Customer Reviews

Kindred the Embraced

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A middle-of-the-road boddice-ripper soap opera, "Kindred: the Embraced" is very loosely based on the roleplaying game "Vampire: the Masquerade." Take a moody horror setting, mix in the supernatural and have Aaron Spelling bake it in his blondes-and-California oven, and this is what you get. While fun for RPG fans to make fun of, and of mild interest to soap aficionados, the show manages neither the horror nor melodrama particularly well. There are some good performances by a stable of "Hey It's That Guy/Gal" actors you'll recognize from a dozen other supernatural melodramas, but the writing is ham-fisted and the camp isn't high enough to pull the rest of this show behind it.

This is no "Ultraviolet," which is simply the best vampire fiction put to film. I own "Kindred: the Embraced," and love it, but it's only seriously recommended for the vampire or RPG completist.

First of all, the series is loosely based on a series of books AND the rpg's that are so popular. (Yes, there were actually novels that didn't involve how to convert rpg characters)I say "loosely" because although the clan names and characters are similar, the tv series has it's differences. Those that enjoy watching Buffy will enjoy watching this mini-series. It's got some action, drama and romance all mixed together. It can be a bit gruesome at times, but it is tolerable. The cliffhanger at the end still bugs me, but in all honesty, it would have been hard to continue production without Mark Frankel(?) aka Julian Luna, the main character, who had died unexpectedly in a motorcycle crash. It's a shame really, because I believe this series could have really taken off with a little more work. Nonetheless, the story is good and is a beautiful tribute to his memory.

This is a fantastic 3-VHS collection of the T.V. series. A must-own for the true vampire lover. It is inventive, sexy, thrilling, and well written. You get involved with the vampire gangs and cheer them all. It's what you might expect a rich, upper-class gang leader and his clansmen to be. There is conflict, friendship, kinship, love, compassion, hate and war all wrapped up in a present-tense, now-a-days version of how vampires would be today. You'll love it!

What happens when you combine the X-Files and Melrose Place? And add in some of the Sopranos for good measure? You get this wonderful TV series, Kindred the Embraced.

I enjoyed this show very much when it aired on Fox in 1996. I had forgotten nearly all of the plots from the episodes, so watching it again DVD was almost like watching it for the first time. Well worth the money considering all eight episodes sell for the price that you'd usually pay for just one two hour movie.

I thought that the series was canceled because there was a vast conspiracy to remove from the airwaves only the shows that I liked. But it turns out the real reason is that an actor who played one of the main characters died.

I think some of the less than stellar reviews come from people who just don't appreciate all of the genres this series mixes together. I enjoyed watching Melrose Place, but I suspect that Melrose Place type shows aren't that interesting to a lot of the people who were into the book and the role playing game that this show was based on (I never even knew there was a role playing game until reading these reviews).

On the other hand, if you liked Melrose Place, but don't like seeing lot of corpses and other X-Files type stuff, you probably also won't enjoy this series very much.

The very beautiful Kelly Rutherford who is one of the main characters in this series (but who doesn't show up until the second episosde) appeared on Melrose Place the next season, as the hooker who then became Michael Mancini's wife who then became his divorced wife who looked down upon Michael because of his loose morals.

The only downside of this series is that it just leaves you hanging without any sort of resolution. As one would expect from a TV series that was suddenly canceled. Also, the penultimate episode, "Bad Moon Rising," was pretty weak in my opinion.

Otherwise, highly recommended for a very enjoyable six and a half hour viewing marathon.

When this show aired back in 1996, there were three types of people who watched it. There were the people who had no knowledge of the role-playing game and just watched the show for the show, there were the people who dabbled in the rpg and had that much more of a deeper understanding of what was going on, then there were your hardcore game geeks(such as myself) sitting on their couches with their checklists saying "OK, that's wrong, and that's wrong, and that's wrong, and that's wrong...." You get my point. If you're expecting something exactly true to the rpg in this show, you're not going to get it. First of all, only 5 clans were covered, there are 13 in the game. Second of all, the Brujah are NOT Armani suit-wearing mafioso types as portrayed in the show, rather they are your clad-in-leather, punk rock street rabble. The Nosferatu wasn't ugly enough, and the disciplines they were using didn't fit their clans much at all. I'm sorry, I have a really hard time buying a Toreador ancilla with four dots in protean (she could turn into a wolf). Now, that being said, lest you think I didn't like this show, I actually did. All of the above complaints aside, It was really compelling drama for the short amount of time it lasted. I would highly recommend it for entertainment value, if not source material.

