Blade | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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Directed by | Stephen Norrington |
Produced by | Peter Frankfurt Wesley Snipes Robert Engelman Andrew J. Horne |
Written by | David S. Goyer |
Based on | Blade by Marv Wolfman Gene Colan |
Starring | Wesley Snipes Stephen Dorff Kris Kristofferson N'Bushe Wright Donal Logue Sanaa Lathan |
Music by | Mark Isham |
Cinematography | Theo Van De Sande |
Editing by | Paul Rubell |
Studio | New Line Cinema Marvel Enterprises Amen Ra Films Imaginary Forces |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date(s) | August 21, 1998 |
Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $45,000,000 |
Gross revenue | $131,183,530 |
Blade is a 1998 vampire action film starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Blade.[1] The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Snipes plays Blade, a human-vampire hybrid, who protects humans against vampires. Blade grossed $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide. Two sequels, Blade II and Blade: Trinity, were subsequently produced.
Contents |
Plot
The movie begins with a flashback of a pregnant woman being treated in hospital after being bitten by what the doctors assume is some kind of wild animal. They try to revive her but after they deliver her baby boy, she dies.
The action then moves to the present and we see a seductive woman (Traci Lords) who leads an unsuspecting man to a private dance club. The man soon realizes something is amiss and when blood begins to pour down from the sprinkler system he discovers that the club's patrons are all vampires and that they use these "meat markets" to entrap humans and feed upon them.
Suddenly Blade (Wesley Snipes) bursts in and immediately kills most of the vampires, including Quinn (Donal Logue), their leader, whom he sets on fire. When police and fire crews arrive on the scene, Blade escapes and the police take Quinn's body to the morgue. As Dr Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright) carries out a post-mortem Quinn returns to life and attacks both Jenson and her co-worker. At this point Blade arrives at the morgue, having guessed that Quinn will revive; he attacks the rejuvenated vampire, but is again forced to retreat when the police arrive, and Quinn escapes. As Blade leaves he sees the mortally wounded Jenson lying on the floor, beckoning for help. Moved by the memory of his mother's fate, Blade rescues her and takes her back to his base, where he and his mentor and weapons technician Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) treat her in an attempt to save her from turning into a vampire.
Meanwhile, in the House of Erebus, a meeting of the vampire Shadow Council is in session. The vampire elder Dragonetti (Udo Kier) discusses Blade's recent intensified attacks, and berates Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) for his recklessness in running the meat markets. During this scene, we gain an insight into vampire politics - the established vampire leadership, headed by Dragonetti, believes that vampires should try to co-exist with humans, but the renegade faction represented by Frost believes that vampires should rule the humans outright and harvest them like cattle. It is also established that 'pure-blood' vampires (i.e. those who are born vampires) such as Dragonetti consider themselves superior to the former humans (like Frost) whom they have turned into vampires.
Back at Blade's lair, Whistler recounts Blade's past, explains their mission and describes the nature and power of vampires. He reveals that Blade is a "Daywalker", a unique human-vampire hybrid who has the strengths of a vampire but is immune to their weaknesses (including sunlight, garlic and silver). However, he also explains that Blade requires regular doses of a special serum that alleviates his need to drink blood, and without which he would be forced to feed on humans, so Jenson offers to use her medical knowledge to find a permanent cure.
Later, when Jenson decides to go home, Blade warns her that, due to Quinn's bite, she may still become a vampire. Arriving at her apartment, she is attacked by a policeman who is revealed to be a familiar - a human being who serves vampires in the hopes of someday becoming one. Blade again rescues Jenson and drives off the familiar, and they follow him to another of Frost's clubs. There Blade forces the familiar to show them the hidden entrance to a secret underground complex. Exploring the bunker, Blade and Jenson come upon a grossly obese vampire named Pearl, whom they torture for information with a UV-Lamp. Pearl reveals Frost's research into vampire rituals and mythology and his plan to turn himself into an invulnerable vampire blood-god named La Magra. As Blade and Jenson explore the vampire library they are ambushed by Quinn and his gang, but they manage to escape through a subway tunnel, thanks to the timely intervention of Whistler.
