Review: Blade, The Definitive 90's Vampire
- Feb 13, 2018
- 2 min read
What has too much black leather, loads of kung-fu, plenty of electronic music and was released just before the turn of the century? For once, the answer isn't The Matrix.
Blade (Wesley Snipes) is something of a phenomenon. He is a daywalker, possessing all the powers of vampires, strength speed and durability, but suffers from none of their weaknesses, silver, sunlight and everything else. Naturally he uses these abilities to hunt the creatures of the night. But vampires are always up to something, and this time is no different. Wielding a variety of wonderful weapons and with the skills to kill, Blade will take no prisoners as he tries to stop what can only be described as a vampire apocalypse.
From vampire councils and sunlight executions to ancient prophecies and excessive bloodshed, Blade has everything you could possibly want from a vampire movie. Wesley Snipes is the king of cool, almost always looking like he's been cut straight out of the pages of a comic book. Mostly because he was. Blade was the first big budget film adaptation of a Marvel character. A strange choice, but not an unwelcome one.
The movie is basically built around the rule of cool, more interested in kinetic action, over the top violence and a soundtrack that feels right at home in the 90s. There's a plot, but it's pretty weak, the characters are on the good side of one-dimensional, that is to say they're more enjoyable than boring, and it's all too much fun to handle.
There are few movies as unabashedly enjoyable as Blade (the sequel is one of them), It hails from a time long gone. A time where risks were taken and Marvel had some balls. It's a time I hope will come again, but until it does, Blade will have to do.
Comments