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Blade
Wesley Snipes plays a half-human, half-vampire immortal dedicated to saving humanity from Vampires. Based on the Marvel Comic book series.

Starring Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff

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Reviews Summary


Please Note: Reader Reviews are submitted by the readers of The BigScreen Cinema Guide and represent their own personal opinions regarding this movie, and do not represent the views of The BigScreen Cinema Guide, or any of its associated entities.

[--- Good ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
Blade is based on a comic book and holds that feel for most of the movie. I went expecting action and not an oscar winning performance and that is what I got. In a beginning scene slightly remeniscent of the opening of "Replacement Killers" I had high hopes that this film would at least excel in the artistic end of the spectrum, but it really never had the depth that I got from Replacement Killers or Interview with the Vampire. Deacon Frost is well played by Stephen Dorff who has the half maniacal look of a young Brad Pitt. Wesley Snipes does come off as a driven half vampire, but some of the dialogue was unnecessary and banal. This movie runs over 2 hours but could have been cut back to about 1 1/2 without a problem.

[--- Good ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
Amazing. That describes most of "Blade", a hyper, Michael Bay-esque Vampire horror-action film that combines great visuals, good visual effects, and a very comic book storyline (well, it IS based on a comic book!). Don't go expecting a plot along the lines of "Saving Private Ryan".

Blade (Wesley Snipes) is a half vampire, half crime fighter; when we first meet him, he is busting up a night club of blood thirsty vampires, using his powerful fighting techniques (since he is half vampire, he can battle the vampires. Get it?); the opening, among all the other action scenes, is such a visual thrill that we are injected right into the screen.

However, to view these great action sequences, we have to sit through a lame plot, boring dialogue and some boring characters. Take, for instance, the doctor (N'Bushe Wright), who has been bit by a burning vampire, and has taken an essence of garlic medicine that will hopefully cure it. I didn't care for her story, or what happened to her. Blame it on her performance, which to her seems like standing there, not reacting, and spurting out lame dialogue.

The film's story, while weak, is Blade fighting the evil vampire of them all, Frost (a great Stephen Dorff) before the vampires wreak havoc on the streets and take over the world. The vampires must be stopped, and Blade is the one to do it.

So why a B-? What is good and what is bad? You have to really look at this film through a comic book point of view, understanding that the dialogue is trite because it has to be, and that the story must somehow have some sort of little zinger at the end that calls for the story to continue. The action scenes here are the standouts, which feature relentless editing, fast camera angles, and even a techno-fueled soundtrack, which works very well.

The key performers, Snipes and Dorff, are terrific; this is the first time that you can actually care about a superhero. Snipes has dimension and even has a few good lines (the best one is when he says "what the f-ck" but the soundtrack has muted out his line), he is fun to watch. Dorff grew on me as Deacon. At first he seemed like a stock character, but eventually he turned into a satisfying villian.

However, with the bad plot, comes the lame dialog, which seems even lame compared to the comic-strip balloons. And some performances, like Wrights, are lousy. I didn't care at all for Kris Kristofferson's role as the guardian of Blade, and all of the other vampires, whether it be a ditsy blonde or a working stiff. Also, some scenes in the movie make no sense, such as when Deacon is executing one of his vampires by exposing him to sunlight, and before he does so, he pulls a couple of his teeth. What's the point? Pulling out teeth is unnecessary when the sun is going to burn him to death! (plus pulling teeth is horrifying to watch, just see "Wild Things")

However, on a whole the movie still works. I would be more satisfied if the performances were smoother and the story made you think and care about what is happening. If not for the amazing pyrotechnics, "Blade" would be a dull film indeed.

Grade: B-

Tech Review

Picture: 2.5 Typical New Line film stock with faded out colors and lots of film grain. Blacks and shadow detail are very good, however.

Sound: 5 The soundtrack, which is mixed in dts, SDDS and Dolby Digital, is outstanding with a rich surround presence, deep, powerful bass (especially in the techno section) and clear dialogue.

Photography: 2.5 While the editing is fast and furious, director Stephen Norrington has trouble framing Panavision properly. Most shots are too messy with bad framing.

121 minutes. Rated R for tooth pulling, extreme gory violence and language. New Line Cinema. Length: 121 minutes. jason_whyte@hotmail.com

[--- See Now! ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
A must see for martial art and action packed movie lovers. An interesting plot nicely done special effect, no story flaws. Well worth the ticket price.

[--- Good ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
The story is rather slow at times but is balanced out by the non-stop action. Blade never stopped looking mean or hitting hard. Although I did have to frown when he would be under heavy firebut not get hit.

I must applaude the special effects. My eyes believed what I was seeing. Some scenes were so realistic they were rather gruesome. This movie is rated R for a good reason. If you dont like violenceyou'd probably want to avoid seeing it.

[--- See Now! ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
In one word: AWESOME!!!! This is by far the best action movie of the summer! The ONE movie I've waited to see all year, I wasn't dissapointed at all. It's definetly one of the best comic book adaptations, right up with The Crow, Batman (the original) and the first Superman. Wesley Snipes is perfect as Blade!! A lot of critics may complain about his straight performance, but I love it. I mean, it's about time a superhero doesn't have a love interest, go to parties, and lead a dual life. All he wants to do is kill vampires. But who REALLY amazed me was Stephen Dorff. This is MTV movie award "Best Villian" all over it. I've seen some of his films, (2), and he's a great actor, but never makes movies you see. His name will definitely be right up there with Leo, Matt, and Ben (so famous now I don't have to say their last names) Anyways, ignore major reviews, cause those "critics" also hate Adam Sandler and Chris Tucker movies, even though those guys are hilarious. So have a good time, enjoy the violence, and wait for the sequel.

