Excellent vampire action

Rating: 10/10 (9 August 1999)

I gave this movie a "10" and I feel it is my duty to explain why. It is important first of all to realize what this movie is and what is not. It is an action movie, it is not a masterful exploration of the human condition. "Blade" is right up there as my favorite action movie of all time, with the possible exceptions of "The Rock" and "The Matrix". It does everything an action movie needs to do and then some: it has a fast-moving plot, engaging characters who drive the plot rather than bog it down, it creates a desire in the viewer for the good guy to win, and this last it does better than in any other movie I've ever seen, it creates a pulse-pounding visual experience. Another way in which "Blade" goes above and beyond is in its having a "gimmick", if you will. Just as "The Rock" had that awful poison gas and Alcatraz, and "The Matrix" had . . . well, go see it for yourself, Blade has this whole vampire culture it depicts, and a conflict of identity for the title character that comes into play at several points in the movie and does nothing but enhance the experience. Snipes is incredible. Every single gesture, change in posture, and facial expression is just wonderfully intense and perfectly befitting a vampire hunter. The camerawork includes several shots using a fascinating pseudo time-lapse technique which make you nervous even when the characters are just driving. The fight scenes are unparalleled, and as the official site said, there are weapons and techniques rarely seen in American action movies, you really have to see the way these guys move to believe it. What really sets this movie apart is that every scene is intense, there is not a boring scene in the whole movie. The presence of the vampires is constantly felt after the opening scene, and the pressure never lets up. Even the character development scenes make you nervous, because there is almost always some helpless human that you are afraid a vampire is going to chomp into any second, despite the fact that the threat is taking a backseat to the dialogue for a moment. Also, even when nothing tangibly exciting is happening, there is this kind of weird lighting that sort of puts you on edge and makes you enter Blade's world, making you feel what it's like to be a vampire. I saw this movie with a bunch of guys, and when Blade started up his motorcycle, all of us yelled "yeah!", it's just that good. If there is any criticism for this film, it could only be for its plot, but I found there were enough twists and turns to keep it from becoming predictable, and besides, you honestly won't have time to be thinking about the plot. This was a movie that had my friends and I pumped the whole way home from the theater. My comments may be a little biased because I like movies and TV shows with vampires, and am a regular viewer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but even if Blade was fighting nuns this movie would be awesome.