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Lady Death
Men and women of faith, we warn you now: Don't watch ADV Film's Lady Death, 'cause you might just fall in love with the devil.
Just in time for Halloween, ADV has pitted Chaos! Comics character Lady Death and her good old dad Lucifer against each other for bragging rights in Hell. This feature length film, at about 80 minutes long, covers the opening story in the Lady Death franchise.
We start in 15th century Sweden with Hope, the hopelessly naïve daughter of Mathias, who doesn't realize that dad is actually Lucifer. When the town priest discovers who Mathias is, Lucifer retreats to Hell, leaving Hope to answer for his crimes. It doesn't take long for Hope to come to Hell, where she learns Lucifer has taken her mother and boyfriend captive. Rather than be dad's bad little girl, she rebukes him, and is cast off into the dreary wastelands of Hell. Swearing justice, Hope soon gives in to her less-than-friendly half, and becomes the scantily clad, sword-wielding Lady Death. Game on.
This is a uniquely animated feature, one that's almost mistaken for low budget. The characters aren't that well defined, and the backgrounds are dull. But Lady Death is faithful to the comic book in many ways, visually being chief among them. If you haven't seen the comic book, think of this as a different kind of Saturday morning cartoon. For adults. Adults only. We can't be responsible for what happens if you show this to kids.
Because this is one bloody and disturbing flick. Heads fly often and foot soldiers of evil armies are wiped out in gruesome fashion. If you like sensational blood and guts in your features, we've got one for you. We know there's nothing like a demon lord's head on a stake, mouth squirming with maggots, to get us in the mood.
The story is pretty decent too, if not entirely engrossing. There's just enough plot mixed in with the bisexual vamps and slayings of beautiful women to keep your head in (AND your eye on) the movie. If there is a problem with the story, it's that Lady Death is the only halfway sympathetic character here, and even she lets Hell get to her. Everyone else is a certified Hell-spawned nasty. Big surprise. Which ghoul army should we root for? Even Lady Death's fellow humans are useless whelps, who burned her at the stake no less. It's a little depressing, and the confines of Hell add to the feeling.
While Lady Death may be our girl, Lucifer is the man. He's one big, nasty red monster, one of the more frightening devils in recent memory. The character demands attention every time his bulky frame and huge horns fill the screen. Hell is HIS place, and around here, he isn't taking guff from anyone, let alone his traitor daughter.
The voice talents are fantastic, perfectly suited for each of the characters, but especially for Lucifer. You'll be hard pressed to find a better sounding devil than the one in Lady Death. Mike Kleinhenz, who's worked on a couple of ADV's evergreen titles (Excel Saga and Gasaraki), is one malevolent sounding dude.
While the voice talent for Lady Death is superb, there are some script issues. At times the dialogue seems really uninspired and a little silly. You're constantly greeted by one-liners you could have pulled out of any one of a hundred movies, like "I'm going to enjoy tearing you to pieces," or misplaced, unnecessary lines like "Hell is as real as flesh and blood."
Our favorite? "You've learned much during your time in hell. Yet your spirit seems troubled," Lady Death's mentor Cremator says to her, with a straight face.
Well, this IS Hell, isn't it?!
But that's just nitpicking.
This is an excellent blood and guts animation, with good replay value. The moody, dark version of Hell, the true to form depiction of Lady Death, and the wonderfully evil Lucifer make this a worthwhile feature.
Now pray for forgiveness.
The DVD:
AUDIO:
Here's where attention to detail really pays off: In 5.1 surround sound, the effort ADV put into the sound is both apparent and appreciated.
The crush of leaves underfoot, the shuffling of clothes on a body….all the small details were given just as much attention as that "chunk" sound we love to hear when heads fly. The music – lots of soulful strings and brass – is omnipresent throughout the movie, and you'll only notice it because we just pointed it out. It doesn't push its way into the action until the action starts.
One recommendation: Turn up your volume dial when Lucifer speaks. It'll give the kids nightmares for weeks.
VIDEO:
There are advantages to original video animation done completely in-house. This was ADV's first "we did this" animated feature length release, and it's a great looking DVD. Widescreen presentation, with rich colors when you get them….lots of dull grays and fiery reds. It's Hell, after all.
EXTRAS:
A little too light for our liking: Production featurettes, director's commentary, ADV trailers, animated menus, the standard DVD work-up. We would have liked to see ADV steal an idea from the Marvel comic movies that are on DVD. Maybe a history of the comic Lady Death, like on the Spiderman DVD, or a mini-comic book, like the one that comes with The Punisher. They went hardcore on the show; a follow-through on the extras would have been excellent. The director and production staff do discuss the film at length in the commentary, and there is a short making of Lady Death.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Having never heard of Lady Death, I actually ran to a local comic store and flipped through an issue. Geared toward the fan already familiar with Lady Death, ADV did an excellent job putting the comic book world and characters on the screen. Lady Death's G-string look is down pat, that's for sure.
It might not win animation awards, but Lady Death is an excellent Halloween treat. The movie shot for the shock value of blood, guts and war in Hell, and thankfully didn't hold back.
Oh, and did we mention Lucifer rocks? Recommended
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