Blade: Trinity (2004)

blade trinity poster 2004 movie wesley snipes jessica biel ryan reynolds
5.0 Overall Score
Story: 5/10
Acting: 5/10
Visuals: 5/10

More vampire action

Too many character, not enough fun, needs a better story

Movie Info

Movie Name:  Blade:  Trinity

Studio:  New Line Cinema

Genre(s):  Superhero/Action/Adventure

Release Date(s):  December 8, 2004

MPAA Rating:  R

blade trinity nightstalkers wesley snipes jessica biel ryan reynolds

So…Ryan, are you audition for Deadpool?

Blade (Wesley Snipes) and Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) find themselves the targets of the FBI after a frame-up by vampires led by Danica Talos (Parker Posey).  When Blade is rescued by Abigail (Jessica Biel) and Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds), he discovers a splinter cells called Nightstalkers have taken up his cause to hunt the vampires, and the vampires are planning for their “ultimate solution” to the human problems.  With time running out, the vampires have resurrected Dracula (Dominic Purcell), and Dracula could bring darkness to the land…if Blade and the Nightstalkers cannot stop him!

Directed and written by David S. Goyer, Blade:  Trinity is the third entry in the Marvel Comics superhero vampire horror action series.  Following Blade II in 2004, the film was released to negative reviews.

Blade II had my hyped for Blade:  Trinity.  I liked the Nightstalkers as comic characters and the bringing in of the ultimate “big-baddie” in Dracula showed potential…all of which fell flat.  Blade:  Trinity is a long, dull, and disappointing ending to the series.

blade trinity killer vampire pomeranian dog

Did we not learn anything from Ang Lee’s Hulk? Mutant dogs aren’t scary

The story is all over the place.  The movie starts with Blade the target of public assassination by the vampires which could have been the film, but then after being broken out of FBI headquarters, that storyline is virtually forgotten in the two hour film.  The movie leads to an inevitable big showdown with Dracula, but it feels too similar to Blade and Blade II to be original.  The final fight is too divided between the characters and has no spirit with Dracula going out rather like a chump.

Wesley Snipes tries to bring the Blade of Blade and Blade II back, but the script doesn’t lend himself to making a very big impression on the character.  Jessica Biel feels like she is just there as the “mourning” out-of-wedlock child of Whistler and Ryan Reynolds feels like he’s just audition for Deadpool by making Hannibal King snarky and sarcastic.  I love Parker Posey, but she’s horribly miscast and comes off as obnoxious.  Dominic Purcell isn’t the Dracula (or Drake) I wanted.  The movie has a rather strong supporting cast with wrestler Triple H, Patton Oswalt, James Remar, and Natasha Lyonne (playing a pretty bad blind woman).

blade trinity dracula transformation dominic purcell

Gee, Dracula…was it something you ate?

The story just doesn’t have as solid of visuals as the previous two entries.  While Blade’s special effects are dated, the ingenuity of the film is to be admired.  Blade II upped the special effects and smoothed them out for a great looking action-horror film…Blade:  Trinity feels like it is just there.  There are little visual surprises and the fights don’t look as good (and showing a Tomb of Dracula comic doesn’t feel clever as much as pandering).

Blade: Trinity is a movie that just drags.  It is dull, predictable, and lacks the fun of the previous two movies.  Blade is returning in the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper (and this film was followed by a twelve episode TV series in 2006 on SPIKE-TV), but Blade:  Trinity leaves a sour taste in my mouth because it could have been something fun and rounded out a great trilogy…instead you get “meh”.

Related Links:

Blade (1998)

Blade II (2002)

Author: JPRoscoe View all posts by
Follow me on Twitter/Instagram/Letterboxd @JPRoscoe76! Loves all things pop-culture especially if it has a bit of a counter-culture twist. Plays video games (basically from the start when a neighbor brought home an Atari 2600), comic loving (for almost 30 years), and a true critic of movies. Enjoys the art house but also isn't afraid to let in one or two popular movies at the same time.

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