Bloodrayne 3: The Third Reich (4 Stars)

Uwe Boll is the worst film director of all time.

So they say. I've heard that again and again. People used to say that about Ed Wood, but just look at "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and "Glen or Glenda". Both are works of genius. People put Ed Wood down because they didn't understand him. Could it be the same with Uwe?

Uwe Boll and Ed Wood can't really be compared, neither in their filming styles nor their attitudes. Ed was very careless in his films, not taking account of things such as consistent lighting. Uwe is precise, the cinematography cannot be faulted. Ed was an idealist who wanted to create works of art, regardless of whether they would make money. Uwe is a pragmatist who wants to make films that make a profit.

I've watched several of Uwe's films in the past and given them varying ratings from medium to good, but I've only recently become aware of how much people hate him. He has been the object of an online petition to stop him making films, and the poor man has even received death threats! I've watched a series of videos and read blogs to try to understand this. It seems to me that the majority of his haters are from the gaming community, a community well known for a lack of maturity. Maybe it's a stereotype that gamers are teenage boys (or rather under-25s) who have never had a girlfriend, but stereotypes exist for a reason. Uwe Boll has made a series of films based on video games, and the gamers accuse him of not being close enough to the games. There's also criticism of sordid and over-realistic effects in his films, but various other modern directors could be accused of this. In fact, any films created by Lloyd Kaufman's Troma company have a similar style, and he doesn't receive death threats.

Uwe seems to take it all in his stride. He offered to face his five harshest critics in the ring for a boxing match in 2006. Needless to say, he won all the matches. He's evidently a tough guy. Okay, I admit that winning a fight doesn't prove a person makes good films, and I doubt being knocked out changed his critics' minds, but as a publicity stunt it was a good idea. Put up or shut up.

"Bloodrayne 3" is the third and best part in the trilogy based on the video game "Bloodrayne". I've never played the game, but I've been told that this film stays closer to the game than the previous two parts. In 1943 Rayne meets a group of resistance fighters battling the Germans in Poland. She joins forces with them, since she hates Nazis almost as much as she hates vampires. (If you remember my previous reviews, Rayne is a dhampir, half human and half vampire. She has the strengths of a vampire, but not the weaknesses such as aversion to sunlight, and she has a soul).

During a battle a German commander accidentally swallows some of Rayne's blood, turning him into a vampire. The doctor from the local concentration camp, Doktor Mangler, devises a plan to turn the German army into vampires, in addition to making Hitler immortal.

So is Uwe Boll really the worst ever film director? Based on the evidence of this film the answer is a clear No. He might not be the best, if my opinion is anything to go by, but he's certainly not the worst. I'll continue to watch and enjoy his films, whatever other people say.

Click here to read my review of "Bloodrayne".

Click here to read my review of "Bloodrayne 2: Deliverance".