2002's 'Los muertos' may not have been meaningfully connected to John Carpenter's 1998 film 'Vampires' in any regard, but at least they shared narrative concepts, tying them both to John Steakley's novel. There will never be any shortage of vampire movies in the world, nor people to watch them, so the fact that someone decided this specific example should be lumped in with the prior two - neither perfect, but both entertaining - rings rather hollow. There is no substantive narrative unity here as 'The turning' tells a story wholly separate from the others, in a wholly new setting, and for whatever points of comparison one might make, it's effectively the same as generically saying "it's a horror movie." All this is to say that for whatever value this 2004 (or is that 2005?) title may boast, someone behind the scenes made decisions that paint it as a simple cash grab. That's unfortunate, for while this is marked with troubles all its own, and is far less than perfect, it's also passably enjoyable, providing the flavors we crave of the genre. You could do better; you could do worse: save it for a day when you want something relatively light and frivolous, that doesn't require active engagement.
Yes, for better and for worse this is nothing special. The one loose, vague kinship this shares with the aforementioned flicks is in broad ideas like an organization of professional vampire hunters, some special facet of the plot that hinges on the sun, and some of the vampire hunters' equipment. Otherwise, this is pretty much on par with contemporary genre fare. As it was filmed in Thailand, we get no few shots and scenes that serve no purpose other than to accentuate the international setting. The filming locations are lovely, to be fair, and the art direction. Some instances of cinematography and editing are pointlessly overzealous, but that's not a fault exclusive to this. The stunts and fight choreography are terrific, and practical effects; CGI is less than great, but I assume this is a reflection of what was surely a more modest budget than some other features may claim. Some exposition and reveal of background information is a little clunky; some sequencing is self-indulgent. The root story and its ideas are quite fine, if unremarkable, and likewise the scene writing; the dialogue is quite ill-considered at points, but not so atrocious as to distinctly leap out as a distraction. The pacing is a bit languid at times, but so it goes.
The music is fine. The direction is fine, and unquestionably at its sharpest where action sequences are concerned. The acting is earnest, if constrained by the weak dialogue, and direction that is less sturdy when there's not some discrete bonanza of invigoration before our eyes. If you want an action-horror picture that will give us blood, gore, and martial arts, and maybe some instances of imagery that's disturbing in one capacity or another - well, you've got it. While 'The turning' has its flaws (including a needlessly drawn out, artsy sequence preceding the final stretch), there's no one flaw so deep and glaring in these eighty-odd minutes as to be a flashpoint of criticism. There is, however, one overarching issue facing this piece, and it's that for all the earnest skill, intelligence, and hard work that went into it, there is not truly any moment where it can make us feel the impact of the violence or the narrative. An action-horror film has successfully been made, but it comes off as more than a little bland, unoriginal, and stock - film-making and storytelling "by the numbers," if you will, or "connecting the dots." I hardly mean to discount anyone's contributions, but by some concatenation of circumstances - Marty Weiss' direction, D. B. Farmer and Andy Hurst's screenplay, the influence of producers Carol Kottenbrook and Scott Einbinder, and/or something else or some combination thereof - that word I used before, "generic," does seem all too fitting for what this vampire movie has to offer.
There are moments when the production bears flavors that are more particular to itself, reflecting the culture of the setting; there are some extra smart notions on hand, arguably not explored as much as they could have been, that lend a more realistic and therefore darker edge to the tale. Would that these flavors had been a more dominant quality all along. What it comes down to is that there is honest value in 'Vampires: The turning' that makes it fun and worthwhile. At the same time, unless you have an endless hunger for action-horror, a void in your soul that no other cinema can fill, there's no especial reason to seek out this one title. For what is done well I want to like it more than I do; for those ways in which it is very much part and parcel with its brethren, and unexceptional, maybe I'm being overly kind. Take it or leave it; I'm glad I took the time to watch, but there's no driving necessity to do so. Once more, leave it for something relatively light to watch on a quiet day, and that might be the best way to appreciate this slice of horror.
