The Blu-ray that I have is the shorter 97 minute version (UK) I haven't seen the longer Uncut version, and I'm sure that it has a lot more nastiness in it, but I found this version to be very sharp, well put together and tightly paced.I've always liked Lucy Liu and I KNOW that not everyone likes her or thinks that she is that hot. I've enjoyed her in the recent 'Elementary' teleseries and she does a nice job here. The thing that makes her character likable is the she is fully believable in the role. She literally plays a normal person who has been thrust into a VERY NON-normal situation. Chiklis is awesome; that guy is a great actor and does an excellent job with a pretty simple role. He injects a LOT of feeling and coolness into the character, more so than you would expect from that type of role.I thought that the modern Vampire angle was done really well. I frigg'n LOVED the main bad guy; he was SO damn smooth! He was clearly completely Evil, but the way his character was written and the charismatic way he portrayed it REALLY made the role live. What I also really liked and appreciated about the film was that the characters were very believable and had a style of their own; they weren't just stupid, shallow caricatures. They were indeed larger than life Comic Book style characters, but they had a cool vibe to them that worked really well. The story moved along nicely too and definitely carried the audience along with it.The views about this movie are pretty polarized. I don't know if it is primarily because of Lucy Liu or just the story and the way it was done itself, I'm not sure. But, it looks like about half the people love it and half hate it. I'm most definitely one of the ones who loves it. Not getting into any Spoilers or anything, but I liked the way it ended. The overall mood and atmosphere of the movie were nicely balanced between a very slick, modern approach, but at the same time you still get a real Classic, epic Comic Book feel to the film.Since people are so divided about the movie, it's kind of hard to know exactly how to recommend it to others. The things that were appealing to me were primarily the director's style, the way the characters were dimensional and textured, and of course... Lucy Liu : ) Seriously though, it was really the tone and mood of the film that I liked. It had a real Comic Book feel to it which gave it sort of a larger-than-life energy which I personally found very entertaining.I don't like a LOT of the more recent Vampire type films that have come out in recent years. The reason being is probably because I really love the more Classic Traditional approach to the Vampire Story. BUT... when they at least show SOME respect for the Vampire history and lore, even in a modern setting, I personally enjoy it a lot more. In this case, they depicted how Vampires cannot be seen in mirrors, so I kind of liked that little nod to the Vampire Tradition.I guess I would say that if you like a good Vampire story, and you like a stylized approach where the characters really come to life in their roles, and you don't mind the simplicity of the story, then you might have a good chance of liking this movie. Keep in mind though... that if you are more of a fan of the 'TWILIGHT' approach to modern Vampire tales or if you are really steeped in the more Classic, heavily textured romantic style like 'INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE', you might come away from this film somewhat disappointed. Another thing too that I personally liked about this movie was that it approached the story from a bit more of a Modern Gothic angle. So, to me, the film came across as a nice balance or blend of a Classic Gothic style, but with a more slick modern tone, AND without the dumbed down approach of the 'TWILIGHT' films.I hope that this helps to give an overall view of what the movie is like so that you can determine whether you want to take the time to watch it...

I admit the only reason I saw this film was because James D'Arcy and Lucy Liu were in it. I found the fight sequences to be "rehearsed", I know that they are choreographed but, there was little emotion, it could have been so much greater if the fight scenes were better choreographed. I honestly tried to like this movie, but I couldn't. I am a horror movie buff, the bloodier and the slimier the better. The plot was okay, but if they had really invested some time and research into maybe it would have been a greater film, I love vampire movies, from the fluff to the hardcore. But, one thing I do love about it, is that Sadie Blake's character was like a vigilante, and she was going after Bishop full force, and picking through the chain of command.

"Rise" is less remarkable for the things it does, more for the things it doesn't. The movie resists to copy the successful tricks of the trade from "Blade" and "Underworld" about cool superhero vampires who love to stage "Matrix" fights because slow motion is so much fun. "Rise" shows us a female vampire who is often defeated, hates her unwanted physical condition, and especially the scene when she bites her first victim, a weak old man, her feelings are so visible: the disgust, the addiction, the cowardice, the frustration being unable to resist. Insofar it is not surprising that she tries to kill herself before she has a thought about revenge for the first time. I loved the scene when she visits her mother, but is unable to explain everything, so she just watches her. Even though the second half of the movie is a kind of revenge story we are familiar with from the cinema of the 1970 and 80s, it's a good genre entry - neither trying to make an art movie like "The Addiction" nor the trendy Gothic pop thing, but creating its own world which reminds me rather of dark city movies such as Clint Eastwood's "Tightrope" than any recent horror movie. It's not the blood, it's the characters. And speaking of that - honestly, since I remember Lucy Liu as one of Charlie's Angels, I didn't expect she could pull this off. Thumbs up!

Finally, a film where the sex scenes don't over do it. There's plenty of action; it's a good B movie and I like Ms. L's work! The cast was well selected and the music was great! Like most B movies, they're not meant to be taken seriously. "Kill Bill" should convince all those who found Rise to be a disappointment that this is the kind of work you take when you want to stay in shape and it gives you a chance to work with veterans like, Mako. Sometimes it's not about the money or the fans who were looking for something more; it's about trying something new. I've never seen Ms. L without clothes, so of course, I'm glad she chose to do it like this, than in some serious drama where all you see is two people making out. Bottom line: If you enjoyed "Otis", then you'll like Rise.