In the new Sony Pictures film Priest Sci Fi monster vampires lay waste to feeble humans in a post apocalyptic western wasteland. As the most recent addition to the strange Sci Fi sub genre that IS “Vampire Western” Priest doesn’t exactly deliver anything revolutionary. It also doesn’t push too hard to find it’s own place outside of the staples of post apocalyptic cinema period. The world is dead. People live in horribly polluted and over populated city enclaves surrounded by nothingness. Threats loom in the token wasteland beyond the token cities giant token walls.

Paul Bettany plays the hero (if you can call him that) of the film; As a supernaturally skilled warrior of a totalitarian theocratic society and a church that rules over the lives of all surviving humans. Stephen Moyer makes what at best can be called a cameo roll as our titular Priest’s brother. Taking a small break from True Blood to play a victim of vampires rather than a vamp himself (If you are looking to see Priest because you are on “Team Bill” – you will be disappointed). Cam Gigandet at his best as teen girl bait plays a local sheriff with all the emotional maturity of a teenage boy. Curiously if not humorously he broods and snivels through out the story all while talking rather like a flunky from Firefly . Not like that’s a bad thing. If anything it adds an air of off kilter cheesy likability which is sorrowfully lacking in the feature. It is hard to really like or route for Bettany’s dogged clergy come vampire slayer. While you are never really given a reason to like Cam or his beloved -the kidnapped niece of Bettany’s Priest (as played by Lily Collins ), young love is left the only thing to “get behind”. Maggie Q makes an interesting addition as well to the cast as the serene yet apparently deeply emotionally frustrated fellow Priest, and ally to Bettany’s character. Between Bettany, Gigandet, and Q – this film is as Emo as one giant deep sigh. The fun in the cast comes with Karl Urban who joyfully saunters through his scenes, enjoying every moment of his villainous plan. Because he is the only character having any fun he is the only character who is likewise any fun to watch. Subsequently it becomes difficult NOT to route for HIM. Rather than the “good guys”.

As a side note: If you are a fan of the Manga the film is based on you may find the choice to marginalize the western imagery a disappointment. But it may have been done to abate the probability of the movie’s audience from asking the question “Didn’t I play this as a video game?!?” as the story is eerily similar to the 2005 video game Darkwatch, and the look of the Manga is very much in a similar vein.