Bloodrayne: The Third Reich and Boll's Madness: A Movie Review

*a screener of this film was provided by Phase 4 Films.

Director: Uwe Boll.

Writer: Michael Nachoff.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich is the second sequel to a video game adaption franchise. This title is directed by the notorious Uwe Boll (Rampage), who is no stranger to the straight-to-video film market. This latest film follows Bloodrayne (2005) and Bloodrayne II: Deliverance (2007). And you might be upset to find out that Boll intends to make a fourth film in this series, based on the final scene of this latest flick *groan*.

There is an interesting element in Boll's filmmaking strategies, as another film, titled Blubberella, was filmed almost simultaneously as Bloodrayne: The Third Reich. Both films use the same characters, same actors, same sets and even the same plotline. Only the genre changes from thriller to comedy. That curious tidbit aside, Bloodrayne: The Third Reich turns out to be an average thriller, with sprinkles of drab thrown in to suppress your excitement.

Not having seen the previous films, it is easy to get caught up to speed. Rayne is a vampire who can walk in the light. She is a vampire for the forces of good, who likes to fillet SS officers while donning low cut outfits. Played by Natasia Malthe, this is a sexy vampire with bite, but not much else. In fact, there really is not much substance here. Lines fall flat, the actors do not feel the story and mysteriously, busy cities lie uninhabited by extras. There are pacing issues and the film seems to meander here and there, as Commandant Ekart (Michael Pare) tries to mobilize a vampire army to face the Allies. Then, there is another story line involving immortality and helping Hitler to live forever - yada, yada, yada. Enter scenes of nudity.

There is a lot of action here and some scenes of gore a la rock head smash. Blood files and these scenes seem to distract from the forward movement of the film. Earlier, Rayne gets some backup from resistance fighters and at this point the bullets really begin to fly; but why is Rayne fighting for the powers of light rather than evil? She is a vampire after all. Also, why is actor Michael Pare so subdued as the villain? Enter in some more action scenes to shock the viewer awake.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich is not a film for the video game crowd e.g. teenagers and the film is not for adults either. There is a lot of soft core scenes in this film, from trysts in brothels to shags in the back of prisoner vans - Boll shows it all. So, this is not a film for young adolescents. But when Rayne is shouting feminist dialogue such as: "I may not be able to help the millions of brutalized women, but I can stop you!" the messages become mixed and corny. So, this is not a film for adults. Perplexing at its core, Bloodrayne: The Third Reich does not really have an audience, unless drab vampire Nazi thrillers are your thing.

Rayne never gets to face Hitler; yet, there are plenty of German soldiers seen here, getting mowed down. In the end, Bloodrayne: The Third Reich does not provide much in the way of substance. Instead, this is a pretty average ride through a World War II semi-thriller. The best scenes come when Malthe is donning her swords and her body, while Boll uses too much filler in this relatively short film (75 minutes). Why is there a five minute love scene between Rayne and the masseuse even in here? This is pure self-indulgence on the part of the director.

Here, Boll continues his downward slide, which was partially slowed with the excellent Rampage (2009). This reviewer would recommend watching Blubberella when it comes out; this is the same movie reviewed here, but perhaps funnier.

*I have not seen Blubberella, but you are best to take a chance on this film rather than Bloodrayne: The Third Reich.

Story/plot points/subplots: 5.5 (there is a story of immortality and Hitler, but the film never gets there).
Acting/believability: 6 (Michael Pare was sub-par, Brendan Fletcher and Clint Howard were okay, Malthe was pretty dismal in some scenes - her voice does not project power).

Overall: 5.75 (this is a pretty boring film, despite the mentioned action sequences).

Another review of this film at Fearnet (Scott Weinberg):

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Reviewed at Fearnet

A third review of Bloodrayne: The Third Reich at DVD Verdict (Judge David Johnson):

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Reviewed at DVD Verdict

For fun, have a look at the trailer for Blubberella and Bloodrayne: The Third Reich here and spot the similarities:

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich and Blubberella Trailers at I Watch Stuff

A much better film from Boll:



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Posted in: 2011,brendan fletcher,michael pare,movie review,phase 4 films,uwe boll,world war ii