Blade

'Blade' is not entirely what I expected. I had no clue this was about vampires, like at all. I evidently knew little about these films, I was anticipating a relatively standard yet stylish superhero flick - based upon the lead character's look, which is the only thing I knew of. That's not a criticism, as the vampire stuff ended up being pretty fun to watch unfold. I will say that Wesley Snipes is the reason for that fact though, as Stephen Dorff and his band of one-dimensional renegades are only just narrowly watchable. Snipes as the titular character is excellent though, while Kris Kristofferson and N'Bushe Wright are good too. The special effects haven't aged the best, though some parts are still decent and, to be honest, even the less than good pieces still work. For example the effect used when the vampires are killed looks fine, though the end with Frost's blood does look a bit dorky now - but again, works.

Wesley Snipes is "Blade" - an immortal half-breed charged with protecting mankind from the menace of the ever-peckish vampires with only his quirky sidekick "Whistler" (Kris Kristofferson) as an ally. Finally, the vampire council decide it is time to rid themselves of their nemesis and so "Deacon Frost" (Stephen Dorff) is tasked with bringing him down. I was always a fan of Dorff - never the best actor, but he had a bit of presence on screen - a good looking bit of rough, I suppose - and here is is a good counterpoint to the fastidious man-in-black whom he is out to destroy. The fight scenes are too choreographed for me, way too much acrobatics that detract from the menace of the story - it's supposed by about vampires, not rhythmic gymnastics - but it still moves along well as "Frost" tries to summon the blood god "La Magra" to give him the ultimate power to defeat our hero. This doesn't hang about, the action is fast-paced and the effects and characterisations gel quite well together for an enjoyable, if predictable story that is by far the best of the sequels it spawned.

When this came out I thought it was the best vampire movie ever. Tons of action, fight scenes, and gore. I love how the vampires look when they die. One of my favorites!