Symbolism over Substance Exemplified

Rating: 4/10 (8 July 2006)

This movie exemplifies the typical Hollywood "noisemaker", a film that emphasizes excessive noise and violence over a compelling story or interesting characters. The dark, almost monochromatic look that the film has makes it difficult to tell the two warring factions apart-- they're both draped in dark outfits and it's hard to remember who's who. It doesn't help either that none of the characters are particularly engaging-- by the end of the movie I just didn't care who "won."
My wife and I found the dialog so pretentious, and the action sequences so completely overblown and unbelievable, that we couldn't resist the temptation to point out all of the glaring faults in the film and insert our own commentary, to make the movie more entertaining. Amazing how Mrs. Beckinsale can run through subways blasting away with two pistols and nowhere is there a policeman to be found, or vampires can swoop down from the sky on crowded city streets without creating an utter panic or reaction from the "upperworld".
Not even Kate Beckinsale in a skin-tight rubber suit can save this movie from being a completely forgettable waste of time.