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SUMMARY

There are two worlds.

First is the one that we know. The one where people go to work, pay their taxes, and generally believe that they are safe.

Second is the real world. A world that exists in the shadows. A place where human life is measured in liters. Where beasts that roam the night live, preying on the weak and helpless. The world of the Vampire.

There are those who fight against the vampires. Men and women who have dedicated their lives to destroy this underground menace. One such hunter is Blade.

Born of a human mother bitten by a vampire, Blade is half human, half vampire. Gaining their strength, agility, and their thirst for blood, Blade fights a never ending battle against the forces of darkness.

Now, Blade has to deal with an uprising in the vampire ranks. Deacon Frost is looking to take control of the underworld, and he needs Blade to help him do it. Now, with his partner Whisler and Karen, a biochemist who Blade rescued after being attacked by a vampire, have to figure out the mystery before Frost devoured the world.

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The DVD quality is excellent. With most of this movie taking place in dark places, the ever present danger of rampant pixels exists. As with all New Line DVD's the video quality is excellent. No problems what so ever with pixels, color bleeds, or any other problems.

AUDIO: Well, a great action film needs some kicking audio, and Blade delivers. The 5.1 audio travels all around the sound stage. The little whispers and sounds of vampire snarling gets you from all sides.

The 2.0 does a great job as well. The dialogue comes from the center, with the music and sfx on the sides.
The audio commentaries are typical, the movie in the back ground, the commentary in the front. The isolated score sounds great, but it only covers the "original music", not the cool techno and hip hop sounds the permeate the entire movie.

EDITS: Well, the end fight was changed due to the fact it looked like Blade fought bloody Jello. There are some other scenes that were changed or shortened, but for the most part, the movie is unhurt.

EXTRAS: Since this is a Platinum Series, you would expect nothing but the best. You get it. Mind you, it's not an Infinifilm (where did they get that name?), but it's close. You get several "making of" features, origin of the comics feature, story progression, and some vampire history. You also get a database of the vampire glyphs, cast and crew bios, and a lot of different audio tracks.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: David S. Goyer (The Crow) has given us another dark and edgy action thriller, but with more energy. The dialogue is sharp, and the setting is brutal. There is quite a bit of exposition to explain this dark world, but it doesn’t detract from the story. Mind you the plot is not very complex. Much like "The Crow" it is a straightforward story.

ACTING: Top notch performances take what could have been a B movie into the A list. Wesley Snipes gives the right amount of intensity and menace, with just a glimmer of humanity. Indi king Stephen Dorff makes one of his few journeys over to the mainstream and does a great job as the ambitious, nasty, and down right evil Deacon Frost. New comer N'Bushe Wright and Kris Kristofferson both do their bad ass best.

FAN SERVICE: Well, some tight clothes, some bra shots, and Traci Lords in a bra dancing with another woman makes up the male requirement. Plenty of Wesley sans shirt, bearing his muscles. Ladies, wouldn't you like to have him nibble on your neck?

CONCLUSION

Having not been a big fan of the comic that inspired it, nor a big fan of adaptations of comics, I watched this film for three reasons:

1. David S. Goyer's work on "The Crow (still one of the best comic films ever)

2. Wesley Snipes (Demolition Man, New Jack City)

3. The fact that I love vampire films.

I was not disappointed on all three fronts.

Blade is an action flick of the highest order. It has everything; sword fights, gun play, karate, hot chicks, pumping soundtrack, and plenty of vampires getting wasted in various ways. Wesley Snipes is absolutely bad a$$ as he shoots, kicks, and slices his way through the vampire ranks. My favorite is Whisler. He gets some of great "one liners" and gets to have fun being the good ole boy, ex-biker vampire killer.

While the plot may be a little on the predictable side, it is the strength of the performances that keep this movie going. There is enough back story to keep things lively, and the unique character and places (love the Japanese School Girl bar) keep you interested. Everyone has a reason for doing what they do, which helps you to invest in the characters.

The only real problem with this movie its the plot holes. I am not going to tell them all to you but suffice it to say, you can't miss them. They are bigger than Pearl, the Record Keeper. They do a good job of covering these glaring mistakes with fast pacing and snappy dialogue.

Oh, the other problem is that Traci Lords is not in it long enough. I think she would have made one hell of a kick ass villain. Instead, they kill her off, with no chance for her to return. No offense to Arly Jover, but I think Traci Lords is better  looking.

Kudos go out to the makeup artists. Their vampires don't go the route of the demon beast types or overly large canine teeth (like Razor Blade Smile) types. They are normal looking people, except for their pale color and that their fangs come out when they are hungry.

Blade was a movie I could really sink my teeth into (you knew that was coming). With its great performances, awesome action, and a little Traci Lords, help make this movie one of our favorites, despite the plot holes.

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