Review of Blade (1998) by Wesley M — 08 Jun 2011

Wesley Snipes scores only marginally better than Arnold Schwarzenegger in the acting department in this outing, and while i'm not sure if this was due to the script or Snipes' own talents, its the very first thing you notice about the film. He seems appropriate for the role, and fills out the physical requirements quite nicely, but his dialogue mostly consists of half-cocked one-liners delivered with flat affect and a deep, gravelly rumble which at times sounds as though his voice is cracking. He has almost zero meaningful lines.

The rest of the cast works pretty well, and N'Bushe Wright justifies her otherwise bewildering presence (they never really explain why Blade picks her) through a solid performance. Conveniently, she plays a hematologist (blood doctor in layman's terms) and plays a key role in several plot points.

The plot actually works on a visceral level here, speaking of, as it gives a straightforward motivation for all the players while hinting a deeper overall scheme. In a world where vampires have an uneasy, unknown truce with humanity, some players from both camps are unhappy with the status quo. Blade represents the middle ground, but has chosen to side himself with the humans, hunting vampires wherever they may appear. Frost, a vampire who seeks more and more personal power, works to free an ancient vampire God to subjugate humanity.

Obviously one of these characters doesn't make it to the credits.

The editing is stilted, there aren't many clear transitions between locations, aren't many framing shots, and it jumps around awkwardly between different scenes. It isn't completely horrible, but it should have been done better.

There is some emotion and symbolism to be found underneath this mythology-themed action flick. But you can't really see it for the action. Don't expect much deeper meaning. Its fun enough to justify its existence, and the vampiric twist on the classic revenge tale makes it interesting over more generic films. But dear God, somebody get Snipes some acting lessons.