Perfect Creature

Infobox Film | name =Perfect Creature


caption = Promotional poster for "Perfect Creature"
director = Glenn Standring
producer = Tim Sanders
writer = Glenn Standring
starring = Dougray Scott
Saffron Burrows
Leo Gregory
editing = Chris Blunden
distributor = flagicon|USA 20th Century Fox
flagicon|AUS Magna Pacific
country = flagicon|NZL New Zealand
language = English
budget = US$11 million
amg_id = 1:292008
imdb_id = 0403407

"Perfect Creature" is a New Zealand made horror/thriller film written and directed by Glenn Standring and starring Saffron Burrows and Dougray Scott, set in an alternate universe New Zealand. The New Zealand release date was October 18, 2007. The film was released straight-to-video in the US on July 17th, 2007.

Plot

This psychological thriller is set in an alternate steampunk universe. Technologies represented include zeppelins, radio, black & white TV (small circular images), DNA analysis, slide projectors, cars (1940's styling) and telephones. The architecture is very similar to Oxford in The Golden Compass. Women appear to play an equal part in all roles in this society, as we see female cops, reporters and a female medical examiner.

The film takes place in a large coastal city (likely the capital, as the Queen lives in it), and is centered around a slum called Jamestown.

Three hundred years ago some human children began to be born as vampires. These have enhanced hearing, sight, agility, stamina and reflexes (there is a lot of wire-work a la The Matrix). In this universe vampires have convinced humans (and themselves) that they are a more perfect version of humans; ones closer to God. They have taken over the Catholic church (the only variant of religion seen in this film, possibly the only one existing), and are called Brothers. They wear unadorned long black coats, and look very monseignor-ish. The Brothers state that they exist only to serve humans; to protect and guide them. Brothers live much longer than humans; the oldest are 300 years old and none have died yet. However exactly how Brothers serve humans is never established; one might deduce that they offer a longer-term point of view to matters of policy, however given the Dickensian living conditions this seems unlikely. Possibly this involved a watching brief (similar to City of Angels). Vampires are removed from their mothers at birth, indoctrinated into the Brotherhood, and raised to believe they are superior to humans.

Human churchgoers donate blood for the Brothers to drink (one character states his mother gives blood three times a month at church, and in one scene we also see an elegant woman at a swanky party donating blood into a large collecting vessel with a tap at the bottom, from which Brothers are served in elaborate chased goblets). Brothers never drink blood straight from the human body.

Churchgoers wear rosaries; however not all humans are churchgoers. At some more infrequent church ceremonies humans also drink the Brothers' blood, and this gives them visions (some may experience prescience). The liturgy of the church states that mingling the blood of the two races makes one titular Perfect Creature.

Brothers also hold religious education classes for young human children, where the children are taught that Brothers are superior, and also learn that all genetic research is banned because nothing but evil comes from it (including the deadly influenza which is rife in the city). Genetic research is mainly banned so that humans don't attempt to get rid of vampires. Brothers posit an alternate universe where their early numbers were killed, they failed to gain control of the church, and they became nothing more than a myth from 300 years ago. They apparently fear that, if undoctrinated, humans would envy them their long lives, and try to stop vampires from running the show, .

All these details are established slowly and carefully throughout the film, but it makes the synopsis much clearer to establish all this in writing before beginning the actual plot. Also, there's a lot of subtext and symbolism in this film, and this synopsis attempts to explain none of it.

The film opens as a pregnant woman (the lovely Danielle Cormack) gives birth to a vampire. A young Brother, Silus, aged 7-8 is told that this child, Edgar, and he are from the same mother; it is his responsibility to guide the baby into the Brotherhood. Throughout this introduction the mother is in visible emotional distress, reaching out across the room to Silus, trying to touch him. He observes her calmly if slightly warily through unemotional eyes.

Now we skip forward a number of years (later proved to be 70, but dress/technology etc is not noticeably changed). Jamestown slum is under a thrall of fear from a series of attacks on women, who are all found with their throats slashed. Lily (the gorgeous Saffron Burrows from Deep Blue Sea) is in charge of the human police investigating these cases. She states she comes from a workhouse in this same slum, and we establish that she is one of the few cops who care what happens to these people at the bottom of the socio-economic heap. Lily finds a small boy who witnesses one attack, and states that a Brother was responsible. The string of murders is being covered up (and reporters detained from reporting them) as an outbreak of the rampant influenza virus, as the police don't want to start a panic in the city.

