I'm not a particular fan of vampire themes in general, but I've watched some things, plus I've completed VTMB two times at the time of writing this review. Therefore my review will be from the perspective of an outside observer, without any degree of fandom or romanticized overtones.
Overall a rather mediocre series that would have long been lost in the mass of the same kind of criminal-mystical creations on secondary television channels, if not for one single BUT, because of which to this day people remember it and watch it - a board game, formed the basis.
The other day wandering around in the depths of the "VKontakte" fan group dedicated to the game "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines", I came across an old post mentioning this series. I decided to take a look.
What do we have as a starting point?
At the time of its release, 1996, there was already a board game (1991 - present), there was already "Dracula" (1992), but the vampire theme had not yet been particularly mainstream in the mass consciousness ("Blade" (1998), "Another World" (2003) and further). Also there were no famous rpg / action games on the relevant topic ("Castlevania" doesn't count), and I think only a few people knew about the board game itself (as they still do today). In this regard an experiment in a fairly accurate transfer of game aspects looks not only interesting, but also a rare phenomenon in general, especially considering that it did not rely on any potential wide audience in advance, as was the case, for example, with "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" ( 1998 - 1999).
True to spirit.
In general, as the plot progresses, the main canons are mentioned, although, often, there are sometimes free handling and discrepancies with them. Specifics of clans. A vampire prince, the head of a certain city, monitoring the observance of the masquerade and regulating any clashes that arise. Historical conflicts between different clans. Specifics of turning into vampires. Humanity and spiritual impulses. Occasionally a demonstration of certain abilities of individual representatives, such as the swiftness of toareadors, which causes bewilderment among some mere mortals as to how they appear and disappear so quickly.
Clans.
Vampire clans are represented by 6 out of 13 possible:
1. Bruja / Bruja, they are local anarchists who do not shy away from regular criminal showdowns, most of which the series is dedicated to.
2. Ventrue, cold-blooded individuals with a desire for top management and regular management, are represented in the amount of 2 pieces.
3. Gangrel, which according to the canon are tramps and unsociable, which is not so much in the series, just one. They can turn into an animal form, but here almost everyone does it, regardless of clan affiliation (which, without some radical amendments, is in complete dissonance with the original source, as far as I know).
4. Nosferatu, a distinctive feature in the series, are designated only as creepy-looking vampires without any special characteristics or explanation as to why they are such.
5. Toreador, initially hedonists and artists in the broad sense of the word, with a greater bias towards the understanding of mere mortals. In the series there are mainly purely female attractive individuals, aka beauty, which is designated as the main characteristic.
The clans of "Malkavians" and "Tremere", despite the fact that they could be of perhaps the greatest interest in adaptation, are absent as a phenomenon in the series. I believe there is no way to explain this other than the budget, and perhaps also the fact that the series ended after eight episodes of season one.
6. But there was room for one "Assamite". In one episode. In short they are hired killers who achieve their goals by any means necessary.
Ending.
The series has no logical conclusion, the plot ends at episode eight. Apparently season one should have ended there, but the second never happened.
As a result:
2 points for trying to bring an interesting concept to the television screen; 1 point for the fact that such an attempt was made back in 1996; 1 point for general compliance with canon.
And - 0.5 for various flaws. Every second person here can turn into a wolf. The "Ventrue" prince is forced to resolve conflicts that arise more or less alone. "Gangrel", who was hired specifically as a bodyguard, presumably based on the logic of clan affiliation, turns out to be good for nothing according to the plot outline. It seems that if you drink a lot of blood, you can completely walk around in the light of day. In the next shot we have one character melting in the sun. If you want, I think you can still find quite a few strange jambs.
1 point for cute female characters. As for the male ones, the local "Ventrue" prince is somewhat reminiscent of the local version of "Highlander" (1992-1998). And the actor who played the head of the "Brujah" clan looks like the antagonist from "Highlander" circa 1986.
0.5 as a conditional fan bonus.
You can watch it in passing, but it's better to get yourself a copy of the game "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines", patch+, a number of mods and plunge into the "world of darkness" for 40+ hours. Some fans of the genre might give it a 6 or even a 7, but I, as I already mentioned initially, am not one of them.
