Rating of
3/4
A warning to all vampires -- beware the Daywalker
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
"Blade" is not your typical comic books superhero movie. It is a lot more bloody, the hero is more an anti-hero, and it deals with supernatural villains -- the vampires.
The vampires are making a comeback in an unnamed modern city. They control the police and one of the biggest blood banks within city limits. They roam the streets at night searching for human blood. You can't tell them apart from humans, unless you are a fellow bloodsucker -- or a vampire hunter.
Two of the best vampire hunters are "Abraham Whistler" (Kris Kristofferson) and his part-vampire, "Blade" (Wesley Snipes). The two have a father-son type relationship, with "Whistler", as he is most commonly called, making the vampire-killing weapons, and "Blade" hunting down and killing the vampires. The two declared war on the vampires, and will continue the fight for as long as needed.
Joining them is "Dr. Karen Jenson" (N'Bushe Wright), whom "Blade" saved from a vampire who, unfortunately, bit her before "Blade" made the save. She uses her medical skill to find a cure for the effects of the vampire's bite. Sadly, the cure won't help "Blade", who was born shortly after his mother was bitten by a vampire.
They quickly discover that a vampire named "Decon Frost" (Stephen Dorff) wants the vampires to take over the world, and enslave the humans. With "Whistler" building the weaponry, "Blade" and "Dr. Jenson" go to the streets to find out what "Frost" plans for mankind are and to stop him and his accomplices before they can put their plan into action.
There are a few things you will notice right off in this film. First, the movie is shot in little light. Many sets have little light, and, for the most part, are in dark colors. You will also notice the special effects are great when the first vampire dies on-screen. Then there is the hand-to-hand battles, which are incredibly choreographed. You will also see lots of blood, so I highly recommend younger audience members avoid this one.
There are some good performances, despite the weak character development. The one performance which stands out the most is that of Snipes, who shows no emotion and plays "Blade" with a straight face. The rest of the cast also do a good job, but the characters are not well written.
The special effects, right down to the prosthetic fangs, are incredible. The CGI effects are edited in as close to perfect as you can get.
The fight scenes are fast-paced and are incredibly choreographed. Some moments in the fight are in slow-motion to emphasize the movement of those in the scene, which only enhances them.
The backstory of the characters are either shown or told by the characters, so you really don't need to know the storyline of the comic book the movie is based upon. There is just about everything you want in a movie, minus sexual innuendos and a budding romance between two of the main characters.
This is the beginning of a pretty good franchise that you should check out, especially if you're looking for high impact action.
