THE TWINS EFFECT

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2003 Howard Anderson

Story

Legend has it that if a vampire absorbs the blood of all six princes of the ruling class of each vampire nation, he will open a path called "Day for Night" from the vampire bible, which essentially allows him to walk in daylight freely; thus becoming invincible. The Guild's top vampire hunter, Reese (Ekin Cheng) has hunted The Duke of Dekotes (Mickey Hardt) back to Hong Kong, where the Duke intends to find the last and final prince, Kazaf (Edison Chen), to open the "Day for Night" passage. On arrival, Reese learns that he has been assigned a new partner by the Guild - a feisty yet inexperienced young girl named Gypsy (Gillian Chung), and matters are further complicated when Reese's baby sister, Helen (Charlene Choi), develops a romantic relationship with Prince Kazaf. And things really go from bad to worse as the Duke Dekotes captures Reese, leaving the fate of the world in the hands of these two inexperienced teens...

Review

"The Twins Effect" is much more than just a starring vehicle for Gillian Chung and Charlene Choi of the perky pop singing duo, Twins, as it is also a riproaring good time and an adrenalin boost powerful enough to rupture arteries and induce massive heart faliure among people of ailing health.
This film is basically pure entertainment in every sense of the word, and not only does it start off with one of the most wickedly cool opening sequences in recent cinema history, where Ekin Cheng and Josie Ho go head to head with two dozen vampires at a Hong Kong train station, but it also gives you an even more wickedly cool showdown come time for the grand finale, where these two girls take on the big bad like you've never seen it done before. There is also a great deal of hilarity and excitement to enjoy inbetween these two tentpole events, and all though the film does take a slight detour into a romantically tinged subplot near the end of the first act, it still manages to keep things fun and fresh and is right back on track before you know it.

The film also features a handful of familiar faces in bit parts, including the one and only Jackie Chan, and all though Jackie's first appearance during a wedding reception feels a bit superfluous and strained, it is still good for a few laughs and is ultimately made unmissable by the high jinks of a very heavily intoxicated Karen Mok. His second appearance, though, as the unlucky ambulance driver that suddenly finds himself in the middle of a vampire street brawl, is a hoot and a half and is yet another example of what an incredible performer he is. In the main roles, Ekin Cheng delivers a solid performance as Reeve, the veteran vampire hunter and sister of one of the girls, and so does Edison Chen as Kasaf, the vampire prince that's on the run from The Duke of Dekotes. The ones that make the biggest impression upon "The Twins Effect", though, are not surprisingly Gillian Chung and Charlene Choi, and of the two, Gillian Chung is probably the biggest standout, as she moves with the grace of water and the force of a hurricane during the fight sequences, and is very natural and just plainly likable during the more dramatic exchanges.

Donnie Yen is credited as both action choreographer and co-director of "The Twins Effect", and it shows, as this film possesses a style, grace and energy that very few other martial artists and filmmakers out there could possibly bring to a project of this kind. The director, Dante Lam, is also deserving of praise, of course, as there are plenty of scenes that bear evidence of his hard work, as well. The cinematography of Man Po Cheung is another area in which the film shines, and when you add that to the editing of Ki-Hop Chan, the production desings of Bill Liu, the fantastic make-up and visual effects, and the highly bombastic score that kicks in whenever the action heats up, then odds are you'll be leafing through volumes upon volumes of dictionaries in search of an adequate expression of praise, and that you'll be wanting to superglue your eyelids to your forehead before watching the whole thing again, just to make sure you didn't miss anything the first time around.

Image

Universe has delivered an outstanding 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that is for the most part free of any defects, allthough there are some digital artifacts noticable in one or two instances, but that's about the gist of it. The rich colors palette is rendered perfectly, and is further bolstered by excellent contrast, solid blacks and very good shadow detail. In short, the Twins have never looked better, at least not in a digital format.

Sound

The DVD comes equipped with Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks in both Cantonese and Mandarin, and an additional DTS track in Cantonese only, and trust me when I say the DTS track will squash you like a bug against the windshield of car travelling at a houndred miles an hour. It is simply that good. This is a mix that envelopes you completely, and whenever the pulsating beat kicks in before any one of the many action sequences, then it's best to just relax your body and let it do its thing, as there is very little chance of it leaving you unscathed.

Features

The bonus materials could have been a bit more plentiful, but the Making-Of featurette is a nice touch, and whilst it's not subtitled, it is still able to give you a more than decent behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. There is also a Photo Gallery consisting of lobby cards and set pictures, Stars' Files with filmographies for the main cast, 2 Trailers and a Teaser Trailer. There are also 6 additional trailers to be found in the More Attractions section.

Overall Opinion

"The Twins Effect" is most definitely a guilty pleasure, as it is not a cinematic masterpiece nor a raving success among critics, but who the heck gives a damn, cause despite what flaws there may be, it is still an immensely funny, exciting and cool movie that, in all honesty, won me over completely.
The DVD is another amazing treat, and Universe has obviously put some effort into this one, with a nice two-disc set and a near flawless presentation that is both a sight for sore eyes and an audible source of irritation for anyone living within a ten mile radius.