Sunday, January 21, 2007

Movie Review: Blade 4 ½ Stars

Blade is a superhuman vampire killer who drives a black muscle car, wields a sword and kicks ass in kung fu. You can stop making movies now. Perfection has been achieved.

Vampires live among us, co-existing with humans under secret treaties with our governments. They have infiltrated every level of society including “politics, finance, even real estate.” Upstart Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), a human infected with vampirism, conspires against the international vampire mafia of Pure Bloods in an attempt to fulfill the prophecy of La Magra, which will rain vampiric apocalypse on mankind. But he needs the blood of a Daywalker to do so.

Blade (Wesley Snipes) was born before his mother, a victim of Frost, could turn. He now possesses a lethal combination of the best of vampire and human traits, including the ability to withstand sunlight. Aided by a vengeful vampire killer Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) and the beautiful pre-turning vampire Karen (N’Bushe Wright), Blade races against time to defeat Frost and find a serum to cure Karen and himself. In the meantime, of course, kicking lots of exploding vampire ass.

Based on a popular comic book series, Blade owes as much to anime and Hong Kung action flicks as it does to Bram Stoker and Vlad the Impaler. Director Stephen Norrington has put together a highly stylized action-horror flick of non-stop fight sequences and spectacular special effects that raise the bar in non-stop fight sequences and spectacular special effects.

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