‘Empire V’ Screamfest Review: A Fascinating Take On The Vampire
Justin Moritz
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Vampire high society is not uncommon in the vampire subgenre. Be it the sophisticated war-like machinations of the Underworld franchise, or the lavish vampire parties in Interview With A Vampire, vampires are frequently portrayed as aristocratic. They’re elevated to a superhuman level not only by their monstrous transformations but also by their elite status.
Empire V, directed by Victor Ginzburg and adapted from the novel of the same name by Victor Pelevin, is a unique take on the vampire subgenre. A young man Roman (Pavel Tabakov) escapes a life of poverty and failure by risking it all and accepting a mysterious invitation to become part of elite society. Almost immediately, Roman is drugged and bound, before a masked figure reveals that Roman has been selected to be the next recipient of the Tongue, a vampiric hivemind that moves from host to host. The transfer of the Tongue results in Roman abandoning his former self and becoming Rama II, his destined final form according to the Tongue and its many handlers.
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It is by no means surprising that other critics have likened Empire V to The Matrix, as this film is more about the horrific discoveries of what the world is and less of a film about the horrors of vampirism. The film is strangely, though almost refreshingly, bloodless. A group of shadowy aristocrats called the Chaldeans quickly take over Rama’s education. Instead of satisfying Rama’s thirst with blood, these human servants feed Rama the essence of famous artists, musicians, and scientists, allowing him to quickly master human knowledge in a unique approach to the vampire mythos. This Neo learning kung-fu via a computer program.
And much like Neo is dubbed the chosen one in The Matrix, Rama is told that the Tongue chose him personally as their host. Yet his destiny is connected with another fledgling vampire Hera (Taya Radchenko), with whom Rama is told not to fall in love. Vampiric high society, dubbed Empire V, entertains humanity as purely a means for satisfying their hunger, abandoning blood lust for material wealth generated by their human underlings. Rama is led to believe that he is destined to inherit this financial boon alongside the power it promises. However, as his relationship with Hera and the other vampires gets complicated, he comes to realize that his destiny isn’t as cut and dry as it seems.
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Empire V succeeds as an indictment of destiny and the men who feel beholden to its payout. While the film had secured an 1800 screen rollout in Russian cinemas, the Russian government quickly barred distribution, effectively banning this controversial adaptation from one of the country’s most influential modern authors. It makes sense that Empire V strikes a raw nerve with the Russian government.
The vampiric high society parasitically feeds on the humans beneath it, hoarding the world’s wealth for the sake of uplifting “destined” figureheads. And while these figureheads have the chance of being elevated to the dais promised to them, they are more often destroyed by infighting and deception between the closest of allies, finding themselves either dead or ultimately unhappy.
Though Empire V’s reliance on exposition makes the film feel a tad unevenly paced, its poignant social commentary is bolstered by its technical strengths. The film is beautiful, with its cinematography, production design, and costuming successfully fleshing out the film’s elaborate world without an absurdly extravagant budget.
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However, at one point in the film, Rama is introduced to Death Candies, pills that enable the vampiric user to utilize the combat prowess of history’s finest fighters. While I expected this sort of world-building would play heavily into the film’s conflicts, it seemed that the budget restricted the amount of vampire karate Empire V could deliver. Regardless, I was impressed with how the film’s writers succeed at circumnavigating this limitation, instead engraining vampire society with a series of rules and intellectual battlegrounds for Rama to navigate as he tries to secure his place as head of the empire.
While Empire V straddles the line between science fiction and horror, veering more into the former, the film’s strong delivery of social commentary will win over horror fans, even if it tests our definition of what a vampire movie is. The vampire mythology we know and love serves as a tool to make us relate to Rama who is navigating this strange world with the same preconceived notions we have about vampires.
As Rama, Pavel Tabakov delivers a performance that holds a great deal of nuance as Rama’s human impatience is tested against the prospects of immortality. Balancing out Tabakov’s passionate performance, Taya Radchenko’s Hera comes across as cool, calm, and calculated. Her moments of vulnerability serve as a dagger that she effectively wields against Rama when he’s the most emotionally exposed.
As of October 2023, Paris-based distributor Reel Suspects has acquired the distribution rights for the film, so hopefully it’ll make its way to theaters or VOD in the next few months. Empire V had its US Premiere at 2023’s Screamfest Horror Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA on Oct. 18th.
Summary
‘Empire V’ delivers strong social commentary that’ll win over horror fans, even if it tests our definition of what a vampire movie is.
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