Silus (Dougray Scott) is detailed by the church cardinals to work with the human police because the Brothers know that these attacks have been carried out by a Brother; Silus' brother Edgar (Leo Gregory). Edgar has sent Silus a recording of his last murder, challenging him to find and stop him before he kills again. Edgar gives the location of his next murder.

With Silus' help, Lily puts together a task force to stake out the area Edgar has targeted. However Edgar distracts the cops and attacks Lily, biting her in the neck. Silus interrupt the attack and Edgar flees. To save Lily's life Silus slashes his wrist on one of the other cops knives and offers her his wrist, and tells her to drink his own blood, which she does. Once her life is saved Silus leaps off in pursuit of Edgar, and manages to shoot him with some kind of large tranquilizing dart.

Silus visits Lily in hospital. We establish that no family will visit; her husband and daughter have already been killed by the influenza virus, and we already know she was raised in the workhouse. Lily is having visions from drinking Silus' blood, involving a moth, a doll, blood, and Edgar's face. The newspapers have covered the (fake) story of the death of the killer; a deranged human who believed they were a Brother.

Silus then goes to the sub-basement of the church. There he sees that Edgar is held in a spiky, pointy body restraint. Because Silus is soon to be made a member of the "inner circle" he is given the full details of what happened to Edgar.

The cardinals have been very worried that not a single Brother has been born since Edgar (70 years earlier), and that a female vampire has never been born. Although they have publicly banned genetic research, the church has been carrying it out in secret (apparently they do this all the time). Edgar has been developing a virus to inject into pregnant women, to force the baby to be born a vampire. Alas the virus has mutated, and it has turned the women into violent, insane, psycopaths (much like "the infected" from 28 Days Later). We learn that 10 of Edgar's research subjects are already dead, and the last one is dying (this is a very slightly messy sight). Edgar has also become infected, and has gone insane.

Silus visits Edgar, who vows to escape and finish off Lily. Edgar accuses Silus of being in love with Lily (this might well be true), despite Brothers being forbidden to love (like Jedi).

Edgar is held for some time. He is held in a semi-spherical cell, observed through a bullet-proof glass wall by two jailers. The jailers can release stupifying gas if they fear he is becoming too violent. Edgar does a lot of handstands on his fingernail-tips, headstands, wirework etc. From time to time Edgar runs the length of his cell and head-butts the window. Over time Edgar notices a teeny crack is appearing in the glass. On occasions he comes right up to the window and stands there banging his head rhythmically, as if insane, but really enlarging the crack.

One night, Silus is at a fancy ceremony in the church (along with every member of the Brotherhood) for his investiture as a cardinal. This night Edgar throw a wobbly and the guards gas him. However Edgar holds his breath, and when a guard goes in Edgar attacks and kills him. The remaining guard calls the chief researcher. Just as he arrives Edgar runs full tilt into the glass and shatters the window. He kills the second guard and chases the researcher into the hall. Here Edgar forces the researcher to drink his (Edgar's) blood (and so infecting him with the virus).

Edgar escapes the church sub-basement and disappears into Jamestown. He enlists the help of a low-life scumbag to help him catch Lily. The scumbag threatens a prostitute with a knife, and when a pretty, slim, female cop comes to help Edgar leaps down behind her and attacks her. However it is not Lily, but her colleague and friend Stephanie (Lauren Jackson). Edgar is very annoyed.

Edgar has installed a tap and tube system into his forearm, so he can turn on a flow of his own infected blood at any time. He fills Stephanie's mouth with his blood. Scumbag insists on getting his own share as well (this is suprisingly difficult to watch).

Silus is guarding Lily at her apartment. It becomes apparent from his actions and demeanor that he is indeed in love with her. Silus believes Edgar is outside, so he heads off to prevent him from attacking Lily. Although he tells Lily to sit tight, she grabs her gun and heads off into the building, because her augmented hearing can now sense Edgar's approach. Also, she sees the moth from her vision. Edgar bursts through a window and grabs Lily. Silus and Edgar grapple, however Silus is knocked down long enough for Edgar and Lily to disappear.