[--- Good ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
Good, with the potential to be "See Now", but not quite there.

[--- Good ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
I thought it was a pretty good movie. As you can probably expect from the trailers, this is going to be a little bit of a gory movie, and it was. A little bit more than Interview With A Vampire, and a lot more action. The fight scenes are pretty good (the usual Snipes scenes). I usually rate my movies by how much I would be willing to pay (if I could pay any kind of price) and I would rate this movie a $5.00 movie.

[--- Good ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
Blade is a extremely violent, profane, and special effects-ridden movie. It's awesome! I watched the whole movie in awe and at sometimes suprise. It was so entertaining I couldn't believe I didn't see right through right away. From the beginning, which by far was my favorite scene in the whole movie, to the end, there was nothing in this movie but entertainment. It was directed by as-far-as-I-know newcomer director, Stephen Norrington, in which I think has got some great talent and good future ahead of him. It stars one of today's top black action heroes, Wesley Snipes (Passenger 57), back-from-the-dead early 90's star Stephen Dorff (City of Industry), Kris Kristofferson (Fire Down Below), and suprisingly talented newcomer, N'Bushe Wright. It is story of a half-human, half-vampire who's mother was bitten by a vampire right before he was born. He was then forced to roam the streets and eventually being adopted by his weapon maker Kris Kristofferson. He fights off a bunch of vampires in the beginning and begins to fall for a doctor who's attacked by a vampire, N'Bushe Wright. The storyline may be a little on the weak side, and there many iffy parts that I don't think should've been made, but otherwise it is a great thrill ride that any action buff will love.

[--- Good ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
This is the comic side of "From Dusk Till Dawn", by comic i do not mean comedy with laughs because I did not laugh once, but rather a silly, unproffesional, macho, nothing can happen to the hero kinda look at vampires. It stars Wesley Snipes as Blade, the half human half vampire, he has all of their strengths and none of their weaknesses, he is the ultimate vampire slayer. There is an underworld realm of vampires, in nightclubs and so forth, their way of life is fine by their government, until one rebel decides that they should be the superior species, he is the very talented young actor Stephen Doreak, the Gen-X vampire leader.

Now the first scene had to probably be the best most intriguing one. It shows a guy and a girl driving to an underground nightclub, which turns out to be a vampire layer, the male is the only human there and is being threatened by everyone until Blade comes. Thus begins the action with loud tekno music (My Favorite) filling the background. What bothered me in all the action scenes were how all the vapires seemed to die so easely, it's like one hit and they all desintagrade. Well the plot is Stephen Dorff threatend the world with the sacrifice of all the old vapires to the God's, this makes him so powerful that he is unstopable.

Overall a pretty good movie, kinda of strange to see Snipes all buffed up, there is no good dialouge, so i didn't appreciate it as much as i should have. However there are some great action scenes and a few nifty special effects. So if you just want to pass the time i guess you should see it.

GRADE: B-

[--- See Now! ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
Finally a Marvel comic was made into a decent movie! I'm a fan of Marvel comics but their track record in the movies has been awful.

Until now.

This intense movie blends lightening fast action (generally to the machine gun staccato beat of rave music), eye popping digital effects, and a perfectly suited cast (Snipes and Kris Kristophersen are perfect for their parts) into a fun roller coaster ride of a flick. Yes, the second act is a tad slower than needed, but the boffo opening and satisfying climax make this movie a must see!

Jan 25, 2000
First of all...I didn't like it. Wesley Snipes plays a "day walker" (someone born into vampirism who is half-vampire and half-human). Snipes' human side is the controlling side so he is leading a life of fighting off his vampire desires and also fighting the "true-blood" and "turned" vampires. Stephen Dorff plays a "turned-vampire" (someone who has been bitten) who is a member of the "senior vampire council" trying to gain control of the vampire world. The premise of the movie is that the vampires and the human governments have developed treaties thousands of years ago that keep both vampires and humans happy today. The police let vampires periodically take some victims and the deal is that the vampires won't wipe out the human race nor will the humans try to wipe them out. This leaves Snipes quite alone except for his faithful friend, Kris Kristofferson, who is helping him come up with weapons to fight the vampires. The fight scenes and action become long and boring, while the vampire-attack scenes are just gross. If you are looking for a "frightful" vampire movie, this isn't it. Bottom line...if you are hoping to see a scary or shocking movie, go elsewhere, the only bite you will get is in the pocketbook.

[--- See Now! ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
This movie is great for sci-fi fans. Lots of action. Snipes plays a colorfull hero. Not for the weak stomach. Must see.

[--- Stay Away! ---]by  
Jan 25, 2000
Snipes looks dead in this flick. Not that he's an oscar caliber actor anyway, but in this film he truely "sucks" (pun intended). Not to mention his cohort Chris Chirstopherson not being able to act his way out of a paper bag. Lame story, bad acting, but good visual effects. Big Deal, visual effects are common on sci-fi television now. Laughable actually, like Alien 4. The only person worth watching ( Traci Lords ) only has a bit part. One word for this movie - CRAPOLA!

Mar 31, 2008
Wesley Snipes' best performance of his career is "Blade," a thriller based on the Marvel comic of the 1970's. He's a half-human, half-vampre who goes out to hunt other vampires and the action is non-stop. this is the first of three Blade movies and the first one is the best of the three.
Jul 11, 2012

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