Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Blu-ray Movie Review

Uwe boxes himself into another corner with his latest subpar movie.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 25, 2011

Guten tag, mother *%$#*#$.

Uwe Boll: The most despised filmmaker in history? Probably. The worst filmmaker in history? That one's debatable, but there's no doubt he's up there in the rankings. Unlike his predecessor and fellow oft-criticized director Ed Wood, Mr. Boll has the unfortunate luck of living in the always-on, always-contencted virtual world of Internet proliferation that allows movie fans to instantly spew their hatred and vent their frustrations and angers in real time and share their thoughts with potentially billions of souls across any number of websites both vastly popular and completely unknown alike. The medium has no doubt helped make Boll into an icon of sorts, a representation of bad movies that's probably not deserved quite to the level of the absolute intense disdain with which he and his films have been decried on Internet forums. Nonetheless, it's not like Boll has done much to deflect the vitriol where he could really do the most damage: behind the camera. He's cranked out movies that range from laughable to terrible, never really achieving any kind of artistic success, though his pictures do stand above some of the bottom-scraping dreck that passes for moviemaking in the hallowed halls of places like the SyFY Channel and Asylum Entertainment. His latest picture, Bloodrayne: The Third Reich, is probably his best overall movie, which really isn't saying much because it's just not that good. He shows some promise and potential here, but his generic-but-adequate handiwork behind the camera just can't save a movie hindered by a miserable script and comically-bad acting.

A big-chested hybrid, an ambitious officer, and a no-name lackey wielding a stick, a knife, and a gun get into a fight...

Rayne (Natassia Malthe) is a decades-old half human, half vampire hybrid who's used her powers to fight the good fight to keep the world safe. Now, in her second century, a new threat has risen and has the world on the brink of destruction. Her new mission: take out Adolph Hitler before he can inject himself with Rayne's own blood and become the most powerful immortal ever to walk the face of the Earth, supported by the entirety of Germany's military might. Unfortunately, her mission won't be easy. As she battles hordes of Nazi soldiers, a demented scientist named Doctor Mangler (Clint Howard) has increased his knowledge of vampires through the study of a captured subject and is on the brink of making Germany's most powerful elite into the ultimate unstoppable killing machines. Rayne is the world's last hope, and she must count on her skill with the sword, the allure of her lips and bosom, and a ragtag group of freedom fighters if she's to stand a chance against the most powerful army the world has ever known.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich begins fairly enough, depicting a generically bleak but nonetheless halfway effective atmosphere within World War II Europe. A stylish action scene follows that gives the impression that this might be a legitimately big Action movie, but the film is all downhill from there. It seems as if Boll lost steam after a day or two of shooting and phoned in the rest of the film, but who can blame him when a) the script is awful and b) people will hate on the movie no matter what, so why bother expending the effort? As the movie tanks, it slowly gravitates towards relying on cheap thrills to titillate audiences, namely by making sure Rayne's cleavage nearly falls out in most every frame while tossing in a couple of randomly gratuitous full-nude lesbian massage/sex scenes for good measure. Otherwise, the action bores and the dialogue proves laughable, with Uwe Boll veteran Clint Howard doing his best "mad scientist with a German accent who spews random clichés one after another in every scene" impression. The remainder of the cast is equally bad, but poor Mr. Howard is saddled with the film's worst dialogue, and he seems determined to do all he really can with it, which is go so far over the top that it seems he's almost entered into another movie entirely.

