(Cert 15, 105 mins): Starring Wesley Snipes, Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Kris Kristofferson, Dominic Purcell, James Remar and Parker Posey. Directed by David S Goyer.

It's tough being a human-vampire hybrid, especially when you're forced to do battle against hordes of bloodthirsty vampires on an alarmingly regular basis.

But in this third instalment of the Blade saga, our poor old hero has an additional problem - as a result of a vampire-initiated smear campaign, he has been branded an out-of-control murderer and is being hounded by the FBI.

Of course, the cops aren't the only problem: The bloodsuckers have brought their founding father, Dracula, back to his undead state and he's now gained special powers enabling him to exist in daylight.

In their ultimate encounter, Blade is fighting for not only his own life but also the entire human race. Honestly - and you complain when you have a hard day at the office.

In fact, however, Blade (Snipes) has never been happier (not that he would let any hint of emotion blemish his steely exterior) and, before you know it, he's charging around engaging in visually stunning fisticuffs left, right and centre.

It's lightweight, fast-paced and violent - exactly right for a story based on a Marvel Comics character.

In case anyone is unfamiliar with the films so far, the story concerns a man whose mother was bitten by a vampire, making her child, Blade, immune to their bite.

Hell-bent on avenging his mother's death, he uses this unique quality to his advantage by initiating a bloody campaign against the entire bloodsucker community.

In this third instalment, following a violent showdown with FBI agent Cumberland (Remar) and his men, Blade realises he cannot continue to operate alone.

He reluctantly teams up with a team of human vampire-slayers known as the Nightstalkers, led by Hannibal King (Reynolds) and his old friend Whistler's (Kristofferson) daughter (Biel).

Fans of the series will be pleased to see David S Goyer, screenwriter for the first two installments, has stepped into the director's chair for this third outing (the first and second films were directed by Stephen Norrington and Guillermo Del Toro respectively).

Goyer includes plenty of the martial arts-influenced special effects that characterised the first two films.

These fast-paced action sequences receive far more emphasis than subtle plot nuances - but if you're after highly developed and believable characters, you've come to the wrong place.

For well-executed kick-ass action sequences, however, this is just the ticket.