It's been debated, but I strongly believe we wouldn't have the great Marvel films we have today without Blade. The first successful Marvel character brought to the big screen, and I still hold Blade II as one of the best comic book movies of all time; not just a film based on a comic book, but a movie that beautifully translated the storytelling sensibilities of a comic to film, and does so without all the pretentious paneling(yeah, I'm talkin' about the Hulk!). And with the character beginning in the Tomb of Dracula comics(which is actually reference in the film), it was only a matter of time before movie Blade found himself going head to head with the Big D himself.

Beginning in an ancient temple in Iraq, A group of vampires, led by Danica Talos(Posey), unearth the being most commonly known as Dracula, now going by Drake. Being the first of his kind, Drake is especially formidable, since, unlike other vampires, Drake is immune to silver, garlic, and sunlight. Like Blade, he's a Daywalker. Meanwhile, Blade is still doing his thing. So wrapped in his duty of killing vampires, that he kills a familiar(a vampire servant) pretending to be a vampire, which is caught on tape by Talos and leaked to the media. Now, Blade's not only an enemy to vampires, but to the humans he's fought most his life to protect. When finally captured, it's up to a new team of vampire hunters, known as the Nightstalkers, to spring him loose, and stop Drake.

First the bad news: The story might as well not exist. Its sole purpose is to move the characters from one scene of asskicking to the next. The first two films had straightforward, cohesive stories, but Goyer seems to have run fresh out of ideas, and there never seems to be a steady flow to the story of Trinity. Neither the vampire nation's plans, nor the Nightstalkers plan for stopping them seem terribly intriguing. And unlike the first two films, there just doesn't seem to be much of a dramatic arc for any of the characters. I remember watching Blade II and eventually feeling sorry for Nomak, and furthermore Blade, for having to lose someone he could clearly see himself opening up to, emotionally and romantically. That being said, there is one moment where Blade is faced with a loss and can't see any reason to defend himself when cornered by federal agents. Even behind trendy shades, there's a clear sadness in Blade when this scene unfolds. Also missing, from a technical stadpoint, anyway, is the use of color which was very instrumental in the first two films, as both had distinct color pallates. Trinity, which takes place a lot during the daytime, has a look of grit to it, but there's no use of color the way Norrington did with Blade or Del Toro with Blade II. And whereas the music, both score and actual songs, complimented the action in the two previous films, it's more often than not distracting and out of place in most of the scenes in Trinity. RZA's participation in the score of the film also proves much ado about nothing.

Now on with the good: There's still plenty of breakneck, blood and guts action to keep you satisfied as you watch the film. While somewhat cliched, with moments of action paused for music cues and opening title graphics, the beginning of the film is loaded with inventive kill-shots and pyrotechnics. The effects are all top notch for the most part, and the vampire disintegrations are still the best of any film I've ever seen. Blade's sporting some new toys, and we get to see his suped-up Charger muscle car in an elaborate action sequence. Once things slow down, there's a nice heart to heart between Whistler and Blade, a final moment to establish the father/son dynamic of their relationship. . . .before Whistler bites it for good. The film continues with more action and brutal fights, especially with the inclusion of wrestler Triple H, as Grimwood, who goes toe to toe with Reynolds' Hannibal King, and gives him a run for his money.

Character-wise, Blade is still pretty much Blade, as Snipes is so immersed in the character, it's hard to see him as anyone else. He actually manages to be more vulgar in Trinity than the other two films combined, but most of it makes for some rather funny moments in the film. Speaking of funny, Reynolds as Hannibal King is flat-out hilarious and I'm torn as to whether I can accept so much humor given the preceding films. Reynolds gives King life with an endless string of one-liners and clever quips, especially when he's opposite Posey as Danica Talos. And while I was unsure of her ability to play such a vicious character, her performance eventually grew on me as the film went on, evolving from a snot-nosed, whiny bitch, to a snot-nosed evil bitch. Posey's ability to play such shallow, mean-spirited characters really aids in making Talos an interesting, if not always threatening character. Along with Reynolds, Jessica Biel deserves much respect for transforming herself to play Abigail, Whistler's daughter. Her fight scenes are some of the most impressive, kicking butt with the boys with no real problem. As for Drake himself, Purcell is definitely physically imposing enough to be a threat to Blade, and there are some interesting moments between him and Blade, as they question each other's motives. Otherwise, he's just . . .there.

If anything, Blade Trinity has a lot of potential, story-wise, that's never fully realized. For all of the building up of the story point of human authorities pursuing Blade, this element of the film is pretty much tossed aside once Blade his rescued, and brought back in at the most needless point in the film, the VERY END! Still the Blade films have always been action films, first and foremost, and in that respect, Blade Trinity definitely delivers. Acknowledging the subject matter, the franchise has never pulled punches, or submitted to studio execs trying to cut just enough of the film to get it a PG-13 rating like most comic book films. While clearly the weakest of the Blade films, Trinity is still better than most action movies currently making the box-office rounds.