Blade: Trinity

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Blade: Trinity Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 18+

For series fans only. Definitely NOT for kids!

R 2004 106 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 11 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 9 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

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's a scene in which 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.

Community Reviews

Vikram K.
Vikram K. Adult
October 23, 2021
age 18+

The End of a Trilogy

Like with most trilogies, the third movie is the weakest and this is no exception. It's a fun and entertaining, but it doesn't live up to the first one. But Ryan Reynolds was great and the rest cast were good too.
fahimforid
fahimforid Adult
December 18, 2020
age 18+

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 11 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In the third chapter in the ongoing tale of a human-vampire hybrid out to kill all vampires, Blade (Wesley Snipes) is framed by the vampires and their newly resurrected leader, Drake (Dominic Purcell). An FBI agent (James Remar) is now out to catch Blade, so the hybrid hero and his partner, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), find new allies in the Nightstalkers, a group of humans dedicated to ridding the world of the bloodsucking undead.

Is It Any Good?

TRINITY is not a good movie, instead it is a solid "Blade" movie -- meaning, if you are not already a fan, don't bother. 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. With the loss of Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), the dry, rough banter of old is replaced by the snarky, self-effacing irony of Hannibal (Ryan Reynolds).

For the vampires, Parker Posey adds humor by unleashing her inner bad-girl with unapologetic, over-the-top glee as 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. Purcell struggles in a script that calls for non-stop action, where "talking" scenes are sluggish and necessary only as a bridge to the next fight scene. Like the attractive but forgettable Jessica Biel 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 is decent popcorn fare. For non-fans, there is nothing here that can withstand the light of day.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can 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?

Movie Details

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