Now that Stephanie is very sick with the virus, Edgar leaves her body out where it will be discovered, with a note attached, giving a clue to Silus about his location (his "blood is the source"). Scumbag is also very sick, and is just annoying Edgar too much, so Edgar rips his heart right out of his body and drops it on the ground (not graphic)

Stephanie is taken to the hospital, where we learn that the virus has spread throughout Jamestown. The government has instituted a quarantine, and soldiers are shooting anybody who attempts to leave (we see one shooting). A radio report states that the Queen has left the city. Humans are rioting outside the churches, and throwing their rosaries back to the Brothers.

Silus works out that the "source" from the note is the aquifer which is Jamestown's water source. Edgar is dripping his blood into the water supply, hence all of Jamestown being infected. Luckily each suburb has its own water supply. Silus is determined to go in and rescue Lily, however another cardinal tells him that Jamestown will be burned to the ground to make sure that the virus dies, and Edgar with it. He warns Silus that his own career will be doomed if he ignores the "greater good" and breaches quarantine.

However, Silus breaks through into Jamestown and heads to the aquifer, dodging the infected (most are dead by now, and there's a lot of bodies piled everywhere). On the way Silus meets one other Brother, tending to the dying.

Lily is handcuffed to a water pipe in a locked basement. With her super-vampire-senses she can tell SIlus is near. She manages to open the door and call for Silus. However an infected enters the basement, and Lily has to grapple her while still attached to the water pipe.

Edgar finds Silus and they fight.

Lily manages to subdue (kill) the infected woman, and free her hands from the water pipe at last.

Just as Silus is winning Edgar throws him backwards onto some sticky-out prong things, which pierce his back about 5-6 inches. As Silus lies groaning, and possibly dying, on the ground, Edgar approaches with what looks like the kind of gun you use for worming sheep. It's attached to some kind of steam pipe, and when Edgar depresses the trigger steam comes out (we have no idea what this is usually used for at the water company - cleaning maybe??). Edgar tells Silus he is going to burn Silus's face off. We see Edgars face and hear a hissing sound and think for a second that he is indeed burning Silus's face off, however in a few seconds we see steam coming out from Edgar's head; Lily has escaped, grabbed another worming gun, and rammed it into the back of Edgar's skull. Edgar is very, very dead.

Silus escorts Lily from the water facility. He leads her through the streets, then stops. He gestures to a building then tells Lily she must look after what she will find in there and keep it away from the Brotherhood. Lily and Silus kiss passionately. Lily enters the building, and finds the other Brother, a dead woman, the doll from her vision, and a cradle. In the cradle is a baby. The Brother tells Lily it is the first female vampire ever born; the virus has created it and it is truly the first Perfect Creature. Lily picks up the baby and kisses its forehead. Taking it, she goes outside, however Silus has disappeared.

In the next scene, we assume some time has passed, and we see Silus standing high up on the outside of a building, looking down. His voice-over explains that he has been branded a heretic, and must stay in hiding; the assumption is he is silently and secretly watching and protecting Lily and the baby.

Tagline : "Humans And Vampires Have Lived In Harmony.... Until Now. . ."

Cast

*Dougray Scott as Silus
*Saffron Burrows as Lilly
*Leo Gregory as Edgar
*Scott Wills as Jones
*Stuart Wilson as Augustus
*John Sumner as Howard
*Peter McCauley as Professor Liepsky
*Danielle Cormack

Production notes

* Jonathan Rhys-Meyers was originally cast as the villain Edgar, but was forced to leave the production due to other film commitments.
*At Cannes in 2005 it was announced that 20th Century Fox had purchased the North American theatrical rights, plus other key territories in what was the largest deal between a major American studio and a New Zealand film.
* Saffron Burrows suffered minor injuries after ploughing into a streetside tree in Dunedin during production.
* Is the sixth most expensive New Zealand film ever made after The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, "The Frighteners" and "The World's Fastest Indian" respectively.

External links

*" [http://www.perfect-creature.com/ Official Site] "
*imdb title|id=0403407|title=Perfect Creature
*" [http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=9632 Perfect Creature at comingsoon.net] "
* [http://dvd.monstersandcritics.com/reviews/article_1332588.php DVD Review at Monsters and Critics]