Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is an extremely violent action movie, which often veers into carnage usually reserved for the horror genre. Characters are shot, sliced, dismembered, burnt, tortured, and bled. There is a scene where a blind woman is hunted down and killed within ear-shot of her daughter. There are scenes of kidnapped humans in drug-induced comas being bled to feed the vampires. Frequent profanity is played for humor in this movie and sexual references are extremely explicit, including incest and sex toys.
Families who see this movie could talk about the concept of honor that Drake discusses with Blade, about which character -- if any -- acts in an honorable way, and whether the concept here is used as justification for acting monstrously. Nietzche's much-used warning to "battle not with monsters, lest you become one" is the leitmotif of Blade's existence. What separates Blade from the vampires? Why does the audience revel in someone who seeks to solve all his problems with violence?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Nell Minow
Let's not pretend that "Trinity", the third chapter in the ongoing tale of a human-vampire hybrid out to kill all vampires, is a good movie and instead say it is a solid "Blade" movie -- meaning, if you are not already a fan, don't bother.
Wesley Snipes still plays the title character, a tattooed human whose mother was bitten by a vampire as she was giving birth, imbuing him with his unusual abilities, such as his super-strength, pointy teeth and knack for walking away from fights without a scratch, and his invincibility to the typical bloodsucker's no-no's like sunbathing, silver, and garlic. True to his original 1973 comic book origination story, Blade is a powerful vampire-hunter and one of the first black heroes in the genre.
This time around, writer-director David S. Goyer (who wrote all three in the Blade saga and directed the forgettable ZigZag before trying his hand at directing here) drags out the uber-vampire, Dracula, for Blade to fight and perks up the movie with a couple of eye-candy, joke-cracking sidekicks. The plot is there solely to accessorize the big fight: Blade is framed by the vampires; Blade's sidekick, Whistler, is killed; the vampires dig up (literally) Dracula; things look bleak; new allies appear; a long-shot plan is hatched; and --voila -- we get our big fight.
Snipes no longer plays Blade for humor, as he did in the first Blade. Indeed, the role has lost character, humor, and emotions over the length of the trilogy. Whether busy trying to grimace through his prosthetic teeth or exploding doors with his kicks, Blade exhibits the whole range of moods from grumpy to grumpier. With his perpetual mock-turtleneck and leather overcoat, Blade now relies upon his sidekicks to provide the sexy physiques as well as the one-liners.
With the loss of Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), the dry, rough banter of old is replaced by the snarky, self-effacing irony of Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds, of Van Wilder and TV's "Two Guys and a Girl" fame), providing most of the movie's laughs. For the vampires, it is indie-movie queen, Parker Posey, who adds humor by unleashing her inner bad-girl with unapologetic, over-the-top glee as Danica Talos, the brains behind Dracula's return.
Good old Dracula aka Drake (Dominic Purcell) is no longer an effete aristocrat, but is re-imagined as a bare-chested heart-throb out of Ancient Sumeria, who, like Blade, is invincible to the usual vampire weaknesses. Purcell is, however, entirely vulnerable to the difficulties of acting in a script that calls for non-stop action, one which renders "talking" scenes sluggish and necessary only as a bridge to the next fight scene. Like the attractive but forgettable Jessica Biel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, TV's "7th Heaven") as Abigail Whistler, Purcell's acting has the sensitivity of a lead-pipe and makes one grateful for Snipes' two-dimensional Blade.
The fight scenes are plentiful, the characters familiar, and the end predictable. For Blade fans, TRINITY will be decent popcorn fare and provide fodder for comic-book store discussions about which movie had the best fight scenes and whether WWE's Triple H will have a future career playing numb-skull heavies (since he does a yeoman's job in this one). For those not already bitten by the Blade bug, there is nothing here that can withstand the light of day.
Parents need to know that this is an extremely violent action movie, which often veers into carnage usually reserved for the horror genre. Characters are shot, sliced, dismembered, burnt, tortured, and bled. There is a scene where a blind woman is hunted down and killed within ear-shot of her daughter. There are scenes of kidnapped humans in drug-induced comas being bled to feed the vampires. Frequent profanity is played for humor in this movie and sexual references are extremely explicit, including incest and sex toys.
Families who see this movie could talk about the concept of honor that Drake discusses with Blade, about which character -if any-acts in an honorable way, and whether the concept here is used as justification for acting monstrously. Nietzche's much-used warning to "battle not with monsters, lest you become one" is the leitmotif of Blade's existence. What separates Blade from the vampires? Why does the audience revel in someone who seeks to solve all his problems with violence?
Families who enjoyed this movie might enjoy the original Blade and Blade 2, as well as John Carpenter's Vampires, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, (the movie, not the TV series), and the Japanese anime Blood: the Last Vampire.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentExplicit sexual references including references to incest and sex toys. |
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ViolenceExplicit and graphic peril and violence, child in peril. |
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LanguageFrequent profanity, strong and explicit language. |
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Social BehaviorStrong black hero, strong female and disabled characters. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoPeople are drugged. |
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