Eddie Murphy stars as a vampire who travels to Brooklyn in an attempt to find the last of his kind, in the horror-comedy Vampire in Brooklyn.
Whilst the premise didn't sound that exciting I was hopeful of enjoying this, especially with horror maestro Wes Craven behind the camera and Murphy in the lead role. However, the mediocre plot really weighs this film down, and makes it difficult for the talent in front and behind the camera to really spark.
For positives though I think Murphy is really good here. He plays the role of Maximillian straight, and comes across as effectively suave and sinister in the right moments. Like in other films such as Coming to America and The Nutty Professor he gets the opportunity to play multiple characters, and his improvisational comedic side is allowed to flourish when inhabiting them.
Angela Bassett is also very assured here as Rita Veder, who is unaware she is the daughter of one of the vampires from Maximillian's lineage. She certainly does the best with the character and dialogue she's given, and her chemistry with Murphy is effective.
Unsurprisingly with Craven helming the project the horror elements have the appropriate creepy atmosphere, and are executed with great finesse. The practical effects are also wonderful, especially with Kadeem Harrison's character of Julius Jones. After he gets turned into a decaying ghoul through Maximillian infecting him with his vampiric blood, there's a running joke of his body parts falling off in inappropriate moments, which I found quite funny.
It's a shame really that I didn't find this more funny. The physical comedy side of things provided a few laughs but overall it was quite lacking. I may have been able to enjoy the story more if the humour had been a little tighter, but it wasn't able to compensate for a pedestrian narrative.
It even has an arbitrary restriction of Maximillian having until the next full moon to save his lineage, but they don't really establish when that is going to occur so it loses a fair amount of tension the story might have had otherwise.
The tonal mix of horror and comedy also aren't implemented in a successful way, with quick pacing not able to cover up the disappointments in that department.
Final Verdict
Whilst there are some decent ideas here, and with some clear talent in front of and behind the camera. it unfortunately doesn't come together in a satisfying whole.
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