March 17, 2020 (NYC)– Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids hits the major streaming services today. This 2019 sci-fi/horror film is packed with martial arts action and combat. Shot largely in the Philippines this independent movie was derived from a short film entitled Blood Hunters by the same film production team.
Blood Hunters: Rise of the Hybrids was described by its director, Vince Soberano as an expanded version of the short film. The story of the film picks up from the short film. The short film was awarded the best short film at the 2016 Cinemax HBO Action Film Competition and the Urban Action Showcase and Expo, an annual event covered by Taekwondo Life Magazine.
The film, taking place in an undisclosed time and location, involves a band of warriors embarking on a mission to eradicate a pack of murderous, Hybrid, vampire-like creatures.
The plot of the film is interesting but the strength lies in the action. The film is laden with well choreographed, well filmed martial arts fight scenes involving hand-to-hand combat, as well as weapons. The film does a good job of highlighting the Filipino Arts for the uninitiated.
Soberano not only wrote, directed, and produced the film but also stars together with Mekael Turner, Sarah Chang, Ian Ignacio, Mayling Ng, and Roxanne Barcelo. Monsour Del Rosario, was particularly good in the film and has a Taekwondo pedigree as a former member of the Philippine National Taekwondo team.
This is a low budget movie that stays in its lane, which is part of its charm and appeal. I enjoyed it. In the current age of social distancing, when people are craving streaming content, this is a fun choice. I recommend it.
The film is not rated, but lands somewhere between a PG-13 and R rating in my opinion.
