Blood: The Last Vampire

A moody, mysterious fright film with a painterly beauty.

Another example of animation that shows just how deep something as seemingly superficial as a cartoon can get.

The story ... is the sort of convoluted and often incoherent mess that is typical of the genre no doubt, rabid anime fans are better equipped to decipher its intricacies

Is much more effective at evoking a paranoid mood than at telling a coherent story, and the jerky action sequences are among the film's weaker visual elements.

This 48-minute Japanese animated film earned accolades back in 2000 for being ground-breaking in its technique...but once you get past that small achievement, Blood: The Last Vampire is mediocre at best...

Comes across as a prologue teaser for a yet-to-be-established franchise.

...in the wake of an astounding battle scene that literally sweeps the breath out of its viewers, the end credits begin to roll, and we're left wondering, 'that's it?'

Blood: The Last Vampire, which clocks in at under 60 minutes, is not only watchable, it's not half bad.

A wickedly bitter animated pill, you'd better leave the kids with a sitter.

Feels like a pilot episode for the most expensive made-for-cable cartoon ever produced, and if you expect quantity (or closure) for your $8 ticket, you may feel shorted.