Also. By now there are few more games in"world of darkness" available to play, among them there is a direct sequel to VTMB is still in work.
Overall a rather mediocre series that would have long been lost in the mass of the same kind of criminal-mystical creations on secondary television channels, if not for one single BUT, because of which to this day people remember it and watch it - a board game, formed the basis.
The other day wandering around in the depths of the "VKontakte" fan group dedicated to the game "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines", I came across an old post mentioning this series. I decided to take a look.
What do we have as a starting point?
At the time of its release, 1996, there was already a board game (1991 - present), there was already "Dracula" (1992), but the vampire theme had not yet been particularly mainstream in the mass consciousness ("Blade" (1998), "Another World" (2003) and further). Also there were no famous rpg / action games on the relevant topic ("Castlevania" doesn't count), and I think only a few people knew about the board game itself (as they still do today). In this regard an experiment in a fairly accurate transfer of game aspects looks not only interesting, but also a rare phenomenon in general, especially considering that it did not rely on any potential wide audience in advance, as was the case, for example, with "Mortal Kombat: Conquest" ( 1998 - 1999).
True to spirit.
In general, as the plot progresses, the main canons are mentioned, although, often, there are sometimes free handling and discrepancies with them. Specifics of clans. A vampire prince, the head of a certain city, monitoring the observance of the masquerade and regulating any clashes that arise. Historical conflicts between different clans. Specifics of turning into vampires. Humanity and spiritual impulses. Occasionally a demonstration of certain abilities of individual representatives, such as the swiftness of toareadors, which causes bewilderment among some mere mortals as to how they appear and disappear so quickly.
Clans.
Vampire clans are represented by 6 out of 13 possible:
1. Bruja / Bruja, they are local anarchists who do not shy away from regular criminal showdowns, most of which the series is dedicated to.
2. Ventrue, cold-blooded individuals with a desire for top management and regular management, are represented in the amount of 2 pieces.
3. Gangrel, which according to the canon are tramps and unsociable, which is not so much in the series, just one. They can turn into an animal form, but here almost everyone does it, regardless of clan affiliation (which, without some radical amendments, is in complete dissonance with the original source, as far as I know).
4. Nosferatu, a distinctive feature in the series, are designated only as creepy-looking vampires without any special characteristics or explanation as to why they are such.
5. Toreador, initially hedonists and artists in the broad sense of the word, with a greater bias towards the understanding of mere mortals. In the series there are mainly purely female attractive individuals, aka beauty, which is designated as the main characteristic.
The clans of "Malkavians" and "Tremere", despite the fact that they could be of perhaps the greatest interest in adaptation, are absent as a phenomenon in the series. I believe there is no way to explain this other than the budget, and perhaps also the fact that the series ended after eight episodes of season one.
6. But there was room for one "Assamite". In one episode. In short they are hired killers who achieve their goals by any means necessary.
Ending.
The series has no logical conclusion, the plot ends at episode eight. Apparently season one should have ended there, but the second never happened.
As a result:
2 points for trying to bring an interesting concept to the television screen; 1 point for the fact that such an attempt was made back in 1996; 1 point for general compliance with canon.
And - 0.5 for various flaws. Every second person here can turn into a wolf. The "Ventrue" prince is forced to resolve conflicts that arise more or less alone. "Gangrel", who was hired specifically as a bodyguard, presumably based on the logic of clan affiliation, turns out to be good for nothing according to the plot outline. It seems that if you drink a lot of blood, you can completely walk around in the light of day. In the next shot we have one character melting in the sun. If you want, I think you can still find quite a few strange jambs.
1 point for cute female characters. As for the male ones, the local "Ventrue" prince is somewhat reminiscent of the local version of "Highlander" (1992-1998). And the actor who played the head of the "Brujah" clan looks like the antagonist from "Highlander" circa 1986.
0.5 as a conditional fan bonus.
You can watch it in passing, but it's better to get yourself a copy of the game "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines", patch+, a number of mods and plunge into the "world of darkness" for 40+ hours. Some fans of the genre might give it a 6 or even a 7, but I, as I already mentioned initially, am not one of them.
Also. By now there are few more games in"world of darkness" available to play, among them there is a direct sequel to VTMB is still in work.