Blade - 1998

Amen Ra Films, Imaginary Forces, Marvel Enterprises

Directed by Stephen Norrington

Cast:

• Blade – Wesley Snipes
• Whistler – Kris Kristofferson
• Deacon Frost – Stephen Dorff
• Karen – N'Bushe Wright
• Vanessa – Sanaa Lathan
• Quinn – Donal Logue
• Racquel – Traci Lords
• Dragonetti – Udo Kier
• Curtis Webb – Tim Guinee
• Mercury – Arly Jover

Story: Present Day: Vampires live! They are everywhere, woven into every crevice of society, and they hide so well no one believes they exist. So how are we humans are to survive when we don't even know we are threatened. Have no fear, a hero has arisen. Blade, the super-powerful vampire hunter is stalking and killing vampires at a breakneck pace. He uncovers a plot by Deacon Frost, a vampire who used to be human, to bring forth the Blood God, a super powered Vampire Demon who will lead the Vampires to total domination of the planet. The elders of the Vampires, the families of “Purebloods” are content with the way things are, but Frost opposes them as well. The dark underworld of the secret vampire culture is uncovered in this fast paced action film born it the Marvel Comics universe.

Review: It's no secret I grew up reading and collecting comic books. Blade premiered after I was past that stage (1973, in the Tomb of Dracula series), but the unmistakeable signature of Stan Lee and Marvel Comics is here. The characters are larger than life, and like most of Marvel's heroes, Blade's life is complicated. Snipes portrays the quintessential half-human/half-vampire nemesis to the dark forces descended from the original Dracula. His own physical appearance, the impressive wardrobe and scenery, and the quick, pointed dialogue bring the character out of the pulp pages into the screen with vivid clarity. Kris Kristofferson is excellent as the master gadget designer, Whistler, a vampire hunter on a personal mission of vengeance for the family that was taken from him. As Blade's companion and friend, he keeps the machinery running for his protege to do his job. And he does it well. A brief, but memorable, appearance by Traci Lords, the controversial porn actress who fooled governments and the industry, is a nice touch to set off the undercurrents of sexual darkness and power always associated with the vampire image, and the film moves smoothly from scene to scene, with little to bore or confuse the audience. Stephen Dorff and Udo Kier are powerful as the vampires fighting for control, and their characters convey the tension and struggle for power admirably. I haven't heard of any comic films being nominated for Oscars yet, nor do I expect to in the near future, but if they were, we might want to look back at this number one in a series of three films for the first nominees. Definitely not for the kiddies, since there is an expected level of sex and violence, and the language is definitely worthy of the “R” rating it was given. But if you love comics, vampires, and Wesley Snipes, this is a must see.