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Written by: David S. Goyer
Directed by: Stephen Norrington
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, Donal Logue, Udo Kier, N'Bushe Wright
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A half-vampire, half-mortal man protects the human race while slaying vampires.
Verdict
It's a neat idea that really wants to be cool, and sometimes succeeds, but it's overcome with so many tropes. It's better than a b-movie, but it seems like mostly an excuse for Snipes to look menacing as he kills vampires. While he's a vampire hunter, the twist is that he is both human and vampire. That's the crux of the plot as the villain lacks any development which is detrimental to the story.
Skip it.
Review
The opening feels very 90s with a woman taking a man to a dance club that's actually full of vampires. By the time the guy realizes he's surrounded, it's too late for him. That's when Blade (Wesley Snipes) shows up. He's a modern day vampire hunter with plenty of tools and toys to kill vampires.
Blade saves a woman, Karen (N'Bushe Wright), that's been bitten that both he and his partner Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) don't think will make it. Why? It seems the reason is just to pad the plot. Blade doesn't seem like the sentimental type. Lucky for him, she's a hematologist. That's some movie magic serendipity as Blade consumes blood to control his urges.
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| Wesley Snipes plays Blade |
Blade didn't tell anyone, not even Whistler, that he used her as a lure. That's convenient on two fronts. It creates a twist for the audience and it works. She's attacked and Blade tracks the assailant back to Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), the big bad of the movie. Frost has obtained all the pages of the vampire bible, who knew that was even a thing, and he has a grandiose plan that's as of yet undisclosed.
Blade is this cool hero with a dark vibe and plenty of vampire killing toys. He even drives a cool car. What's not to like? He has one foot in both camps with both vampire and human powers, yet neither can accept him. That provides a nice bit of depth to the one liner spouting character, not that movie takes advantage of that.
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| Wesley Snipes plays Blade |
Frost wants to take over the world or some such. It's typical villain grand plan fare. As another vampire points out earlier, vampires prefer to stay under the radar. Frost wants to take his rightful place at the top of the food chain. Of course Frost needs Blade for this plan, so he captures Karen and kills Whistler. Blade's not going to let that go, so he prepares for the gauntlet of the final battle. What robs this of tension is that I never thought Blade would fail. He's just too cool, and the story falls into familiar tropes.
Karen does develop a cure, but the catch is that Blade will lose his powers. He can't do that, he's got more vampires to kill.
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| Title Card |
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