BloodRayne Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 01.11.2006
I was a virgin to Uwe Boll films….until now.
Kristanna Loken: Rayne
Michelle Rodriguez: Katarin
Ben Kingsley: Kagan
Michael Madsen: Vladimir
Matthew Davis: Sebastian
Billy Zane: Elrich
Will Sanderson: Domastir
Udo Stier: Regal Monk
Meat Loaf: Leonid
Directed by Uwe Boll
Release Date: January 6, 2006
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rated R for strong bloody violence, sexuality and nudity.
Reviewed by Chad Webb
German born filmmaker Uwe Boll has acquired a strong reputation in the past couple years. His fascination with video game adaptations has caused fans and critics to dissect his work to death. If one visits the International Movie Database website (imdb.com), they will observe that three of his films have found their way into the bottom 100 worst movies of all time. BloodRayne is already on that list, and Boll has no signs of stopping his video game adaptations with three more set to be released in upcoming years. After constantly hearing about his supposed horrible films, I had to see what all the fuss was about for myself. It is difficult on occasion for a critic to walk into the theater with an open mind, and I expected to see the worst movie ever with Boll‘s current release. On the contrary, BloodRayne is the equivalent of a B-movie in every sense of the word. It is not a good film by any stretch of the imagination, but it does not deserve all the scrutiny it has received.
The year is 1750, and in Transylvania the dhampir (half-human/half-vampire) Rayne is the prisoner of a Carnival. Rayne is bloodthirsty for vampires, and not humans usually. The sole matter weighing on her mind is her quest for revenge on her father Kagan, who is the Vampire King that raped and killed her mother, while Rayne sat and watched it all happen as a child. At the same time, Kagan and Rayne are both searching for three items that when united together will give whoever possesses them great powers. Along the way Rayne is approached by Sebastian, Vladimir, and Katarin who are vampire hunters that request Rayne's assistance in the battle against Kagan. Rayne then trains in the Brimstone village with the vampire hunters. However, her desire is to continue as a loner, but her newfound friends follow her anyway as she makes her way to Kagan's castle. Rayne's challenge is to avenge her mother's death and collect each oracle before Kagan retrieves them and becomes an invincible vampire.
BloodRayne is without a doubt, one movie that can picked apart to no end. The performances are by far the worst parts of the film. It is actually kind of humorous to see such an all-star cast act so silly in their roles. Sir Ben Kingsley is supposed to portray the evil Kagan, but his sidekick Domastir does most of the dirty work. Kagan is not really wicked or evil to anyone else except Rayne, and her mother of course. He seems to be a weary old man who never leaves his thrown until the finale. Michael Madsen, Billy Zane, and Michelle Rodriguez all display no emotion, but the recital of their lines is hilarious because it's as if they are reading directly from cards or a monitor.
In all seriousness, Kristanna Loken is relatively venerable as Rayne. The character fits her rather well, and she is sexy in her outfit. One scene that will suit all the gentlemen in the audience occurs during a sex scene between Sebastian and Rayne, which is delivered like soft porn on Cinemax.
Director Uwe Boll likes transforming video games to film because he feels they have great characters, settings, and storylines. Regardless of any predisposed opinions of Boll's work, BloodRayne does have a plot. It is extremely predictable, but surprisingly it is never boring. Screenwriter Guinevere Turner has created an incredibly choppy script to combine with Boll's mundane direction. When questioned about all of his harsh critics, he stated that in 2006 the public will change their views about him because he has installed a hidden message in BloodRayne to hypnotize the audience. At least he has a sense of humor. BloodRayne offers no terrible CGI sequences or over the top action, but it offers sword battles and moments of adventure that are astonishingly believable. That does not mean they are terrific.
Many portions of the film do not make much sense, but the viewers' reactions should be chuckles more than disgust. For instance, in the beginning when Rayne is escaping the Carnival, she goes crazy and kills everyone in sight including her best friend by accident. What makes it unnecessary is the fact that everything aforementioned was told via flashback for no particular reason. The flashbacks are not utilized again in the film thank goodness. Another scene incorporates Meat Loaf, whose character is beyond goofy. This was the only segment of the film in which I could not wait for it to end. Meat Loaf's outrageous and annoying mannerisms mixed with that shrill voice will cause moviegoers to cringe.
Strangely enough, the whole film exhibits itself as an actual video game coming alive on screen. At one point Rayne is informed about the oracles by a psychic. One can visualize this scene as the beginning of a level in which a screen appears that presents instructions for the gamer. When Rayne travels to a monastery to recover the first item, she clashes with an ugly looking monster much like a difficult boss at the end of a level. Furthermore, she encounters obstacle challenges that she must pass to claim the crucial items. One could probably make observations like this with many video game films, but in BloodRayne it actually inveigles any attraction towards the movie.
All is not lost after studying this film, because certain members of the crew stepped up to the plate in their respective roles. The score by Henning Lohner amplified the impressions of the climactic moments with dabs of suspense. Uwe Boll is aware of his limitations on this project, and that is apparent as specific scenes unfold with battle sequences that are not exaggerated. The world has paid admission for countless video game movies in hopes that the perfect example will be made, but those adaptations remain an regrettable pathway for filmmakers. Selected games seem to be highly anticipated films such as how Doom or the Mortal Kombat series were, but perhaps the future release of Halo will be the difference maker in this genre. BloodRayne, like all B-movies, should not be taken seriously. It is an inferior film, but the comically bad performances blending with the entertainingly obvious plot provides an experience that could have been much worse.
The 411: Maybe Uwe Boll’s two previous films were as bad everyone says, but this film has been greatly embellished as being one of the worst films ever. The only trailer for this film was for another Uwe Boll movie being released in two parts later this year entitled In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. A four hour Uwe Boll film might be a stretch for me. Anyway, BloodRayne is definitely not worth going to see in the theater, but it could be worth renting if you want something to laugh at.
