Blade: Trinity

Wesley Snipes is back as the taciturn day-walking vampire hunter in the explosive third and (supposedly) final film in the Blade franchise, Blade: Trinity. The plot unfolds as follows: When his nemeses at the Vampire Nation frame him in a series of brutal killings, Blade joins forces with the Nightstalkers, a secret society of human vampire hunters — and the trail of blood leads directly to the notorious vampire of legend, Dracula (Dominic Purcell).

Written and directed by David S. Goyer, Blade: Trinity also stars Jessica Biel as Abigail, the daughter of Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), who inherits the vampire-slaying duties that once belonged to her now elderly and crippled father. Funny man Ryan Reynolds co-stars as Hannibal King, one of the Nightstalkers — these two new characters are clearly meant to open the door for more Blade-style movies, as the eternal fight between good and evil never really ends, does it?

While Blade: Trinity is probably not destined to become a classic or a movie that fans will want to watch over and over, it’s damn good fun while it lasts. The first Blade movie was more serious and had more of a solid story — in getting to know the characters for the first time, you’re naturally more engaged. The second film, directed by the great Guillermo del Toro, was more about evil, beauty and regret. It was stylish and lovely in its fascination with blood and immortality. In the third film, it’s all about big, bad Blade kicking ass and going after the enemy with a vengeance.

There is a lot more snappy humor in this Blade film than has been seen previously (not from Blade, mind you — he’s as surly and unsmiling as ever). Hannibal is the resident comedian, but another character played by indie queen Parker Posey is pure vamp-camp, and there’s even a poofy Pomeranian in the mix.

While Blade: Trinity is undoubtedly more action-driven than character-driven, it is very impressive action indeed. Less CGI- and martial-arts heavy than Part Two, the third installment goes for balls-to-the-wall pursuits and fights — yet, all of the flat-out madness feels justified. There are reasons for the chases and the brawls. Aside from Blade — who is still the undisputed star — the second-biggest pair of brass ones belongs to Jessica Beil as Abigail. The second “bow-and-arrows babe” to hit the big screen this year (Keira Knightly did it first in King Arthur), she wields her UV-fortified weapon with skill, accuracy, and deadly intensity. She’s one serious vampire-hating huntress and it doesn’t pay to underestimate her… as the opposing foul-fanged gang soon finds out.

There are a few missteps in Blade: Trinity — most notably the inclusion of Natasha Lyonne, floundering as a needlessly blind character who, after her death, of course comes back as a hologram to impart some important words of wisdom. There are some cheap attempts at eliciting emotion for some of the peripheral characters, when all we really need is Blade and his band of bad-asses; people don’t go to these movies to see babies being rescued, or orphaned little girls in tears. The Dracula character is cool, but he’s underdeveloped (I mean, why include the illustrious character of Dracula if you’re not really going to use him? It’s like hiring Laurence Olivier to play a Pauly Shore role). And I really didn’t buy his Samurai meets Gladiator meets Brick Wall transformations; he was sort of like an undead Transformer toy. Finally, the iPod product placement is just a little too blatant.

Filmed with a spartan, apocalyptic feel and neo noir-inspired light and shadow, perhaps the most refreshing thing about Blade: Trinity’s sharp camera work is that you can actually see what’s going on and don’t feel like you need to take a tablet for motion sickness along with your cola and popcorn. In keeping with Blade’s heavy-metal tradition of ear-shattering goodness, the soundtrack is a rap-n-rock pulse-pounder that stays with you long after the final frame.

Blade: Trinity is a safe bet for anyone who’s a fan of the franchise, or someone who just likes action movies. There aren’t as many gothic-style horror elements as were in the second film, but it’s got enough blood and death to satisfy the vampire fans, too.

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson