Blade: Looking Back at Marvel's R

Now at 25 years old, Blade is Marvel's first big budget film, that may also have saved the company back in 1998.

To set the stage, the landscape of superhero movies in the late 1990s looked like this: DC Comics had its run over the last 10 years of Batman films, as well as animated series for a lot of their IP. Marvel had a long list of straight-to-video adaptations of their properties, one of which was even a Fantastic Four movie that was shelved at the last minute. X-Men was a couple of years away from hitting the big screen, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man saga would soon follow after that. August 1998 was a solid decade before a little film called Iron Man would grace the big screen and kick off the MCU.

So, squeezed in between all of that is Marvel's first-ever box office success, a bloody, violent, R-rated, action-packed thrill ride loaded with sword fighting and vampire heads exploding that went by the title Blade. The Wesley Snipes-starring film is never overlooked, but it oftentimes needs to be reminded of its impact of comic book adaptations, especially with a brand-new version of the character being introduced into the MCU in a few years. The film turns 25 this month, and it's time to look back at how special this thrill ride is to movie lovers of all kinds.

There's only one way to begin this retrospective, and it is with the incredible opening sequence at an underground rave that takes place at a meat-packing slaughterhouse. Audiences must've been losing their minds in theaters when this scene started off the movie. The opening is its own little short film about a man and a woman going to this rave and clearly lusting for one another. With an EDM beat playing over the scene called "Confusion" by the New Order, it completely engulfs us in the world of modern (at the time) vampires and their underground world. Then suddenly, the man who was lured into the party by an extremely aroused woman begins to take notice of some strange happenings.

Blood trickles down from the sprinkler heads, and moments later the whole place is being sprayed down with blood, bringing to life the realization that he is the only non-vampire there. He is punched and pushed around till he cowers away, but is stopped by a man decked out in a leather trench coat and boots. It's Blade, and he's there to ruin the party.

You don't get a better introduction than this. A scene that gives you glimpses of the villains that are to come later in the film. A tone-setting sequence that goes from a horror film to an action film in a flash. As a viewer, you know that if the first ten minutes of this are anything like the rest of it, you are in for a real treat. It's dark, gothic, and noir with high-octane action that fits the mold of the decade. And then there is Blade, wearing sunglasses at night in his protective vest, with gadgets and weapons that put Batman to shame. He completely takes out every blood-sucking vampire in his way. And by the time his introduction ends, you can't wait to get to know him more.

The great thing about Blade is that you don't need to be infatuated with the comics to know all that much about him. A lot of your average moviegoers in 1998 probably didn't know much about him, which makes him a perfect character for Marvel to let run loose on screen. Written by David S. Goyer and Directed by Stephen Norrington, Blade is a man the creatures of the night call a daywalker. He's on the hunt to take down those who are like him and prey on us. What's brilliant about this film is that it's an origin story, but never really feels like one. We learn Blade's backstory, and how his mother died from a bite wound while she was giving birth to him. It's quick but efficient, and never overstays its welcome.

As the film goes on, we learn a lot more about the world of vampires and that, like normal humans, there is a class system among them. Elements like this really serve the story rather than make it feel like a throwaway thing. This side of the movie helps introduce the film's big bad, Deacon Frost, brilliantly played by Stephen Dorff in one of his best roles to date. There are great parallels between Frost and Blade. Frost is an impure vampire; he was turned one, not born one. Blade being a daywalker, as he is only half vampire. They're both outcasts in the view of the high society of vampirism, The Elders. Blade takes vengeance on them to cure the hole inside of him. Frost embraces it, as his character arc revolves around becoming The Blood God.

Blade never goes heavy on plot. It loads itself up on the kind of high-octane action of the late 1990s that would bleed into the new millennium. It has unforgettable, brutal fight scenes loaded with stunts that Wesley Snipes did most of himself. And yet, Blade isn't empty of substance. There's a great dynamic between him and his partner, the man who makes the weapons, Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson). It's a father-son dynamic; the two feel and look like opposites but seem to, in the end, work as one whole unit. There is also a role in the film that is there for us, the audience; it's the role of the hospital doctor that Blade saves, Dr. Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright).

He saves her because she reminds him of his mother. Thus, this leads us to understand Blade's sensitive side. On paper, the connection to losing his mother seems cliché and even silly, but it comes full circle and is impactful in the third act when we learn Blade's mother (Sanaa Lathan) is still alive. This sensitive side of the film never hurts the movie; it enhances it. The woman of the Blade franchise are attractive, but never meant to serve the story as a love interest. Blade is a hyper-focused man on a mission. His arc feels like something of a samurai, there isn't any time for him to fall in love. Which in return makes the woman in Blade films more realistic and not a recycled damsel in distress.

Blade's arrival in the late nineties feels like a culmination of some themes we had seen in dark films over the decade. Films like The Crow, Batman Returns, and Dark City have a gritty, horror element to them, and Blade feels like the culmination of films like that while also setting a standard for dark action and horror movies moving into the new millennium. A lot of horror films will look like Blade in the years to come. Dark and full of beautiful production design, it could be argued that Blade is a precursor to movies like Underworld. It's a film that takes the world It's in seriously, but balances that out without taking itself too seriously.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is being criticized these days for its attempts at humor. Comedic elements are perfectly fine in superhero films, but the timing of them should show up more like how we see them in Blade. The humor comes from the action, like Blade constantly beating up a cop character in the film. Or Donal Logue's dimwit sidekick villain role, or even when it shows up in dialogue, it isn't out of character for someone to say something funny.

Blade is also a beautiful film to look at. There are two sides to it. It has an upscale, futuristic-looking side to the vampire world, matched with the dingy streets of downtown Los Angeles. There's an atmosphere in it that feels hyper-cinematic, but never unrealistic. Its visual style is incredible and can still compete with the green screen and sound stage effects of what we see in superhero films today. The bright colors of the film pop, and it's coated with a cold blue tone. There are so many great shots in the movie that mimic the sweeping visuals we see in the pages of comics.

There's energy and pacing in the movie that never lets up. It's kinetic and always on the move, from chase scene to fight scene. Loaded with special effects and practical as well. Heads exploding, throats being ripped out, sword fights, gun fights, and MMA-style fights in scene after scene. You really need a cigarette when the credits roll.

As we now look ahead at what's to come, Marvel has a new Blade film in the works. And although casting choices seem to line up with fans, Blade has such a cult following that there is a chance for things to get divisive. Marvel doesn't get the straightforward love it used to get during the Infinity saga. It has had its flops recently. And with Blade now at 25, there's going to be a lot of admirers of this version who will want to pit this film against the new one when it is released. We shall wait and see how things unfold.

Regardless, the late nineties were a dark time commercially and financially for Marvel. This explains why they went all out with Blade as a movie. Produced for 45 million dollars, its box office return was a little over triple its budget. Which makes it the first successful Marvel character at the box office. 2018's Black Panther will get credit for being Marvel's first Black superhero film adaptation. Deadpool will get the recognition of being the first R-Rated Marvel superhero adaptation. But, respectfully, Blade was both of those. It was here before shared universes and post-credit scenes, and before it, Marvel characters were in B-movies on the big screen. It was material handled with care. So the next time you get into an argument over Marvel films sticking to their formula and not taking any risks, refer to the 25-year-old gamble of a film, Blade.