Blade: Trinity Has Bite Reviewed by Heather Turk, SoCal.com Movie/TV Editor

Although the Blade franchise may not pack as much punch as it once did, with a talented cast, some witty dialogue and enough action to make The Matrix seem dull, Blade: Trinity does what it can to help the Marvel franchise see the light of another day.

In Blade: Trinity, everyone’s favorite vampire hunter (after Buffy, that is) is back for another round, going against the king of all vampires, Dracula, in an attempt to keep those with a thirst for blood from taking over the world. Having recently been resurrected by a group of vampires (led by Parker Posey), Dracula is as strong as ever, and ready for his ultimate face off with Blade.

Unfortunately for our comic book hero, the hunter has become the hunted when the vampires frame him for killing one of their human pawns and distribute the video to local media outlets. Now condemned by the public as a murderer, Blade is forced to hunt in the shadows with a group of kids called The Nightstalkers after they break into the local jail and save Blade from his prison sentence. Led by Whistler’s daughter, Abigail (Jessica Biel), The Nightstalkers may be young, but with their state-of-the-art weaponry and Blade’s history, this group of unlikely heroes might just have what it takes to save the world.

While one would think that the future of the Blade franchise rests solely on Wesley Snipes' shoulders (after all, he is Blade), New Line wisely decided to give the series a makeover by bringing in both a new director (Blade trilogy screenwriter David S. Goyer) and a new set of heroes to the dying franchise. And although the beginning of the movie is a little rushed and choppy as far as art direction and character development goes, as both the director and the actors find their footing in the film, the movie truly becomes entertaining to watch.

Former sweaky-clean 7th Heaven hottie Jessica Biel makes the convincing transition from reverend’s daughter to kick-ass heroine, and is surprisingly believable as someone who knows how to shoot a gun. It doesn’t hurt that Biel looks hot in her midriff top, either, giving the stereotypical comic book audience yet another reason to shell out $10 for a movie ticket.

As great as Biel is though, her partner in crime, Ryan Reynolds, truly manages to steal the show each and every time he’s on screen. Blade: Trinity lets Reynolds’ comedic abilities shine in a way not seen since National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, giving audiences yet another glimpse to a talented actor who could be the next Jim Carrey if given the chance. His delivery of his lines and comedic timing parallels that of the former Ace Ventura, and truly breaths life into the Blade franchise. Between his one-liners and Biel’s action-packed fight sequences, audiences will have a hard time trying to catch their breath throughout the film.

Sadly, the only dull character amongst our heroes is Blade himself. Although Snipes has a few memorable one-liners and offers a dominating presence within the group, Snipes plays the part in such an emotionless, robotic way that viewers could care less if he lives or dies. After all, audiences have The Nightstalkers now, a group far more beautiful and witty than the tall, dark and quiet Blade. However, although Blade’s mysterious exterior may bore audiences at points during the film, it could also be his greatest asset should there be a Blade 4 in the future. The set up for the fourth film implies that Blade will have a greater role in the movie than he did in Trinity, but one can only hope that if he doesn’t, The Nightstalkers will still be in the picture to keep audiences awake.

As for the bad guys, Dominic Purcell, who plays Drake/Dracula, has a few memorable moments, though his human shape doesn’t quite live up to the Draculas of Hollywood’s past. Sure, Reynolds character addresses the many myths of Dracula -- including the popular donning of the cape -- but visually those myths are way cooler than just your normal looking rock-star type character. Goyer makes up for Drake’s normal, everyday guy look though with his alter ego Dracula, using some of the ugliest (and I mean that in a good way) special effects to hit the big screen in ages.

Unfortunately, it seems as though all of the time spent developing Drake/Dracula was spent on Dracula’s appearance and not the character himself, leaving audiences questioning the Prince of Darkness’ true power. Sure we see him feasting on innocent humans, but we’ve seen that with every vampire before. Goyer simply relies on audiences’ past knowledge of Dracula being the most powerful of all vampires rather than showing us why, leaving viewers questioning what exactly makes him so special, other than the fact he can walk in daylight.

As for Dracula’s team of misfits, they help Reynolds with the comedic elements of the film more than anything else, especially Parker Posey and Paul Michael Levesque, better known to millions as the WWE’s Triple H. Posey plays her typical wacky character (think Josie and the Pussycats) while Triple H plays a mixture of his past wrestling personas, from the muscular leader of Evolution to the former smart ass in D-Generation-X. Although casting the wrestler gives Trinity’s action sequences a bit more credibility, Triple H steals the spotlight with his one-liners more than he does with his body slams. One scene in particular will have WWE fans laughing hysterically, as if the fact Triple H’s character walks around with a pooch too girly for even Paris Hilton won’t have them in stitches already.

With a new director, a young, hip cast and enough one-liners to keep any non-action fans who may have been dragged along to the theater happy, Blade: Trinity easily joins the ranks of Spider-Man 2 and X2 as a comic book sequel more entertaining than its predecessor. And although the film does have its share of flaws (unlike the almost perfect Spider-Man 2), fans of the Blade franchise won’t be disappointed.

Blade: Trinity is now playing in theaters everywhere.