I'm back albeit part time!! Almost settled in completely, so finally able to come back to write and ...
I'm back albeit part time!! Almost settled in completely, so finally able to come back to write and read - and have loads to read!!! Thanks for the r/r/c's much appreciated and will be returned!!!!
Member since:02.10.2005
Reviews:124
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I love films with Wesley Snipes and when this came out on DVD I just had to have it! Hubby is used to my penchant for vampire films and just did the right thing by keeping quiet and letting me have my way. I'm sure you all know me well enough by now - if it comes in the genre of horror then I will want to watch it!
So we bought this and it had been sitting for a while so we decided that we would watch it last night. Tonight it is one of the sequels (a review will follow!).
***Synopsis***
Blade (Snipes) is a man who is different from other mortals. He is half man, half vampire. His mother was bitten by a vampire when she was pregnant and the "virus" transferred to him while he was still in the womb. She died giving birth, and he was left all alone. Later on in Blade's life he meets Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) who takes him under his wing and teaches him many things. Whistler has his own reasons to hate vampires; they murdered Whistler's family and left him alone as well.
Whistler and Blade make a good team; their one and only mission in life is to kill as many vampires as they possibly can. They are working to protect the human race and destroy
these creatures who feed on the blood of the innocent. In Blade's own words, he has all of their strengths and none of their weaknesses. The vampires call Blade the "daywalker" as he is able to walk in sunlight. He does have one weakness - the thirst - which he keeps in check with the use of a special serum.
The film begins with a young man being led into a club by a young woman. It would seem that this is an ordinary dance club but the sprinkler system soon kicks in and it is not raining water, it is raining blood. It would seem that the regulars of this club are vampires. The club is owned by Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), who wants to rule the human race as he believes that vampires are superior beings and that humans are just there for food and entertainment.
One vampire that does not agree with Frost is Dragonetti (Udo Kier), who is disgusted by Frost. Dragonetti feels superior to Frost as he was born a vampire and is a "pure blood" while Frost became a vampire as the result of a bite from another vampire.
The story carries on with Blade severing the hand of one of Frost's minions, and setting him on fire. He is taken to the mortuary where he bites two doctors. One does not survive but the other, Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright) is rescued by Blade and taken to his and Whistler's hideout. There she is given an injection of garlic and given a 50% chance of survival.
Blade discovers that Frost is attempting to resurrect La Magra, the Blood God and vows to stop him. He and Karen are captured and he is imprisoned in a very strange "cell". It is in fact designed to drain his blood, as the blood of the daywalker is what will resurrect La Magra. Frost wants to be the Blood God and rule the world.
Well, that's all I'm going to tell as the rest would really spoil the show, but needless to say there is plenty blood, action and some rather spectacular scenes. If you want to know how it ends then you will just have to watch the film.
***My Opinion***
I loved it! It is as simple as that. I spent the whole time glued to the screen and have watched the film many times since. I never really read the comic series as I was not much of a comic reader in my youth. But this film definitely got my attention and kept it.
The action starts right from the start and keeps going right till the end. Snipes really captured Blade as I would have imagined a half-vampire, vampire slayer to be. He is hard and uncompromising but he has a heart and tries to help where he can. Snipes' performance in my opinion is not open to question, he was made for this role and plays it superbly.
Dorff is another superb performance, his portrayal of Frost as greedy, self-centred, ignorant and downright nasty is fantastic. Kier and Wright put in good performances but for me the best performance was Kristofferson's. He plays Whistler superbly. Whistler is a man who is tortured by the memories of his family, driven by his hatred of vampires, yet hampered by his uncompromising love for Blade.
The special effects are great as well. Given that this film is now 10 years old, it is surprising how well the effects have held fast. They are not a patch on today's special effects but they are believable. I cannot say that I remember much about the soundtrack, but then again I scarcely remember any soundtrack.
But in my own honest opinion, the performances were first class, the effects believable and the storyline was excellent.
The $64000 question as always is - do I recommend this to others as good viewing? And the answer in this case is a resounding yes. I heartily recommend this, it was one of the best vampire films I have ever watched (and I have watched quite a few in my time!).
I thoroughly enjoyed it - I have watched the film many times and have definitely had my money's worth from it. I have to admit to only watching the film, so this is a film only review.
If you like Snipes, Kristofferson or Dorff, my advice is to watch this if you have not already done so - it is certainly good viewing.
Thanks for reading, and don't forget the garlic! Di x
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
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: £1.21 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: Great action, great story, some of the best characters ever created. Superb modernisation of the vampire myth. Disadvantages: None. It's great.
superpricee 27.08.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Blade (DVD)
Advantages: Great action, great story, some of the best characters ever created. Superb modernisation of the vampire myth. Disadvantages: None. It's great.
superpricee 27.08.2001 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Blade (DVD)
Advantages: Great action, great story, some of the best characters ever created. Superb modernisation of the vampire myth. Disadvantages: None. It's great.
superpricee 27.08.2001 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Blade (DVD)
![Blade [DVD] [1998]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78542679.jpg "Blade [DVD] [1998]")
Jul 5th, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
