By Chris Estrada
David Goyer has taken over the machine that is the Blade movie franchise and he’s leaving his own mark on it.
For “Blade: Trinity,” the third film of the series, he’s put himself in the director’s chair along with the screenwriting duties he’s had since the trilogy began in 1998. Not only that, he’s pitted the celluloid vampire hunter, played by Wesley Snipes, against the ultimate vampire.
Instead of strengthening the enhanced villains from the second film, Goyer decided to create the baddest one of them all.
“It was the third time around, and we weren’t going to do ‘super-super’ vampires to build off of Blade II,” Goyer explains. “From the beginning, it was going to be a new tale.”
Goyer also got the record straight about Blade’s latest villain and who he really is: “He’s not really Dracula like everyone else has said. In the movie, even Blade thinks he’s not him. Our guy is dated older than the Dracula created in Bram Stoker’s.”
In the third film, Blade must align himself with the Nightstalkers, a group of human vampire-hunters developing a virus that can destroy any vampire.
Leading the group are the acidic Hannibal King (Ryan Reynolds) and Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel), daughter of Blade’s mentor of the same surname.
On the other side are the vampires who have awoken the ultimate vampire, now known as Drake (Dominic Purcell). Drake’s greatest power is the ability to exist in daylight, and the vampires, led by Danica Talos (Parker Posey), want that ability in their quest to rid the world of humanity. Aiding her is an army of henchmen, led by the menacing Grimwood (WWE star Triple H WHATS HIS REAL NAME).
While some may object to seeing such actors as Reynolds and Posey, who have made their careers on non-action roles turn up in the bloody mayhem, Goyer insisted there was a method to his madness for casting them.
“The fact that we’re getting a lot of buzz for this film is because of these different actors and actresses,” Goyer said.
During the test screenings, opinions were mixed: on one hand, many believed that Posey, know for her role in Christopher Guest’s films “A Mighty Wind,” “Best in Show” and “Waiting for Goffman” did well in her role. On the other hand, some thought that Reynolds’ style of humor was being overused.
Being able to cast the roles was just one of Goyer’s many perks in being the director for the third Blade film, and he found himself enjoying being involved in so many aspects of the film.
“I figured that if I can make scripts, then I can at least be a mediocre director,” Goyer said with a laugh. “I’m excited to be directing. It feels like I’m back at the beginning of the learning curve when I was a screenwriter on Blade.”
Goyer also provided input on the soundtrack to “Trinity” and enlisted the aid of Wu-Tang Clan member The RZA to create music for the film. He also said that he found it easier to get the hang of special effects this time around; rather than expanding upon effects unleashed in “Blade II,” he decided to refine them.
One of the effects had the past Blade directors drooling: the vampires turning to ashes when they are killed.
“The ashes are so complex now for the third film,” Goyer said. “The remains are still glowing-the “Blade I” director Stephen Norrington saw it and went, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?'”
With “Trinity” set to make its run at the box office and increase the franchise’s overall global take of almost $300 million, Goyer said he saw his latest creation as a dream realized and perhaps, a final chapter to the saga he’s toiled over for six years.
“It’s both fun and work,” Goyer said. “Being a kid growing up, I always liked horror films and comics and vampires, so to work on something like this is great.”
Goyer admitted that he did not have plans in the works for a fourth Blade film, not a surprise since he said he never had a plan to make “Blade II.” However, he said there may be another chapter in the saga.
“We set this up to pass the torch and have some closure in case it is the last one,” he said. “Blade is now the mentor teaching the students. Not only that, Wesley is getting older now. Sooner or later, we’re gonna have to end it, but you never know.”
While the fate of the franchise remains to be seen, fans of the series will have much to like about “Trinity.”
The film is pumped full of action and special effects, making for a rocking time. Not only that, the new additions, such as Biel and Reynolds, work out well enough.
The movie’s attempt to bring more comedy into the Blade universe is more misses than hits, thanks to Reynolds spewing some outrageously foul-mouthed dialogue during several scenes. It ruins whatever suspense those scenes had, and puts a serious dent into the dark, mysterious world that is “Blade.”
The film is a slick spectacle with better-than-expected characters and visual eye candy that borders on the breathtaking. While this movie has some problems, you won’t hear fans or New Line Cinema executives complaining. Look for it to take on “Ocean’s 12” for the top slot on the box office charts this weekend.
