Popcorn and Twizzlers

Bloodrayne has the potential to be a juicy, intriguing and visually stunning movie about vampire lore. Bloodrayne was originally a video game by Majesco that spawned into a big budget movie, featuring Kristanna Loken as Rayne(you might remember her as the sexy T-X in Terminator 3). Being a fan of the game and its premise, I was hopeful that the movie would be just as fun and exciting. Sadly, it falls short of the mark. This movie could have been all I hoped for had it been written intelligently
and had an interesting plot.


It takes place in eighteenth century Romania. Rayne is a dhampir -- half-human, half-vampire. She has weaknesses of vampires (such as an 'allergy' to water) and strength of humans (she can touch a cross). Her character is hell-bent on avenging her mother's rape by her father. Now, in addition to her 'blood rage' when she gets a taste of blood, this has the elements of being a terrific movie -- it's just not. The plot jumps around and is never consistent and you really don't care at all about the heroine or any one else in the film. The antagonist is a two-dimensional King of the Vampires named Kagan, i.e. her father, of course. Kagan wants an amulet, Rayne wants it because she doesn't want him to have it. Argh. It just seems like 18th century teenage rebellion.



Loken's other castmates include Sebastion, Vladimir, and Katarin of the Brimstone
society -- vampire hunters. Katarin is played by Michelle Rodriguez. Honestly, I like
Rodriguez, but it's absolutely hilarious to see her attempt to pull off an old English
accent. Again, Rodriguez doesn't try to expand her range. She yet again plays
'The Tough Girl', as we've seen in Girl Fight, Blue Crush, and more recently on LOST.
It's disappointing to say the least.

Sebastian, played by Matthew Davis, is of course, Rayne's love interest -- though you
don't realize it until they are having sex. There is no lead-up to this. No real
conversations between them, no longing looks, no CHEMISTRY whatsoever. You're
watching the movie, hoping it will get better and suddenly have a more interesting
plot, when all of a sudden, Rayne jumps Sebastion in the dungeons. It comes off as
very pornographic and not really relevant to the story, other than to FORCE the
viewers to believe they have some bond.

Everything plays out in a very formulaic way. The story falls dead pretty much as
soon as it starts. I AGAIN say that this could have very well been a great movie,
had a great writing team been put behind it. This was pure teenage boy gratification
and nothing more. The only high note for me was the appearance of Billy Zane (oddly
enough, as Michelle Rodriguez' father). I have no idea why he would take a small part
in this atrocious movie or attach his name to it in any way. I'm ashamed that I even
watched this piece of garbage all the way through to the end.

My advice: Play the video game. Don't watch the movie -- and I use that term
EXTREMELY loosely.