Wesley Snipes brings swagger to the first Blade film of 1998, giving the superhero genre, and Marvel in particular, a much-needed boost.
A flashy guy is escorted by a pretty girl into a mysterious place. Between piles of livestock carcasses, they discover an underground club blasting music at full tilt. The hostile crowd raises their arms, the volume climbs… then a literal shower of blood splashes the revelers, to their great delight. But facing this army of vampires ready to drink their next meal, stands a warrior of absolute class.
It’s the legendary opening sequence of the first Blade, the iconic 1990s vampire superhero film. But Stephen Norrington’s bruising direction with the brilliant Wesley Snipes isn’t just a product of its era: it’s also Marvel’s true birth at the cinema, at a time when cape-and-spandex superheroes weren’t yet in fashion and the brand was deep in the red.
Mathieu revisits the Daywalker’s adventures and the enormous, if understated, impact they’ve had on the genre that dominates Hollywood today.
