From the DVD cover -- "Female reporter Sadie Blake (Lucky Liu) wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member fo the undead, the victim of a brutal vampire ritual. Trying desperately to fight off her thirst, Sadie prowls the dark city streets, armed with a crossbow and hell-bent on slaying the twisted vampires that made her this way. With an all-star cast featuring Carla Gugino, Michael Chiklis, and James D'Arcy, prepare for a bloody descent into a terrifying underworld."

Special Features: Behind-the-scenes featurettes, 3 storyboard to screen featurettes

I was a tad surprised when I saw the poster for this movie in the local rental video store and could not recall it's theatrical release. I knew that the movie had some big names attached to it, Michael Chiklis, Carla Gugino, and, of course, Lucy Liu. So I rented the movie but with caution and low expectations. To my surprise, it's not that bad. But the straight to DVD release is justified.

The movie began interestingly enough with an already turned-vampire Sadie Blake in an erotic tease with another beautiful woman. We found out that Sadie was just using this woman to find the whereabouts of the vampire leader who turned her into a bloodsucker. And at all times, Sadie was not about to let any harm come upon this woman. From there on, we get a big flashback that took us to the circumstances that led to her becoming a vampire up to the present time.

The idea for "Rise: Blood Hunter" is not new. We've seen this premise in the much more finely tuned "Blade" series. To distinguish this movie from the fast-moving, but thinly-acted, "Blade", Lucy Liu will have to be compelling in her portrayal of a vengeful spirit. Instead, we get someone who's only moving with the tide. She's not believable as an action hero. Her part require someone who can portray hatred of all things vampire, even herself. It just didn't work out that way.

Another disappointment is the under-use of Michael Chiklis of "The Shield" and "Fantastic Four" fame. Chiklis can actually carry a movie given a chance. He played the role of a police officer searching for the killers of his daughter.

If you're a die-hard fan of the vampire genre, you'll be disappointed with this movie. But if you're a fan of Lucy Liu, then this should be one of the handful of movies in your collection.