At least Boll had sense to trim the movie down to size. Coming in at under 80 minutes sans credits, the movie is compact and digestible, short enough that it remains humorously awful rather than just plain audience-is-on-suicide-watch bad. The action scenes are still few and far between and repetitive, but what's here is passably entertaining to the point that some extra noise and movement at least offers a break from Clint Howard's overacting and the rest of the cast's sleepwalking. The picture is built up through unimaginative World War II clichés -- the evil German scientists, the overt "rule the world at all costs" current that runs through it, and the ragtag freedom fighters who aid the hero -- to the point that even the originality of plopping a half human/half vampire sword-fighting character into the middle of it all loses its luster. It's amazing that a film can mix two such radically divergent entities yet still feel overtly unoriginal and uninspiring. Welcome to the world of Uwe Boll.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich's 1080p transfer is a good one, far better than the corresponding quality of the picture proper. It offers up a nice filmic texture and an even grain structure, even if it looks early on like a flat and glossy HD video venture. It tightens up nicely to reveal complex details with ease, whether leather or fabric clothing textures or more mundane elements like droplets of water on military helmets or the finest little nuances of a marble slab. Colors are built on drab grays and blacks and browns early on and never really pick up much in terms of raw color outside of a few specific splashes of red, but such seems the film's natural state. Blacks are fair, generally inky and yielding good shadow detail but sometimes appearing a bit too washed out and gray. Severe banding is evident in a few scenes but is not a constant problem. Other than a slightly soft veneer that's evident through much of the picture, Phase 4's transfer holds up rather well. It's not a top-tier transfer, but fans will appreciate its relative qualities and general stability.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack is about on par with, or maybe ever-so-slightly better than, the accompanying 1080p transfer. It offers a big and spacious feel to its score, though it seems just a hair stifled and not quite as pronounced and natural as it might have otherwise been. The picture's various gunfights are the acoustic highlight. There's nothing really special here, but Phase 4's track delivers a steady and genre-average experience as the explosion of firing pin slamming onto primer delivers a hefty string of deadly sonic goodness. Bullets zip around the soundstage with ease, and the various impacts on metallic surfaces prove invigoratingly realistic. The surround speakers are used extensively in support of both action elements and general ambience, light and heavy both. Dialogue is steady and focused up the center channel. This is a solid track with a strong foundation. it's not markedly better or worse than most modern Action movie soundtracks, which still makes it a fine listen indeed.

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich serves up a few extras for its Blu-ray release, the collection headlined by an oftentimes fascinating commentary track by the man himself, Uwe Boll.

• Audio Commentary: Director Uwe Boll and Writer Michael Nachoff speak on the series's structure, where this film fits in with the other two Bloodrayne films, cuts and edits, shooting locales and set design, the differences in filming in Europe versus the United States, the film's style, the limitations of the budget, the differences in shooting on film versus digital, and much more. Love him or hate him, one cannot deny that Boll delivers an oftentimes enthralling track that offers up some interesting insights into the world of big-dollar moviemaking. Those who buy, rent, or borrow this disc should give this one a listen.
• Making of Bloodrayne: The Third Reich (1080p, 28:01): Cast and crew discuss shooting in Europe, the unique style and Internet criticism of Uwe Boll, the characters and how they fit into the plot, and more, all intercut with plenty of raw behind-the-scenes look-ins and clips from the film.
• Interview with the Writer (1080p, 5:59): Michael Nachoff gives a brief rundown of the series and the process of writing Bloodrayne: The Third Reich.
• Official Trailer (1080p, 1:13).
• Alternate Trailer (1080p, 1:14).

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bloodrayne: The Third Reich isn't the worst film in the Uwe Boll canon. In fact, it might even be the best. Low praise indeed for a movie that would otherwise just be a watch-and-forget sort, but some praise is better than none. Boll shows at least a modicum of filmmaking abilities in Bloodrayne: The Third Reich, enough, even, that if he were ever to stumble onto a decent script and gather a few above-average actors, he might prove capable of making a genre-average movie. As it is, Bloodrayne: The Third Reich is a stepping stone built on gratuitous sex and cleavage. The story is generic and the action is decent if not too little in quantity. The acting and the atrocious script are the film's worst enemies, and no director can overcome those two backbreakers. Phase 4's Blu-ray release of Bloodrayne: The Third Reich actually features quality video and audio to go along with a few supplements. Worth a rental.