By 1998, it was a certainty that the studios had all but given up on superhero movies. After the financial flops that were Steel and Spawn, along with the sheer critical universal panning of Batman & Robin, the prospects for future superhero movies seemed dim. In the nineties it was very difficult for even a Batman movie to get off the ground, with properties like Superman, Iron Man, and Spider-Man stuck in a decade long development purgatory at their respective studios.
But in 1998, New Line Cinema took a shot on what was considered a somewhat “C” level superhero in the form of Blade. Within the Marvel Universe there exists a horror sub-universe where characters like Mephisto, Ghost Rider, Morbius, and Man-Thing roam, and Blade was considered one of their greatest foils and adversaries. Created by Gene Colan and Marv Wolfman, Blade was introduced in 1973 in “The Tomb of Dracula” #10. He was one of the first real nemeses of Dracula in the Marvel universe, but despite his significance was never given as much focus as other characters of color like Black Panther, Falcon, or Luke Cage.
With the consensus being that comic book movies were all but dead, Blade pretty much revived the whole idea of comic book movies being not only profitable but also appealing to a broader audience beyond comic book fans. Of course, Blade had also been in the development process for a long time, with Michael De Luca and Peter Frankfurt developing a feature film since 1992. It began with both producers looking for a character of color from the Marvel gallery that they could bring to the big screen. Marvel obliged, giving them the rights to Blade and they took the option to New Line where they signed on writer David S. Goyer.
After five years of meetings and re-writes, New Line Cinema gave the go ahead for a film that would either further sink the comic book movie for a very long time or surprise with big returns. Despite the role initially being considered with LL Cool J or Laurence Fishburne in mind, Wesley Snipes was ultimately chosen for the role of Blade. This was in the midst of the many failed attempts by Snipes himself to start up a big budget Black Panther feature film.
Orphaned at birth due to his mother being bitten by a vampire during pregnancy and dying while giving birth to him, Blade was raised to wage war against the rising tide of vampires throughout modern Los Angeles. The vampires in the world of Blade rule through the underworld, manipulating local authorities and rising in the ranks through organized crime. Blade seeks to quell the movement and potential war initiated by vampire elders seeking to awaken the “blood god” known as La Magra, allowing them sentience and immense powers. Their schemes are interrupted by a young vampire mobster named Deacon Frost who is planning to initiate a war against the humans, who he views as inferior.
Meanwhile Blade is tasked with protecting a hematologist who was bitten by vampire minion Quinn during an escape attempt, as she verges on the edge of vampirism herself. She acts as an avatar for the audience as she ventures out with Blade, exploring the seedy underworld filled with creatures of the night.
David S. Goyer’s script takes us into a dark, grimy world where mankind is always teetering on the edge of destruction, giving Blade a heavy weight of responsibility and burden with his mentor and partner Whistler (played beautifully by Kris Kristofferson). With the character of Blade only really being known through the comics (and his appearances on “Spider-Man: The Animated Series”), Goyer and director Stephen Norrington were allowed to take some liberties with regards to the character, the mythos, and the universe he operated within. They gave the vampires a class system, for starters, and even their own language that they speak within their inner circles. Blade was also redesigned for a more modern, sleeker approach including his trademark hair cut, dark trench coat, and even weaponry. Who doesn’t remember his dreaded razor sharp Glave boomerang or signature katana? In many ways, the 1998 movie helped define the character.
In Blade, the titular hero is a silent but stoic vampire hunter who struggles with his blood lust and is known by other vampires as “The Daywalker.” Snipes’ performance as Blade is one of the best comic book movie castings in the entire sub-genre. Snipes absolutely embodies Blade from head to toe; his natural charisma, mystique, and hint of self-awareness allow him to really lend Blade a complexity that makes him a hero you root for through the very end.
From the mind blowing opening in the vampire blood rave, to his climactic sword fight with Deacon, Snipes entirely makes Blade his own character. This might be Marvel’s creation, but Blade belongs to Snipes the moment he appears on screen, even choreographing many of the fight sequences. Snipes’ experience as an action hero amplifies the truly excellent fight scenes that also work double time as helping turn the tide in the film’s narrative. There is also some great vampire carnage including a charred, undead Donal Logue attacking a doctor in a morgue, and the Deacon’s ultimate transformation. Director Norrington also supplies a considerable top tier supporting cast including the aforementioned Donal Logue, Udo Kier, and Sanaa Lathan.
Stephen Dorff is especially entertaining, matching Snipes’ charisma with his own take on one of Blade’s central villains in the comics. While Deacon Frost is an older man in the comics, the film depicts him as a younger more ruthless super villain who rivals Blade not only in attitude, but physical prowess. Granted, the whole “La Magra” scheme is a tad convoluted when you get right down to it, and the CGI is dodgy and dated, but that never hinders Blade from succeeding as a full steam action movie locomotive. Blade is a bona fide classic that’s still celebrated today, and for good reason. It was also an absolute masterstroke that renewed faith in the concept of comic book movies to studios after admirable critical and commercial success.
Many fans like to credit X-Men and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man for the boom in comic book movies of the aughts, but it was Blade that set the standard 25 years ago, way back in 1998.
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