Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus

(2014)*1/2

This Spike Lee directed vampire flick is nothing short of a hot mess. An affluent doctor who lives reclusively on Martha's Vineyard adds a notorious bloodletting dagger to his already impressive collection of African Artifacts. He is accidentally stabbed with the blade during a scuttle with a disturbed colleague and he dies. The colleague, distraught by what has occurred proceeds to take his own life. The doctor then regains consciousness discovering his wound has healed but he has a strange and irresistible thirst for blood. However, his strong moral standing and deep-seated religious background make fulfilling that desire quite difficult.

I will gladly give credit where credit is due, the strong religious moral dilemma is a fairly unique take on vampirism but this remake of the 1973 film Ganja & Hess which I reviewed in 2010 was completely unnecessary considering the whole religious theme ruined the first film. I don't believe Jesus himself could have saved either of these films. There is one particularly annoying scene that is meant to be the pivotal point in the film where Dr. Hess Green has his moment of revival. He goes to a church and they literally sing the same line over and over for a good five minutes, "You've got to learn to let it go, you got to know when it's all over." I teetered on the brink of madness getting through this scene. I do have a genuine appreciation for Spike Lee's stylized way of filming, there is real genius in what he does just not this time. It's almost like he shot for the moon but got pummeled by asteroids on the way. The soundtrack is simultaneously the best and worst part of the movie. The songs are continuous throughout and truly capture the style of it's 70's predecessor, each song willing itself to express the emotion of the characters in the scene. Sometimes it works beautifully, sometimes you just want to hold down the mute button and curse at the tv. So, venture in if you dare but my advice is steer clear of both films.