Wicked, The

THE WICKED is a solid, well-made and well-directed feature video from director Michael Raven which still had me less than satisfied. I've been a fan of Mr. Raven's work over the last decade or so, and while not every one of his films has dazzled me, I appreciate the fact that he does more to advance the adult genre with his features than hack directors churning out yet one unimaginative gonzo flick after another.

However, there are time when Mr. Raven's ambitions and vision simply can't be accomplished in what is basically your average porn production. What we have here is an ensemble cast starring Kaylani Lei, Stormy Daniels, Voodoo, Roxy DeVille, Tori Black, and Barrett Blade, most of whom have some background story and all of whom are involved in at least one sexual situation. They are on a road trip into the Nevada desert for a festival of sorts (they're a bit too young to have experienced the Grateful Dead), but the cast soon run into an area where evil lurks and vampires come to life. It's your basic set-up from any of the original FRIDAY THE 13TH films or 4th rate zombie movies (like the incredibly amusing - and not in a good way - HOUSE OF THE DEAD).

Perhaps the most glaring problem with most porn films, especially those produced by Wicked, is that they just can't escape their amateurish foundation and background. A movie focusing on a group of people running into vampires can't help but be constrained by its limited budget (by Hollywood standards, that is). Moreover, when you're dealing with girls who are comfortable sucking cock than reciting dialogue, and guys who can get hard on cue, but have trouble expressing any kind of emotion, the questionable acting can bring all the drama to a dead halt. Unless you're an aficionado of direct-to-video exploitation films (like the ones you see on cable late on a Saturday night), the obvious cheesiness of these productions degrade whatever effect the theme or plot might have. Sure, twenty years ago, this kind of production would have dazzled the adult world, but even porn's highest standards of cinematic craft barely surpass mainstream movie's lowest standards. I don't expect THE WICKED to be as professional as Zack Snyder's DAWN OF THE DEAD or as witty as Robert Rodriguez's PLANET TERROR, but since THE WICKED is neither satire nor parody, taking the movie seriously is just too much to ask.

So what's left when you strip off all the (impressive) make-up work and attempts at characterization? Well, the sex is okay, and certainly helped by the beauties populating the film (Kaylani Lei always looks great; Stormy Daniels is one of the best looking contract girls I've ever seen; and Tory Lane is a new favorite of mine) but there's nothing really remarkable going on, despite the many sex scenes. Aaron Wilcox and Scarlette Fay are first up in an outdoor affair, bathed in blue (Blu-ray is just about as good as this scene will ever look) and nice for an artistic introduction despite the routine sucking and fucking. A flashback from Kaylani Lei's point of view shows her catching her boyfriend Rocco Reed and Jenny Hendrix in flagrante delicto, which is also shot in images, which will eventually contrast with the hard-edged horror to follow.

The plot begins to move forward with Stormy Daniels, who is never sexier than when her mouth is in motion. As great as she is with girls, Stormy really draws my attention when performing heterosexually. Her partner however, has more tattoos than the top member of the Yakuza, and his presence distracts when the camera isn't focusing on Miss Daniels. A dream sequence featuring Kaylani, Mikayla Mendez and Sophia Santi along with Evan Stone and Barry Scott is also creatively photographed, but the whole vampire schtick with Mikayla and Sophia does nothing for me. Also, don't expect any double penetration or anything too kinky going on, despite two guys working on each girl separately.

Roxy DeVille, playing an exotic dancer, and Johnny Castle have an affair outside in an alley by a bar (a fantasy I've always wanted but could never convince anyone remotely female to go along with). With her dark, straight hair and slender figure, Roxy looks great and is one of the more skilled performers in this movie. However, she quickly upstaged by the one and only Tori Black, a relatively newcomer to adult who has already gained accolades and critical recognition. I first saw her in FRESH OUTTA HIGH SCHOOL #8, and was so thrilled, that I gave that Blu-ray disc a top rating overall. Here, she is paired with lucky Voodoo, who fucks her on a bed, and we are treated to closeups of her sexy mouth draining his cock. Her screws her in missionary and doggie position, then unloads on her face. It is not her best scene, but she makes it the best scene of the film. It makes the final affair between Kaylani Lei and Barrett Blade look downright uninteresting by comparison. There is a big finale at the end, which is not too startling for anyone who has seen your average mainstream zombie movie, but I won't spoil it for those interested in the film.

And if you are a fan of this film, there is no doubt that the Blu-ray is worth getting. All of the important bonus features are included on this disc, with some of the material presented in widescreen, 480i standard definition, but the "important" footage (like the extended hardcore footage and the bonus sex scenes) is displayed in 1080p. Ever since I started reviewing adult DVDs, I've always been impressed with the full platter of bonuses provided by the studio, and this title is no exception. It's just a shame I can't enjoy the main feature as much as I did all the extras.

