Vampire in Brooklyn is a 1995 comedy horror film directed by Wes Craven, starring Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett, Allen Payne, Kadeem Hardison, John Witherspoon, Zakes Mokae, and Joanna Cassidy.  The film follows Detective Rita Veder (Bassett) who is assigned to a serial murder case when she meets Maximilian (Murphy), a smooth-talking Caribbean vampire determined to romance her.

Positives:

• Great lead characters
• Great performances by Murphy and Bassett
• Good score
• Good use of practical and visual

Negatives:

• Poor characters
• Poor performances
• Poor script
• Too much humor

Plot: This story is interesting and it does go at a good pace although there are elements to it that feel unnecessary. Maximilian is this vampire who comes to Brooklyn looking for Rita who, unbeknownst to her, is a half vampire. Another subplot revolves around Rita dealing with possible mental health issues like her mother who died prior to the beginning of the film. There’s also this subplot where there’s this possible romance between Rita and Justice and it sucks. The film comes to bs conclusion and does leave off on a cliffhanger. (2 out of 5)

Characters: The film does feature some interesting characters, a few that are actually good, while at the same time a lot of the characters feel necessary. Maximilian, despite being a ruthless killer, is actually a pretty entertaining character. Rita is a pretty strong female protagonist although she does come off as a bit too arrogant. There is this great chemistry between Maximilian and Rita. Julius is a decent character and does provide the bulk of the humor but he is a character that doesn’t really feel necessary. Detective Justice is one of those characters that could be either or. He is a good character who does present an opposing view to Maximilian which helps create a bit of struggle with Rita’s character. However, in some instances he is a bit of a burden and a character that does seem unnecessary.  (2 out of 5)

Cast: Great performances by Eddie Murphy and Angela Bassett. Not only do these two do great jobs but they have terrific chemistry. Allen Payne in some sequences was a bit over-the-top. There is one sequence in the film where emotion was key and as hard as he tried he completely missed the mark. Kadeem Hardison does a decent job, he does manage to bring some good humor here and there. There are a lot of instances where he is over-the-top. (3 out of 5)

Visuals: There is a really good use of practical effects as well as the make-up. Julius’s transformation into a ghoull is gradual and it does look okay for the most part. Maximilian’s transformations look good, as well as his use of supernatural powers. (3 out of 5)

Score: The score is decent not really memorable but it does a good job. It does have that old school feel to it. (3 out of 5)

Writing: The directing is decent. West Craven does a great job of fleshing out these two characters and building that romance between them while emphasizing the horror aspects. There are certain moments where the humor does feel intrusive. Feels like the director wanted too much humor that it eclipses the horror aspects as well as romantic ones. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict:  In the end, Vampire in Brooklyn is good movie although it is far from great. It does suffer from unimportant characters, unimportant subplots, too much humor, and a choppy story. However, praise should be given to Murphy and Bassett’s performances, great use of effects, and a good romance between Maximilian and Rita. Vampire in Brooklyn gets 3 out of 5.