Zegers" (profile of the child actor, who went on to bigger
things...too bad Zeger himself isn't interviewed).
AUDIO
COMMENTARY - By Director Jamie Dixon.
ORIGINAL
TRAILER
REVERSIBLE
COVER ART
MINI-POSTER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
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