Frost now acts to take over the vampire hierarchy, capturing Dragonetti (whom he kills by exposing him to the sunrise) and taking the other members of the Shadow Council prisoner. When Blade leaves his hideout to obtain materials for Jenson's improved serum, Frost and his gang take advantage of his absence to attack, abducting Jenson and shooting and beating Whistler, whom they then bite, leaving him to turn into a vampire. When Blade returns he finds a taunting video left by Frost and Whistler begs Blade to give him a gun so he can kill himself before he turns (Blade hears the gunshot from outside, but does not see it happen).
Vowing revenge, Blade arms himself for a final raid, taking a clip of special pneumatic syringes loaded with EDTA, which has a highly volatile reaction with vampire blood. He fights his way into Frost's lair, where he discovers that that his mother Vanessa Brooks (Sanaa Lathan) is still alive, that she has resurrected as a vampire and that she is now Frost's mistress. While thus distracted he is captured, and Frost reveals that it was he who had bitten Blade's mother on the night of his birth. Blade is taken to the Temple of Eternal Night, where Frost enacts the final stages of his plan - using Blade's blood and the sacrifice of the twelve pure-blood vampire leaders, he intends to resurrect La Magra and become the god's incarnation, thereby gaining unassailable power.
Frost throws Jenson into a pit, assuming she will be killed by her former co-worker (now a vampire) but she manages to overpower him and escape. As the ritual begins, the trapped Blade is drained of blood, and the spirits of the Shadow Council are torn from their bodies to fuse with Frost, transforming him into La Magra. However, while this is happening, Jenson finds Blade, frees him from his sacrificial housing and allows him to feed on her blood to renew his strength. The revived Blade then kills his mother and disposes of Frost's minions.
In a climactic battle, Blade and Frost fight to the death at the base of the temple. Realising that Frost now has the ability to instantly regenerate his body and cannot be killed by any conventional means, Blade hits Frost with all the syringes, causing his body to explode.
As they leave the Temple, Jenson offers to continue working on a cure for Blade. He refuses, telling her that it would rob him of his Daywalker powers and render him unable to hunt vampires, so instead he asks her to make a better serum. The final scene shows Blade in Moscow, hunting down a Russian vampire.
Cast
- Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks / Blade: A half-vampire "daywalker" who hunts vampires.
- N'Bushe Wright as Dr. Karen Jenson: A hematologist who is bitten by a vampire. She stays with Blade to remain safe while she finds a cure for herself.
- Stephen Dorff as Deacon Frost: An upstart vampire. He emerges as Blade's primary enemy and also wants to conquer the human race.
- Kris Kristofferson as Abraham Whistler: Blade's mentor and weaponsmith.
- Donal Logue as Quinn: A cocky minion of Frost's.
- Udo Kier as Gitano Dragonetti: A vampire elder.
- Sanaa Lathan as Vanessa Brooks: Blade's mother, who has become a vampire.
- Arly Jover as Mercury: Frost's lover.
- Kevin Patrick Walls as Officer Krieger: A "familiar", or human servant, of Frost's.
- Tim Guinee as Dr. Curtis Webb: Karen's ex-boyfriend who later becomes a decomposing vampire.
- Traci Lords as Racquel: A seductive vampire who leads a man to the blood rave.
Production notes and cameos
- Filming was in large part done in Los Angeles, with some scenes being shot in Death Valley.[2]
- Flat Earth Productions created the effects for the film.[3]
- Stan Lee originally had a cameo that was ultimately cut from the film. Although Blade is a Marvel Comics character, he was created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan. So far, Stan Lee only has had cameos in movies based on characters that he helped create.
- David Goyer explains in the DVD commentary that when Karen Jenson wakes up at Blade's hideout after her initial attack and rescue by Blade, the script had her discover a jar with a vampire baby in it. The baby would be alive and used by Blade and Whistler as a guinea pig for testing out weapons to fight the vampires. The studio found this concept to be far too disturbing and refused to allow it.
- The original ending included an eight-story monstrous version of La Magra. This was scrapped and re-done to the current known ending after many fans were disappointed when Stephen Dorff (Frost) was taken off-camera during the film's first screening. The original ending can be found in the special features section of the DVD.
- An alternate ending can be found on the LaMagra section of the DVD where Karen Jenson points out a shadowy figure wrapped in rags on a distant rooftop. The character is supposed to be the Marvel Comic vampire Morbius.
- The film playing on the TV in Frost's Penthouse being watched by the young girl is showing a scene from Mortal Kombat featuring Reptile in his CGI form.
