Film Review: BloodRayne (2005)

Another video game adaptation from the infamous director Uwe Boll who has in the past made less than stellar films with House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark. You'd think that a script by acclaimed screenwriter Guinevere (American Psycho) Turner would mean good things but even her "genius" can't overcome the trappings of a stale video game source material and a B-movie, low budget aesthetic.

BloodRayne follows Rayne (Kristanna Loken), a Dhampir or half-human half-vampire hybrid, which after breaking free of her chains at a carnival freak show goes on a quest in search of her father Kagan (Ben Kingsley). She is a person haunted by memories of the past that longs for closure of which only confronting her father will do. On this journey Rayne will eradicate all other vampires that get in her way. Eventually, her reign of terror arises the attention of Vladimir (Michael Madsen) and his vampire hunters (Matthew Davis & Michelle Rodriguez) who decide to join her on her journey after they realize that she is not a threat to them. Now as a team they set out to rid the world of Kagan's evil once and for all.

That's generally what the film is about but there are also many sub plots involving treason, destiny, prophesy, and various other plot threads that weave in and out of the story some successfully and others not so much.

Although I've not read the original Turner screenplay its obvious that this film is nothing more than an entertainment exorcise by Boll who wants nothing more than to allow audiences to go from one action sequence to the next. I do have to admit that unlike his previous two films BloodRayne has a stronger cast with lead Loken who holds together even the most mundane of elements in the film. Another strong indication that Boll is becoming a better director is the production design and sheer scope of the film itself which is magnified ten-fold from his previous films. BloodRayne may not be Resident Evil but it's no House of the Dead either.