Vampires. Love 'em or loathe 'em, if you're not careful they can be a pain in the neck.
I can hear the groans already. There's plenty more where that one came from......
Anyway. There have been more films made about vampires and vampirism than any other type of horror / myth-based fantasy, but very few seem to agree with each other about what the vampires do, how they are created, what kills them, and just how they go about their daily / nightly business. Blade circumvents a lot of previous vampire baggage by taking the story of vampirism and bringing it right up to date, here in the modern world. The result is an absolutely superb action flick, with great characters, an excellent storyline, and well-paced action.
The story goes something like this:- Vampires exist. They are not a myth, they are not a legend. They are real and they are among us. One vampire in particular, Deacon Frost, has decided that he's had enough of his "undergound" existence, and wants to take over from the humans as rightful ruler of the planet. After all, he says, "these people are our food - we should be ruling the humans, not running around making treaties with them". Research into the
vampire legends has shown Frost how to fulfil an ancient prophecy, and give him unprecented powers.
Enter Blade, the eponymous hero. Blade is a half-human, half-vampire (known as "The Daywalker"), who has the strength and regenerative properties of a vamp, but ages like a human, and who can walk around in the daylight. Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire just before she gave birth to him, resulting in his unique background. Aided by his armourer Abraham Whistler, Blade's ongoing quest is to rid the planet of vampires in general, and Frost in particular. And he's a hell of a lot cooler than Von Helsing could ever hope to be. That's the story - cue action.......
The film begins with the best opening set-piece I have ever seen in a movie of ANY type: an unsuspecting guy is taken to an underground nightclub by a fit young filly, who just happens to be a vampire. Once inside things quickly go pear-shaped, and just as he's about to become vamp-food, Blade appears. And kicks ass. This is the first of many truly brilliant fight scenes, involving martial arts, guns, and swords, ALL at the same time. The thumping dance music in the background sets the scene off perfectly, and sets the tone for the rest of the film. The choreography and camerawork is slick and flawless, and when you see this scene for the first time it really does take your breath away. Also, the ending of the film features the best sword fight seen in a film since the first Highlander movie, and the special effects are kept to a minimum - it is left to the story and the action itself to carry this film.
Although it opens with a belting set-piece, the film is not all guns and fighting. There is actually a very, very good story here, well conceived and well paced. I didn't know until I had seen the film, but it is actually based on a cartoon strip (like X-Men and Spiderman), so there is plenty of background already in existence for the charcters to be drawn from. The characters in the film, particularly Blade and Frost, are all interesting and intriguing - you know enough, but still want to know more. The acting is absolutely first class - particular stand-outs are Kris Kristofferson as Whistler, Steven Dorff as Frost (yes, he actually CAN act when he tries), and best of the bunch is Donal Logue as Frost's right-hand-man, Quinn, who Blade keeps slicing up throughout the film, and who suffers the best screen death that Hollywood has EVER seen.
There are some highly innovative changes to the vampire myth in this film. Firstly, the film doesn't use any of the outdated "demonism" and religious iconography that other vampire films / shows can be too reliant on (Buffy fans take note) - holy water and crosses do nothing here. Instead, the vampires are studied and killed using science - a cure is found for vampirism by treating the victims' blood, and the vampires are killed using garlic and silver, which induce severe anaphylactic shock (allergic reaction). Also, Deacon Frost manages to emerge into the daylight for a confrontation with Blade by covering himself in sun-block. This scientific approach helps the film to bring the vampire myth out of the ancient legends, and into today's modern environment.
Minuses? Well, I think that Blade himself has been made a little bit too introverted and broody - it would have been nice to know a bit more about him. The character of Whistler is a bit under-used, and the story lacks a little bit of explanation about the whole background of the interaction between the vampires and the human politicians which is alluded to in an early scene.
Highlights? The film is full of them, but there are some particularly memorable moments. The nightclub scene in it's entirity, Blade's despatching of Quinn at the beginning of the end set-piece, a particularly moving scene between Blade and Whistler (I won't spoil it for you), and some of the vampire deaths have to be seen to be believed.
On the whole, Blade is an absolutely astounding film. Not just a vampire flick, not just an action movie, it has story, characters, action and superb direction by Stephen Norrington. The acting is superb, the story is (believe it or not) plausible for a fantasy tale, and it's just brilliant overall. The ending sets up the inevitable sequels, and I for one can't wait to see the next film in the franchise. One of my top 3 films of all-time, I really cannot recommend this film highly enough. A classic.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Horror - Director: Alexander Witt - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Thomas Kretschmann, Jared Harris, Sandrine Holt, Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Oded Fehr
Views on vampires are almost as varied as those on dragons. As for Blade, I think perhaps the makers of this film relied a little too heavily on viewers being familiar with the characters and general storyline through its comic book origions. Those of us who never read them often find little flaws in character development or notice more when they gloss over something. Of course, this is also why Blade himself seems so extreme. Who ever heard of a comic book hero who wasn't? All in all, I think they did make an excellent and very entertaining film. Great write up! Wishing You Laughter, Q
Toady 01.11.2001 16:28
Great film, great op.
peppersinclaire 28.09.2001 15:49
The sequel is apparently going to up the ante on the horror front - I for one can't wait! Well written op - cheers, P$
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two parts kung fu, and frost it all over with some truly camp acting. What do you get? An action flick that will reaffirm your belief that the superhero action genr...
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The recipe forBladeis quite simple; you take one partBatman, one part horror flick, and ... more
two parts kung fu, and frost it all over with some truly camp acting. What do you get? An action flick that will reaffirm your belief that the superhero action genr...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon...
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![Blade [DVD] [1998]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78542679.jpg "Blade [DVD] [1998]")
Aug 27th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
