Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Vampire in Brooklyn’

Written by Scott Edwards

True love is hard to find. Even nowadays with people trolling bars and the internet, there is no answer on how to find it and it is even worse if you are trying to find the only one left of your heritage. Maximillian is the only one left of the vampire race and is looking for a special woman; a half breed that does not know the true origins of her past. 

Arriving on a ghost ship, Maximillian needs to find a servant, a ghoul to do his bidding while the sun is out. Running into a young numbers’ runner, Julius Jones, Max has found the one to do his dirty work. Shortly after being turned into a ghoul, Julius is promised great rewards for his service to Max, and he cherishes the opportunity, but once he starts falling to pieces, literally, he starts to question his devotion to the strange man. 

Detective Rita Veder is out working the beat with her new partner Detective Justice, and they both are called in to investigate the ghost ship that recently crashed into the harbor.  With the entire crew dead on the ship, Rita starts seeing strange things, most of them in her mind. With her mother having died three months earlier in an insane asylum, Rita fears that her mother’s crazy is catching up with her as well.  Taking out her inner angst in her nightmarish paintings, Rita feels like she is having a hard time dealing with reality.

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​Not being able to use his normal Vampire powers to win her over, Max is forced to use normal conventions to win Rita’s heart. Having to battle his own challenges with his fast-talking ghoul and Rita’s non-confessed love for her partner, Max works on taking away everything she holds dear. Taking away Rita’s roommate, having her trusted preacher deliver a negative message and implanting the thought that her partner is sleeping with other women, Rita is left all alone with no one else to turn to.

Vampire in Brooklyn takes you on a great journey as you watch Maximillian (Eddie Murphy) take on three different roles as he tries to win the love of the last of his kind. Rita Veder (Angela Bassett) delivers, battling her inner demons as she tries to fend off the ones that mean to do her harm. Rita’s partner Detective Justice (Allen Payne) gives a solid performance as he has to be the straight man while trying to figure out what is really happening. Julius Jones (Kadeem Hardison) plays the hardest role of the movie, being the comic relief. The entire crew seems to mesh well together in this film, as you wait to see if Maximillian will be able to capture the heart of the only woman in the world for him.

I have a fond spot in my heart for this movie. Being a Wes Craven film, I was willing to give it a chance, and with Eddie Murphy playing multiple roles, I was sold on it. This is just a fun Vampire romp around the town of Brooklyn and all of the undesirables being taken out by an ancient killing machine is just golden in my book. With a decent story line, along with a strong cast that delivers in more way than one, this movie gives you what you want if you are looking for a solid story involving blood-suckers. If you don’t have any plans, just know, that the creatures of the night would love to have you for dinner.  

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