The very definition of bad adaptations

Rating: 4/10 (24 January 2000)

I have always found movies that are made from graphic novels interesting. Some of them are very successful in the attempt to copy the stylized world of comics. The very best example yet is Matrix - I've never seen anything like that film.
But Blade is much like the Batman movies: nice tries that won't work. Both Batman and Blade are quiet, angry people who never smile (except for Clooney, who seems unable to wipe that stupid grin of his face). They walk around, do their thing dressed in the most indiscreet clothes you can possibly wear and then get out again.
Yeah, Batman is just kind of a parody - but Blade tries to be more serious. Which doesn't work, or course. It's about as serious and profound as a puddle of water on the street. The action is nice, yes, but it is obvious that the budget for Blade wasn't half as big as for Matrix, because it is too rapid and shaky. Some gestures, such as the REALLY corny Maculay Culkin "yes-I-just-nailed-the-bad-guy"-gesture in the vampire disco or the completely unnecessary pauses he makes with his sword, are probably a token of the original comics.
As for the acting qualities of Snipes, well... I'd like to see him in a normal movie, one where he doesn't act like someone completely improbable. Like Howard's End or The Bridges of Madison County. Or then again...maybe not.