Priest Review

Priest Review
Starring: Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q and Karl Urban
Director: Scott Charles Stewart
Running Time: 89 minutes.

Since anyone alive can remember, Man and Vampires have waged war. Neither side ever truely being victorious. The Vampires would unleash destruction at night, while the Human armies would use their weapons during the day. This went on and on... and on. Humanity finally retreated, under the governance of the Church. Huge cities were built, defended by Vampire Hunters, the Priests -- a group of specially trained warriors, who were experts at being Vampire killers. Once the Vampire threat had been eradicated, the Priests were disbanded and were made to return to a normal life. However, when a Priests family are attacked and kidnapped outside of the city walls, it is up to him and a local sheriff to locate his missing family and discover who is behind the attack.

First off, let me say I am not a big fan of 3D. I have always felt it was a gimmick, just another way of making money. The majority of 3D films that have released in the last year were shot in 2D and merely converted up into 3D. In these cases, I think the film is spoiled and looks worse than if you were watching in 2D. However, those that are shot in 3D and released in 3D can look awesome. And this is one such example. The 3D here really looks fantastic. From the ash falling from the sky, to the views from above looking down on Cathedral City, to the CGI effects of the Vampires themselves, the 3D really does work a treat. The visuals of the Vampires and the "waste lands" are at times scary real. I was very impressed with the detail and effort in bringing the cities and blood suckers to life.

While the story is very basic, Priest is at the same time very entertaining, very fast paced and never dull or boring. At a running time of only 89 minutes, you get the sense that makers stuffed as much in as they possibly could. However, I still get the feeling that if they had a bit more time, they could have done a better job with the mythology and back-story of the Vampires and their origins. A lot is mentioned of a Vampire Queen, yet she is only briefly featured and alot is mentioned about the past, a few flashbacks would have been ideal -- for once.

The acting is solid. Paul Bettany has carved himself out a niche playing these kind of religious-hero type roles. And Cam Gigandet gets to shine in his supporting roles. I have long been a fan of his in movies such as The Unborn and Pandorum and it is nice to see him finally in a "big" movie.

All in all, a good, fast paced, enjoyable, popcorn entertainent summer movie. Nothing too difficult to understand, and in fact, this may suprise you at how much you actually enjoy it. And without spoiling, the possibilities for sequels and spin-offs are endless. I have a feeling we arent through the Priest-verse just yet.

4 out of 5 stars