- Matt Schulze, Chupa from Blade II, has a bit part in the archive room, playing the vampire Crease, used to exhibit the effectiveness of the booby trapped hilt.
Connections to the comic
The character Blade was created in 1973 for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan as a supporting character in the 1970s comic The Tomb of Dracula. The comic Blade used steak knives and was much more the everyman in his behavior and attitude. Though courageous and brave, he displayed flaws as well, such as an inability to get along with certain other supporting cast members and a hatred of vampires that bordered on fanaticism.
The character was not originally a "daywalker" but a human being immune to being turned into a vampire. Lacking the superhuman speed and strength of his undead quarry, he relied solely on his wits and skill until he was bitten by the character Morbius. The film version of Blade was updated for a 1990s audience and the comics character was subsequently modified to match. The film's version of Deacon Frost also differs greatly from his comic counterpart. Although the movie retains Frost's upstart ambitions, he was a great deal younger and more updated for the 1990s.
Release
Commercial
Blade went to number one in both Spain and Australia for their opening weekends. With 200 theatres showing the film, Spain's cinema goers earned the film $1.5 million (US) in three days, whilst Australia earned $1 million from 132 cinemas showing the film.[4] In the Flemish Region of Belgium, the film earned $323,000 from 20 cinemas, and the Netherlands earned the film $246,000 from 44 cinemas.[5] France made $1.9 million in five days from 241 cinemas, but the film was less successful in Hong Kong (with $182,000 from 22 cinemas) and South Africa ($159,000 from 64 cinemas). The United Kingdom was more successful, taking in $5.7 million over 10 days,[6] as was Brazil, making $855,000 in four days from 133 cinemas.[7] The film was banned from showing in Malaysia, widely considered to have the most controlling censors in Southeast Asia.[8]
Critical reaction
Reaction to Blade among critics was mixed, with the film earning a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9] Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4, writing: "Blade ... is a movie that relishes high visual style. It uses the extreme camera angles, the bizarre costumes and sets, the exaggerated shadows, the confident cutting between long shots and extreme closeups. It slams ahead in pure visceral imagery."[10] Conversely, James Berardinelli gave the film 2½ stars out of 4, writing: "Blade has the capacity to dazzle, but it also will leave many viewers dissatisfied."[11]
Impact
Blade was one of the first successful comic book based films to be released after the disastrous performance of Batman & Robin and Steel. Its success convinced Marvel to develop the X-Men film series as well as the Spider-Man film series.
Lawsuit
Marv Wolfman, the original creator of the Blade character, unsuccessfully sued Marvel and New Line for $50 million after the release of the film. He, along with artist Gene Colan, receives a "based on characters created by" credit in this film, but does not receive credit in the sequels or TV series.
The third and final movie of the trilogy gives credit to Marv Wolfman, at the beginning of the ending credits.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on August 25, 1998 by TVT Records. It peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200 and #28 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
References
- ^ "Blade to Snipes' Heat". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-11-06/entertainment/ca-1124_1_wesley-snipes. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
- ^ Bashirah Muttalib (8 October 1998). "As more pics shoot in Calif., coffers swell". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117481188.html. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Marc Graser (1 October 2001). "Flat Earth founder forms new company". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117853484.html. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Don Groves (13 October 1998). "Germans embrace 'Ryan' at the B.O.". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117481371.html. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Don Groves (3 November 1998). "'Antz' swarming o'seas". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117488039.html. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Don Groves (9 November 1998). "'Antz,' 'Exorcist' impressive o'seas". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117488220.html. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Don Groves (24 November 1998). "'Mary,' 'Whisperer' top $100 mil mark o'seas". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117488803.html. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ Don Groves (5 November 1998). "'Ryan' under attack". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117488131.html. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
- ^ "Blade Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1083484-blade/. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ^ "Blade :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Rogerebert.suntimes.com. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980821/REVIEWS/808210301/1023. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ^ "Blade - Reelviews Movie Reviews - James Berardinelli". Reelviews.net. http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=1442. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
External links
- Blade at Allmovie
- Blade at Box Office Mojo
- Blade at the Internet Movie Database
- Blade at Marvel.com
- Blade at Metacritic
- Blade at Rotten Tomatoes
- Blade turns Ten. Interviews with the cast members from the movie
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