Jeez, Ben Kingsley and Michael Madsen must have really
needed the money. I’d heard much about this trainwreck of a movie and wanted to
put myself through it in the hope of finding some brainless entertainment.
Actually, the film is indeed entertaining in a Xena/Hercules ‘ignore-the-fact-they’re-all-speaking-with-modern-American-accents’
way. The plot? Something about vampires. Does it matter? The only reason people
wanted to see this film was to see the action scenes. Based on the popular
video game of the same name, ‘Bloodrayne’ stars former Terminatrix Kristanna
Loken as the titular human/vampire hybrid, Rayne. She handles the part well,
and actually gives the character some depth beyond just kicking people’s asses
and ripping out throats.
Checking out the DVD, I was expecting the worst, and while this can definitely be classified as a Very Bad Film, it must also be said that it does entertain. Not always for the right reasons, but it entertains nonetheless. The budget has evidently been stretched a bit on the cast alone, which also includes Michelle Rodriguez in the absolute standout performance of the film- she’s the most convincing out of everyone onscreen.
Director Uwe Boll, a name synonymous with cheap action flicks like this, isn’t dreadful, but it doesn’t really end up looking like a film. The extras, the sets and the cinematography tend to give the film the look of a TV movie, or a couple of episodes of Mortal Kombat: Conquest stapled together. The script could be so, so much better, but it is made worse by most pf the cast performing on autopilot. Thankfully, Rodriguez and Loken both seem to be getting into their parts and having some fun with them. The battle sequences may be cheesy in the extreme, but they are most certainly fun.
Having never played the games I can’t comment on how close the film resembles them, but does it really matter? This is a brainless piece of beer-and-snacks entertainment that knows exactly how to please its target audience via eyecandy with swords. Granted, it bombed big time when it came out, but it seems to have found something of a cult following on DVD, if only for Michael Madsen’s comedy mullet wig that really does captivate the viewer.
Proof that the film had to be SORT OF successful comes with its inevitable sequel (Bloodrayne II: Deliverance), featuring a different lead actress as Rayne and a much smaller scale story, this time set in the Wild West (along with a vampiric Billy The Kid!). The sequel was made ages ago and has sat on the shelf for a good year before getting a straight-to-DVD release. I hope that one is just as dumb and just as fun. Bloodrayne is a spectacular misfire that, if you turn your IQ down a bit for its duration, is a great way so spend an evening. Pizza anyone?
5.5/10