Oh, how I wanted to love The Wicked. This is one of Wicked Pictures' two (the other being Fallen) big Fall releases, a movie they hope will vie for numerous AVN awards come January. Helmed by Michael Raven, The Wicked is visually slick, well-directed and nicely paced. However it fails in two essential areas: sex and story. And those, my friends, are the two areas you don't want to strike out in.

I'm not giving away any secrets by telling you that this is a vampire movie. We've seen adult tackle vampires in the past, most notable in Nic Andrews' two great Dark Angels flicks. The Wicked's vampires, however, are so poorly developed and take up so little of the movie's screen time that they are simply props instead of characters. I'm pretty sure we don't learn the names or motives of a single vampire in the movie, and to add insult to injury, Raven wastes actor Evan Stone by casting him as one of the vamps and then giving him a grand total of zero lines of dialogue. If you don't count the grunting and snarling, that is.

The sex scenes are also a problem. There are a total of seven in this 106-minute movie, but the vast majority of them are quite timid, even for a movie aimed at the couples' market. The first scene (a desert romp between Scarlett Fay and Aaron Wilcox) covers only one position and doesn't even include a pop-shot. Later scenes in the movie are equally short on positions and time, and very few of them flow naturally from the story that Raven is trying to tell.

The plot of The Wicked has a group of friends (including Kalyani Lei, Barrett Blade and Voodoo) heading out into the desert for the "Black Rock Festival" - essentially a weekend of sex, and rock n' roll for young adults. Kaylani stars as Jane, who's recently been betrayed by her fiancé (Rocco Reed) and is now dating Barrett. She's also started to have dreams and visions of some of the vampires we'll meet up with later in the movie. Along the way to Black Rock, the travelers pick up a stranded young couple (played by Stormy Daniels and Derrick Pierce) who seem like just an odd couple at first, but will play a pivotal role in the movie's conclusion.

As far as A/V quality is concerned, The Wicked looks and sounds fantastic. Given the theme of the film, many scenes take place at night, but Raven does a good job lighting them, and the movie looks great. Audio is in 5.1 Dolby and is equally as good, a real treat since Raven fills up much of his soundtrack with rock songs that provide a real Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino kind of feel to the action. Viewers will also have the option of listening to either a music-only or digital sex-only version of the soundtrack.

Although The Wicked just didn't work for me, I'm still giving the film an average rating just because of how good it looks and how well it was put together. Production value is high on this one, and there are some nifty effects (some of which you may not even know are effects until you watch the bonus materials) that are worth checking out.

Speaking of the bonuses, they're top-notch here, with Wicked devoting an entire second disc to extras. " And Lust" is a 22-minute behind the scenes featurette on the making of the movie, while "Girls Of The Wicked" is a montage of separate photo shoots with stars Kaylani Lei, Tori Black, Mikayla Mendez, Sophia Santi, Roxy DeVille and Scarlett Fay. This featurette runs about 13-minutes in length.

Also on the extras disc is an interview with Director Michael Raven; a bloopers reel; outtakes; an SFX (special effects) reel; two extended sex scenes from the movie (one with Stormy and Derrick, the other with Jenny Hendrix and Rocco Reed); and bonus sex scenes from other Wicked titles (Kaylani and Deep Threat from The Accidental Hooker, and Mikayla and Scott Styles from Se7en Deadly Sins). "The Cast Speaks!" and "The Extras Speak!" are featurettes with interviews with various members of the cast, while "The Wicked Comedy Horror" is a series of short clips of various people (including Evan Stone) screwing around or playing practical jokes during the shoot.

The second DVD wraps up with the typical kind of features one sees on most Wicked releases: slide shows; cast bios; promo materials; and 8 trailers, one of which is the trailer for The Wicked. All of the above extras, with the exception of one of the 8 trailers (Stormy Daniels' Bound) and the bonus scene from The Accidental Hooker are presented in anamorphic widescreen with 2.0 Dolby Digital sound.

Perhaps I set my expectations too high? I'd like to think so, but Wicked Pictures is the studio that brought us Operation Desert Stormy, Coming Home, Space Nuts and even Raven's own The Visitors - and by those standards The Wicked just doesn't hold up well from either a sexual or storytelling standpoint. It's well-produced enough to deserve a viewing, but I can't imagine this movie getting a lot of repeat views from porn fans.

I appreciate the effort that went into this one (and my technical ratings in this review reflect it), but my job as an adult reviewer is to ignore the amount of time and money that goes into a project and just ask the most simple of questions: Was I entertained? While this review will do doubt be in the minority of what you'll see across the Net in the coming days and months, I don't think I'll be alone in my opinion that when it comes to both hardcore action and horror-filled thrills, The Wicked is a title somewhat lacking in bite.

Filmography is very good the storyline is fun and there are some great scenes. This is a must have for any collection.