The Unseen Movie Review

Blade Trinity

When the first Blade hit our screens back in 1998, no one knew that it would mark the start of such a glut of great superhero movies as has appeared over the last few years. Blade’s effortless cinematic cool of swishing leather coats and fancy martial arts was pinched by The Matrix the following year, and kick-started Hollywood’s love affair with sci-fi superheroics which seems to continue unabated.

Coming out only a few months after Buffy the Vampire Slayer first started on TV, Blade’s central vampire-hunting premise seemed to tap nicely into the latest sci-fi fad, and the film was a huge success. Bond-style gadgets for killing the vamps, some nicely sinister sets, metaphysical undertones and Wesley Snipes’ central cool-yet-funny character, coupled with his impressive kung-fu skills, ensured that it would retain much affection from sci-fi fans. The sequel, released two years ago, took a darker, grittier turn, but maintained the franchise’s loyal fanbase while attracting some more critical respect thanks to the presence of cult Mexican director Guillermo del Toro at the helm.

In other words, this third film in the series has a lot to live up to; yet at the same time expectations are somewhat lower. Although sequels can sometimes improve on the original, by the third film in a series most franchises are starting to run out of steam. The fact that Wesley Snipes has been in no films of note since the last Blade movie, and that his career seems to have stalled over the last few years, adds to the worry. As does news that the director this time around is the relatively untested David S Goyer, a talented screenwriter who has scripted all three Blade films as well as the oft-underrated Dark City and the much-anticipated Batman Begins, but who has only directed one, distinctly average film before this.

So, has the film lived up to the previous two in the series, or has the law of diminishing returns kicked in? Well, original cast members Snipes and Kris Kristofferson keep their end of the bargain, maintaining their jokey pupil/sensei double-act with aplomb, and the plot – the vampires resurrecting the first, uber-vamp to aid their quest for world domination, while smearing Blade as a mass-murdering psychopath through the media – is a good one.

Goyer’s script is happily on a par with his previous ones in the series, offering some good touches of humour amidst well set-up action sequences. His directing style is a bit too much of the MTV jump-cuts and swirling cameras mould for some people’s tastes – reminiscent of the almost fit-inducing Daredevil, and can distract from the still-impressive fights. But as an exercise in stylistic reinvention – which is what the series has unobtrusively prided itself on – it just about works.

However, it is with the new cast members that the film really hits the mark. Indy film goddess Parker Posey, as evil chief vampire vixen Danica Talos, is a sultry and sensual foil to Snipes’ tight-lipped hero, while his new vamp-fighting buddies Jessica (The Rules of Attraction) Biel and Ryan (Van Wilder) Reynolds add a nice touch of the young, sexy and funny. It’s a winning combination.

Blade: Trinity may not be the best superhero movie ever made, but it’s nonetheless an enjoyable, occasionally exhilarating romp, and should easily satisfy fans of the previous two movies. Whether it will appeal to newcomers remains to be seen, but the plot is kept nicely accessible for anyone who missed the first two instalments. It looks like there’s afterlife in the old dog yet…

posted by Nosemonkey @ 12:00 AM