I think Paul Bettany does well in solo hero movies but this time around, I felt they could have made him the vampire here and it probably would have clicked better than it actually did. The "soldier vampires" here look very evil and also there's a particular scene where they attack a family that live in isolation at an outpost - probably the scariest scene in the movie. Everything else about the movie didn't really hold my attention as most of the battles between the priests and the vampires seemed too rely too much on effects or were too illogical. Paul Bettany and Karl Urban do well but one wishes their action sequences had more punch - their final confrontation scenes were average. Cam Gigandet is more or less wasted in his role as a sheriff and Maggie Q(who shined in Die Hard 4) also gets a forgettable character here. Brad Dourif as a untrustworthy salesman is the only performance worth any mention here, although his role is short. Verdict - an OK vampire movie with at least some jumpy moments but not enough to make it a good horror fest. I wonder now why all these popular stars signed up for this.

In a dystopian future devastated by the war between humans and vampires, people live in walled cities controlled by the Church. Warrior priests are no longer necessary because vampires no longer pose a serious threat to civilization, but when a priest's niece is abducted by a resistant group of vampires, he calls into question his vows and philosophy of life.This premise seems to establish a more psychological and philosophical dimension to the film, but it is just that, a premise, because from here the priest leaves in pursuit of his niece, joins with her boyfriend and some other warrior priestess and it is only action and fx thereafter. And vampires are gray monsters without eyes and those who look like human vampires are just the servants. The film lasts an hour and a half, but it would benefit from another half hour to better establish the universe and the characters. Well, it served to entertain...

Sometimes you just want to watch swirly long coats and slow-mo martial arts set in post-apocalyptic landscapes of searing desert sands and the ghosts of our destroyed civilisation, don't you? This film is gorgeous to look at; from the cross tattoos on the priests' faces, to the retro wild west costumes, it's a highly stylised visual treat. The vampires were malignant, vicious amalgams: Aliens meets The Descent. Paul Bettany makes a convincing lead: the near-silent loaner on a mission. You basically have to put all logic to one side and not think too deeply about the plot of this film. Just go with it for the visuals, the action, the pace and some impressive special effects.

Set some where in what appears is a post apocalyptic future after a war between vampires and humans has ended in an apparent victory for the humans through the use of a vampire fighting sect of the church called Priests. Once victory seems achieved the Priests are no longer needed and are discarded, placed in very menial jobs if they can find anything at all. Just like the history of the Catholic church of our world. One surviving Priest disobeys the edicts of the church when his brother and his wife are slaughtered in a vampire raid and his niece, oops his daughter, is stolen. She is stolen to do just what has occurred. Turns out a Priest has been turned by a queen vampire. Another Priestess joins him and stops a train full of vampires and larvae(?) by blowing it off the tracks. This wipes out the vampire threat for now. In the end, while the church hierarchy ignores the threat, the remaining Priests get the word out and are to meet at a certain point. Will there be a sequel, I hope so.