Film Review: Blade: Trinity (2004)
The Blade series, a film adaptation of the popular Marvel Comics vampire hunter, has followed the common trend of film franchises with its third instalment, Blade: Trinity, released in 2004. Written and directed by David S. Goyer, the film marked the beginning of the end for the series on the big screen, effectively sidelining the iconic character for over two decades.
Wesley Snipes reprises his role as Eric Brooks, a half-human, half-vampire hybrid who utilises his vampire superhuman abilities while remaining unencumbered by their weaknesses to eliminate the vampire menace. The plot revolves around the group of vampires led by Danica Telos (played by Parker Posey), who awaken the legendary first vampire, Dracula, also known as Drake (played by Dominic Purcell), from an ancient temple in Syria. Concurrently, Blade finds himself framed for the murder of a human mistaken for a vampire and is arrested by the FBI in a raid that claims the life of his beloved mentor, Abraham Whistler (played by Kris Kristofferson). Blade is subsequently rescued by the Nightstalkers, a group of vampire hunters comprising the wisecracking Hannibal King (played by Ryan Reynolds) and Whistler's estranged daughter, Abigail (played by Jessica Biel).
Failure of Blade: Trinity can be attributed to several factors, with the most evident being the choice of David S. Goyer as director. While Goyer is an accomplished screenwriter responsible for the first two instalments of the series who will later be given prestigious job of writing superhero films of DC Extended Universe series, his directorial skills leave much to be desired. He relies excessively on rapid cuts and CGI effects, failing to compensate for the script's flaws that a more experienced filmmaker could have handled differently.
Goyer's attempt to differentiate the third film from its predecessors results in poor execution. Introducing the Nightstalkers, characters from the 1970s comic books, could have provided an opportunity for a spin-off series, but instead, it complicates the plot and slows down the pace. The audience is subjected to excessive exposition necessary for the origin story and unconvincing “retconning”, such as Abigail's revelation as Whistler's long-lost daughter.
The character of Hannibal King, designed to serve as comic relief, comes across as incredibly annoying due to the subpar dialogue. Ryan Reynolds, however, manages to make the most of this limited role, which would later inspire him to star in superhero films and give foundations to his iconic character of Deadpool.
Jessica Biel is relegated to little more than eye candy, with the most memorable scene featuring her character under the shower, seemingly included as fan service for male fans.
The film's biggest failing, however, is its villain. The character of Drake/Dracula, the most iconic vampire in the role, is all but absent from the film, with Australian actor Dominic Purcell unable to make much of an impact. The boss fight near the end feels forgettable.
Even Wesley Snipes appears disinterested in his role, which he seemingly took only to prevent someone else from playing his iconic character. Rumours of his questionable conduct on set, in retrospect, may explain the significant drop in quality between the first two films and the studio’s eventual decision to end the series, despite decent box office numbers.
While watchable and with moments that has shown some potential, Blade: Trinity failed to live up to the standards set by its predecessors and its low status among the fans of original comic books and Wesley Snipes is quite understandable.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com
Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/
InLeo blog https://inleo.io/@drax.leo
Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax
Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax
1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e
BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG
ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
BCH donations: qpvxw0jax79lhmvlgcldkzpqanf03r9cjv8y6gtmk9
Posted Using InLeo Alpha