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?
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest cinematic offering, The Happening, hit cinemas this weekend to be the 6th major film the writer/producer/director has released in the west. As with most of his past ventures, the film garnered no small amount of hype through teasing trailers and clever advertisement, this time hinting at some kind of mass suicide pandemic spreading throughout the eastern United States.
These trailers and inferred plot seemed to promise a return to the Shyamalan of old after the crushing disappointment of The Lady in the Water; being a die hard Shyamalan fan and having defended The Village against all nay-sayers, I had entered the cinema confident that my directorial idol would deliver despite the ominous amount of bad reviews. What resulted was a little like watching your hero fall apart on screen. The Lady in the Water was a strange experience, it felt like Shyamalan was making it up as he went along, flipping between genres (not in a good way) and weaving a story that only seemed to make sense to himself (incidentally, he claims it was inspired by a bedtime story he created for his children). The film was directing at its most self-indulgent, an auteur gone too far.
So what of The Happening? Faith in Shyamalan had been rocked and once again the reviews ranged from lukewarm to damning. I wanted to give it a chance though, in respect for the Shyamalan of old. Thankfully I was pleasantly surprised, but the flaws are still there in abundance. The Happening opens with an eerie montage of citizens committing suicide in various ways for no apparent reason. It’s a strong gambit, and from there the movie ebbs and flows in effectiveness.
The titular ‘happening’, though briefly assumed to be the work of terrorists, is attributed quite early on to be the work of nature itself, the trees and plants giving off some form of toxin that prompts victims to end their own lives via the closest means. We follow the attempts of Elliot and Alma Moore (Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel) to outrun the event, and with a menace that can only be manifested through visions of trees blowing in the wind, the actors had a lot to do. The critics are right to say Wahlberg was miscast here; he’s brilliant pounding desks and rolling off a Boston lilt to be oscar nominated in The Departed, but playing a softly-spoken teacher just isn’t his gig. A few of his deliveries garnered sniggers from the audience (‘oh no’) but he tried valiantly with a role that shouldn’t have been his. Deschanel brings an understated performance as his wife struggling with commitment issues, though one struggled at times to decide whether she was going for ethereal or spaced out.
Strangely for a Shyamalan flick, the characterisation is found wanting here. Usually content to move the narrative forward at a plodding pace to develop depth in his players, the director instead only offers us the aforementioned marital issues of the main two, which lacks development and feels more like a function than a reality.
So where does the movie shine? The death sequences vary from eerie to gruesome and are always effective. Visions of silhouetted bodies tumbling voicelessly from buildings and pleasant American suburbs festooned with self-hung bodies leave a lasting impression, and who knew that trying to outrun the wind itself could provide such a nerve-wracking set piece? Betty Buckley delivers a creepy cameo as the deranged Mrs Jones and John Leguizamo shines despite his short screen time.
However, there was a creepier, darker movie to be made here that could have propelled the experience further. Despite his subject matter, Shyamalan optioned for a script peppered with humour. Although a couple of these moments were genuine laughs, you can’t help thinking that had the director channelled his earlier, darker work and gone for a constant sombre mood, the movie would have worked a lot better. As it is, the severity and effect of the phenomenon is never really felt.
All said and done, I see this to be a step back in the right direction for Shyamalan. The film has flaws, no doubt, but sift through them and an involving and original idea can be found. Hopefully Shyamalan can rediscover his earlier skills; a keen eye for beautiful shots, characters we care for and can believe in, and moods befitting his subject matter. I’m happy to say my hope has been rekindled.
