Blade: Trinity

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Dominic Purcell, Jessica Biel, Ryan Reynolds, Parker Posey, Patton Oswalt, Triple H
Directed by: David S. Goyer
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Blade (Wesley Snipes) teams with a group of vampire hunters called the Nightstalkers to bring down the most deadly foe yet- the original vampire, Dracula.

Review:

Tim: Blade: Trinity marks yet another step down for this franchise. While there are some interesting ideas here, the movie is ultimately too much of a mess. We are adding new characters, having Blade face off against a bit of a silly foe, neglecting Blade too much, and other issues that ultimately sink this film. While it's not horrendous, this is clearly the worst film in the trilogy.

The new characters piece is interesting. On the one hand, the new characters breath some fresh air into franchise. On the other, I'm not sure how much they add. I was surprised how much of the film focused on Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds. Their characters have a lot of screen time, which takes away from the time we see Wesley Snipes. I thought Biel was fine. She isn't a great actress, but she looks the part and delivered the lines decently enough. Reynolds is terrific in this type of role, and he shined. He has the film's funniest lines, and he delivers them with perfect comedic timing. I actually thought Reynolds was too good for the film- he steals every scene he's in, and actually overshadows Snipes. Supporting characters are important, but they need to be supporting. Reynolds was too strong for his own good.

I was surprised how little Snipes had to say and do in this film. It might just be in comparison to the first two films, but I didn't feel like this was a Blade movie at all. It felt like Snipes was a supporting character, too. When Blade was on screen, I felt pretty bored by him. We have Reynolds cracking jokes charismatically, Biel shooting arrows left and right, Dominic Purcell going way over-the-top with his villainous portrayal, and we have Wesley Snipes, doing the same old boring thing he did for the last two films. Watching the movie, it felt like everything around Snipes had changed, and no one thought to tell him. The movie is hurt because the main character comes across almost as an afterthought.

I have to admit I had a hard time buying "Dracula" as the main antagonist. Dracula can definitely be scary, but he's become almost cartoonish in recent years. Hearing the word "vampire" makes me shiver. Hearing "Dracula" makes me think of a cartoon. I had a hard time taking Purcell seriously, especially since he was so intent on overacting. I just didn't love his character or that aspect of the story.

The other supporting players don't add much. Kris Kristofferson has the least impact in any Blade film yet. It felt like he shouldn't even have been a part of this. Parker Posey was hard to take seriously. Patton Oswalt was fine. Triple H was awful. I love that the studio insisted he have more lines. His acting was oftentimes atrocious, so it makes sense that they wanted to highlight that more.

When I think about this movie, what stands out to me are the new characters. I have a hard time remembering exactly what the story was about, or why I should even care. All three Blade films unroll the same way, so at this point, I knew pretty much exactly what I was in for. This movie follows the same formula as the first two, which is getting a bit tiring at this point.

Blade: Trinity is an okay movie, especially if you only wanted this film to give you more of the same. I wanted a powerful, memorable story- something to make this trilogy end with a bang. Unfortunately, we got a weak, messy film that ends the trilogy on a low point. There's not much to love here.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Blade, Blade II, Vampires, X-Men