Blade (Wesley Snipes) is a vampire hunter with a difference - he seems to be part vampire himself. With the help of his assistant, Dr. Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), he emerges after dark to do battle with the blood-sucking creatures of the night, who prey on humans. The vampires 'infect' humans with their bite and contaminated humans become vampires too.
Based on the eponymous comic-book hero, Blade is breathtaking in its monotony and lack of originality. The twist, if you can call it that, is that the vampires consist of two classes those who have always been vampires, and those who have been infected, but who were originally human. The two factions are engaged in a power struggle, with the leader of one faction, Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) planning to overthrow the present leadership. And that is as complex as the movie gets, unfortunately.
The story of vampires has inspired many filmmakers, from schlock-horror hacks to A-list directors. Since F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922), the themes of immortality, the allegory between sex and the vampire's bite, and the blood imagery have inspired works by Neil Jordan, Francis Ford Coppola, John Landis, Abel Ferrera and Tony Scott amongst others. However, David Goyer's script seems to be content to leave these themes unexplored and Stephen Norrington's heavy-handed direction consists of one tedious, overblown fight scene after another.
The prospect of Blade as a sort of iconic figure is simply risible. Wesley Snipe's performance makes one yearn nostalgically for Passenger 57 and Demolition Man, while I hope Stephen Dorff sent a good portion of his fee to Kiefer Sutherland, since Dorff's performance is a leaden imitation of Sutherland in The Lost Boys (hardly a classic in itself). I can only presume Kris Kristofferson is saving up for something expensive as an excuse for appearing in Blade - I hope he got well paid. This is completely forgettable stuff.
Directed by Stephen Norrington.
| ****** Excellent - An outstanding
movie ***** V. Good - Very enjoyable or engrossing **** Good - Entertaining *** Mediocre - Nothing special ** Poor - A waste of time * Terrible - Complete rubbish |
** |
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