25th Anniversary Review -- Blade

  

Before Marvel was a blockbuster factory, before the Avengers were part of the vernacular and before superheroes were everywhere, another comic book hero was propelled to legendary status by the studio. Blade is not only one of Marvel's best offerings, it is also one of the best vampire sub-genre entries, showcasing an intriguing story, unique characters and action sequences, and a techno-meets-Gothic atmosphere.

In a world where vampires live among humans in secrecy, Eric Brooks/Blade (Wesley Snipes) is a half-human and half-vampire hunter whose mother was bitten while pregnant. When he finds out that a faction led by the rebellious Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) is planning to resurrect the blood god La Magra and wipe out the human race, he and his mentor (Kris Kristofferson) team up with hematologist Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright) to stop them...

First off, that opening scene. The club scene is one of the best openers ever made; I will never forget my astonishment when I first saw Blade on the big screen. It is an unexpected and explosive beginning to this adaptation, setting up the nocturnal realm in which vampires swagger and unabashedly enjoy eternal life. However, it has to be said that the scene is not technically the opening. The movie starts off in an emergency room where Blade's mother was just brought in, having been bitten by a vampire and inadvertently giving her son "all our strengths... none of our weaknesses", as one character describes him. It is not nearly as flashy as the club scene, but is effective in its slow motion melancholy and muted sounds.

The stylish and industrial look of the movie is part of its appeal. Kirk M. Petruccelli's production design and Barry Chusid's art direction make the shadowy and ferocious world of Blade tangible. Theo van de Sande's vivid cinematography oscillates between steely cobalt of a metropolis and scarlet hues of blood, and the contrast is a sight to behold. Just check out the opening and the pool scene. The warmer, earthy shades depicting the Temple of Eternal Night and events toward the end are sublime in depicting the climactic ancient ritual. Sanja Milkovic Hays's costumes are sleek and uncompromising, with Blade's leather ensemble in particular becoming iconic.

The casting is perfect. Snipes is pure energy as the title character, alternating between action hero and an outsider searching for their identity, and finding human nuances and vulnerabilities. Dorff simmers riveting evil as Deacon Frost, only allowing the character's insecurities to shine through when the matter of his origins is discussed. N'Bushe Wright is terrific as Dr. Karen Jenson, a hematologist who finds out the truth about the world and simultaneously acts as an audience proxy. Kristofferson provides trust and reliability as Blade's father figure Whistler, while Donal Logue provides levity as Frost's sidekick Quinn, with many of his lines improvised. Finally, Sanaa Lathan has a lively and provocative turn as Blade's mother Vanessa.

One of the best vampire movies ever made, Blade has also set the tone and standard for what a comic book adaptation should be. A great story with distinctive characterization and atmosphere is always magic. On a final note, I do wish that studios were in the business of rebooting entries or franchises that had not been successful to begin with, rather than movies as groundbreaking as Blade. My hope is that the upcoming reboot learns from and looks up to the fantastic original, which is as effective and full of surprises today as that evening in the eager, darkened cinema.

10/10