Fruit Bat II
Fruit Bat II
Directed by Alex J. Murphy | Review by Riya Saha
Vampire films have been a staple throughout years, but to recreate a beautiful story requires passion and complete dedication. Majority of modern vampire movies are more cliché than blood on fangs. Because of this, it is a surprise to find an inspired and funny vampire comedy like ‘Fruit Bat II’, one that’s having a smart story but remains fun and inventive from the beginning till the end. While watching this short film, I was completely amazed by the humorous ways of brothers vampires. The moment I think about vampires, I remember The Twilight series and the unusual romance. But Alex J. Murphy’s “Fruit Bat II” has a completely different concept - a power-packed 5 minutes long comedy film. I haven’t seen the first episode in the series, but throughout I felt it was not necessary as “Fruit Bat II” works well on its own.
Well, don't expect me to reveal the story - I feel that would minimize the zeal and enthusiasm of watching this movie. So, basically, whenever I watch a comedy film I expect something really funny from the actors. Truly, Fruit Bat II has bizarre under its sleeves. Can you ever imagine vampires being vegetarian? Yes, in this film one of the lead actors is a vegetarian vampire and you see, he has the fangs and pale white skin. From the technical side, director Alex J. Murphy added a lot of great visuals and one-liners that will surely make you giggle. Fascinating performance by the actors, rich atmosphere and set-pieces make this movie quite enjoyable. This is a case where the story itself carries the film. Talking about the camera work, the scenes are properly explained and give justice to the story.
The sets and makeup are appropriate. There is just the right amount of gore to prevent this from being a modern "horror" film and rather in the category of "comedy". Written and directed by Alex J. Murphy, you can easily understand that this film is an outcome of the experienced screenwriter. The music and the sound quality happen to be quite outstanding in this short film. Speaking about the lead actors, both excelled in their roles. I love their teeth and the chemistry between the two brothers. Vampire vegetarian Eugene is played by newcomer David J. Marzano, an actor from Scotch Plains, NJ. The opposite is Lenny, played by an extraordinary actor and voiceover Peter Coleman ("Anamnesis"). Jared Vollmann ("Scream Generations"), Reuben E. Natan ("Renaldo the Magician"), and Jenna Moschella ("Vamp Bikers Dos") also star in the film as distinguished blood sucking partygoers. “Fruit Bat II” is the second part in a digital miniseries directed and written by Alex J. Murphy about vampires. According to me, this film is a successful comedy from the great director and one must watch the miniseries as well to grab the story of the film. But I am eagerly waiting for the release of the next episode from Alex J. Murphy and I am quite excited to know what happens to the vegetarian vampire and how he manages attending other parties!
Riya Saha is a Kolkata based writer, editor, journalist and cinephile. She has completed her masters with Journalism and Mass Communication from Calcutta University and currently working as a freelance journalist. Having a great interest in world cinema made Riya join Human Lab Corporation. She is passionate about setting goals and achieving them. She enjoys reading, writing, traveling, socializing and meeting people. She is also very fond of watching International movies.