I love the masquerade. Let me say that first. This game line rules all and I defy anyone to find a game that is darker, more realistic and better produced. That being said. What was this .... Don't get me wrong I have this Dvd and the VHS mostly because it's the only way I can see the masquerade on tv without it being on the news with some kid killing his parents and you know what I'm talking about. I'm with those of you who picked this show apart. Where are the other clans? Where are the disciplines? and when, Caine tell me when did gang and gangrel become the same thing? The Brujah were punks and not in a good way. The Toreador were the only clan that actually fit the game standards. The Nosferatu were actually pretty nice looking and yes I know that sounds bad. Where were the Tremere and my beloved Malkavians. Now I did like the idea of them being able to walk by day, I use that in my game sessions but the rest was just .... While Sasha the brujah girl was ... she was just so annoying. We know she's Brujah can she shut up about it all ready. Julian while cool to look at he had the look of a prince but he would not be able to survive he would have gotten torn apart but the Anarchs or other Primogen along time ago. That brings me to Eddie Fiori the Brujah Primogen. I know this is getting long but come on. Can you say dead man along time ago boys and girls. You attack the Prince's bodyguard, your turn the Prince's granddaughter, you defy the Prince on numerous occassions and yet that ... was still walking. Julian should have put him down like a dog in the Primogen room in front of everyone. Okay pretty rough but I take the masquerade very seriously and yes I know it's a roleplaying game so don't bother to point that out. Now you want to know why this show was bad? two words, Aaron Spelling. You game a vampire roleplaying game to a man who makes soap operas what the hell did you think was going to happen. Now if Todd Mcfarlene had of done it the show would still be on today.

I bought this collection on vhs a few years ago and enjoyed every minute of it. The Kindred were seductive, intimidating, powerful, and extremely real like. They were nothing like the movie vampires that are, as James Woods would say 'They're not romantic. It's not like they're a bunch of (bleeps) walking around in rented formal wear seducing people with cheesy Euro-trash (no offence meant) accents', they were more like regular people in positions of power; sort of like the Godfather meets Dracula. The only problem I had with it was that at the end of the last episode they left it wide open for a continuance. Even Aaron Spelling let 90210 go on for more than 5 years before ending it.

Aside from that, I seriously think they should come up with a new series picking up where Volume 3 left off. But if you like the game, you'll definitely enjoy this. As always remember this 'We're all around you.'

Ok so in retrospect i was wrong the set is fine it is slightly ugly visually but ya i bought a new DVD player and it is exquisite i haven't seen this series in 14 years since it first aired but i've been looking for it since then and every video store i went to told me it was "In Mortorium" that noone is releasing it or that they ever will again for distribution but i mean come on there has to be a Cult Following of this i mean afterall it is a Vampire Collection right haha

I was extatic when the series aired in 1996 Being a Toreadore myself. The Feel of the different Clans was portrayed extremely well. I was DEVESTATED when it was cancelled. As with Wolf Lake. We Unusual People just aren't enough to keep a good series on air. Now I am overjoyed to have found the entire series on DVD.
A wonderful Series for longtime Vampire fans,or Fledglings.

I remember watching this on TV, when it first started showing. I fell in love with it, and was very upset, when the show was canceled. (One reason, because the main character had died in an accident, in real life.)

Now with all the special effects that can be done, I consider these shows as slow.

I still enjoyed these shows, and am glad I have them for my 'vampire' collection. I love the premis of the vampires living and surviving in the 'modern' world. Trying to blend in with the humans. And of course, the attraction they have for humans, and vice versa.

It would be wonderful, if Spelling would consider doing another show based on the Kindred.