3 out of 5

Director: Uwe Boll

Bloodraynes not a good movie. Uwe Bolls video game movies are not good movies. However, taken on their on terms (and in context), they are entertaining, and Bloodrayne tosses in some great Olaf Ittenbach gore effects (highlighted in a very oddly placed gore reel at the end of the movie) to top it off. Bloodrayne shares the same hallmarks as other Boll video game movies: stiff acting, a good use of budget (I keep being impressed by Bolls ability to grab great locale shots and then tighten it up when using sets), and dialogue that serves no purpose but to pepper the characters w/ degrees of flavor and direct the plot in a straight arrow path. Could this have been better? I suppose, b/c the source material has some grit, but at the same time… we have what we have. And sometimes Id argue that Boll understands that games will never have plots that directly translate to film and so he dispenses with attempting to make it too serious, but also doesnt just let it slide into cheese. What goes on is presented as serious fluff. Watched as a movie – its bad. But watched for what it is, without the pre-installed Boll hatred, Bloodrayne is an entertaining film that was easier to watch for 94 minutes than plenty of other films that have come and gone over the years.