A film based on a comic, is not such a new idea, it has been tried many times with varying degrees of success. But never before has such a dark and violent character as Blade torn free from the pages to burst onto our screens.
The Comic Book Hero ***************************
Blade is a hero with a difference. He is half vampire, born as his mother died from a vampires bite. He has all of their strengths and none of their weaknesses, and is consequently known by the vampire fraternity as “The Daywalker”. Rescued from a life of feeding on the homeless, by his mentor and sidekick Whistler (with the help of a serum), Blade now seeks vengeance for his Mother's death and spends his time hunting and killing vampires.
The Sidekicks *****************
Where would any hero be without his sidekicks?? In this film, Blade has two sidekicks, Whistler, who creates his weapons and generally looks out for him, and Dr Karen Jenson, a haematologist, who just happens to be the damsel in distress, bitten by a vampire she is looking for a cure before she succumbs.
The Villain ************
And what comic book story would be complete without a villain?? To fill this role we have Deacon Frost. As he was turned, rather than being born a vampire , he is looked down on by the Pure Bred vampires. Frost has a vision of a world
ruled by his kind and to fulfil this he needs the blood of the Daywalker.
The Storyline ***************
The film follows the classic theme of good versus evil, with some dramatic and often violent twists. Occasionally predictable and frequently gory, I give the storyline a respectable 7/10
The Casting ****************
Wesley Snipes is cast perfectly as Blade, he has the brooding all action hero down to a tee, and as a bonus he looks good. If anything, Stephen Dorff was an even better choice as Deacon Frost, he got the cocky super-villain down to the smallest detail, and again is attractive enough to look at and gain my attention. Kris Kristofferson provides great support on his role as Whistler, while N'Bushe Wright was mostly unforgettable in her role as Karen.
My rating for casting and performance 8/10.
The Special Effects **********************
These were fantastic throughout, from the weapons to the spectacular fight scenes to the equally dramatic final showdown, it was the special effects that made the film such a delight to watch.
My rating for special effects 9.5/10
The Background Music ***************************
The background music was atmospheric, without being overly intrusive. There is, of course, a standard formula to the music in a horror/drama with it building to a crescendo as the action reaches its peak, and it is no different in this film.
Although the film is somewhat predictable at times, the amount of action and quality of special effects more than make up for the plot. Not compelling as such, but extremely watchable. However, Buffy this is not. There is swearing and a great deal of violence from the outset. I'm not talking about cartoon violence either, more like butt-kicking, sword swinging, blood-spurting graphic violence.
OK, this is a DVD, so we have the obligatory extras. Does anybody actually watch them? Usually I'd say no, but for the purpose of this review I've bit the bullet, and I'm actually glad that I did as it was a fairly interesting hour.
There are a total of five “Extras” on the DVD and these are :
La Magre : 14mins ----------------------------
An interesting featurette focussing on the original ending and the special effects used in as far as they were developed. This was pretty cool, and well worth watching.
A very comprehensive look at the design and realisation of the many special effects that made Blade such a good film. This was extremely interesting and again well worth a look.
Cast And Crew -----------------------
This features various cast and crew member's take on the film along with a scrolling written description of their careers to date.
Featured are : Wesley Snipes (Blade) Stephen Dorff (Frost) Kris Kristofferson (Whistler) Stephen Norrington (Director) David S Goyer (Screenwriter) Donal Logue (Quinn) N'Bushee Wright (Karen)
Although this was interesting enough, I found the background music irritating and won't be bothering with this section again.
A look at the original trailer that was shown in cinemas to promote the film. Nice to look at, but a bit pointless, seeing as you have to already own the DVD before you can see it.
Behind The Scenes : 6mins -----------------------------------------
A look behind the scenes as the film is made. Another interesting extra. It was particularly amusing to watch Wesley Snipes dangling from a wire in front of a green screen.
The Extras Overall *********************
Most of the extras were relatively interesting, with perhaps the exception of the pointless trailer, and I would give them a rating of 8/10
Other Information *********************
Feature Running Time : 115 minutes Rating : 18 Languages : English Only Audio : Dolby Digital 5.1/stereo Subtitles : English Commentary also available via language menu.
Make no mistakes, this film is rated 18 for a very good reason. It is a violent film, which makes excellent use of Wesley Snipe's martial arts skills. I personally enjoyed this film for two reasons. Firstly, Wesley Snipes hot body (shallow I know but as good a reason as any). But second and most importantly because it contained all the elements that a good action film requires with a few added snippets from the horror genre.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1958 - Horror - Director: Robert Day - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Anthony Dawson, Jean Kent, Boris Karloff
I liked Blade, but was quite disappointed by the other movies in the series... The special effects are definitely fantastic. So is your review
mjrobert 14.04.2005 00:06
I didn't realise it was a comic, a transition which was a huge success. I prefer the Blade 1 compared to Blade 2 and am looking to see Blade Trinity sometime in the near future.
Nice in-depth review with all the other aspects of the DVD
silvajade 15.01.2005 00:48
Did you know that there's a third one in the triliogy that was out during the Christmas holidays????!!!! I am so going to watch it! Emmax
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: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
A blood-chilling, action-packed thriller about modern day vampires unlike any previously ... more
encountered. Wesley Snipes is BLADE, the ultimate vampire hunter, an immortal warrior who possesses the superhuman strength and cunning of a vampire, but shares no...
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: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A blood chilling action-packed thriller about modern day vampires unlike any previously ... more
encountered. Wesley Snipes is Blade the ultimate vampire hunter and immortal warrior who possesses the superhuman strength and cunning of a vampire but shares n...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: The film rocks, loads of features on the disc which are well presented and entertaining, great video and sound transfer, just a stonkingly good DVD all round Disadvantages: Umm...well the film is going to be too 'cartoonish' and gory for many and with this many extras you could lose an entire Friday...umm, like I did lol
wampyrii 18.01.2003 (28.01.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Blade 2 (DVD)
![Blade [DVD] [1998]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78542679.jpg "Blade [DVD] [1998]")
Jan 3rd, 2005
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