The 52nd film in my 100 film challenge is Priest. I really enjoyed this film the first time, so much so I bought it. This was my first viewing since I decided to buy it. On this occasion I would say that perhaps the film wasn’t so good the second time. I still enjoyed it, but for some reason just not as much.
The concept of the film is interesting, as it takes a fresh approach to the vampire genre. Based on a graphic novel, the story takes places in a very different world, one that is perhaps best seen than explained here. In essence the Church governs the cities, having won the war over the vampires – who in this film are not human, but a different race – they are more like monsters. It is the return of the vampire threat that sees Paul Bettany’s priest – the Church’s super soldiers – brought back into action.
Paul Bettany is awesome at being badass in this film, and definitely elevates the film to higher levels of quality. The supporting cast is fine, with Karl Urban doing a great job as the bad guy. It is a bit of a popcorn movie, so you are better off switching your brain off. The action is solid throughout and the landscapes and sets look great too. On the downside, I think Cam Gigandet is a bit annoying, and occasionally things get a bit cheesy and predictable too.
Priest was clearly meant as the first of a series, so it’s a shame that it isn’t more popular. I think a sequel could have been great – yet with any sequel the opposite could be true. Currently there are no plans, but maybe one day we will get to see it.
Dan at the Movies 
If you don’t mind me asking, what graphic novel was it based off of? Or is it also called Priest?
It just sounds incredibly similar to the manga/anime series Hellsing, where Protestant supersoldiers are called upon to stop a vampire threat as part of a side-story
yeah it is called Priest, a series of them apparently. here’s a link – http://www.amazon.com/Priest-Vol-Prelude-Deceased-Part/dp/1591820081