Blade: The Marvel Movie That Started it All

The headline to this review, “The Marvel Movie That Started it All” is not a reference to their first film, their best film or even the most financially successful Marvel film. This Halloween, we are looking back at a film that is about something much more important than any of that.

Blade is the film that laid the foundation for the ever expansive Marvel Cinematic Universe we all know and love today.

The technical limitations of its time and even questionable writing choices don’t stop Blade from standing apart in a crowded list of early comic book films as one of the greatest. It redefined the longstanding Marvel character for a new generation and more, launched a new wildly popular franchise and most importantly, paved the way for Marvel’s uniquely successful formula of comic book movies.

By bringing a gritty realness and overall bad ass factor that many audiences hadn’t seen before, Blade proved to be something new at the time. Marvel was just coming off of their notorious financial struggles and the popularity of the movie spurred their interest and might have even served as the first indicator of a massive new and untapped market. Wesley Snipes injected the character with an irresistible swagger that carried the franchise to a full trilogy and even a TV series spinoff, emphasizing the business potential of such a phenomenon.

Does it actually hold up well after all these years, though?

It absolutely does. Yes there are plenty of instances of predictable character motivations, less than appealing CGI and cheesy dialogue, but somehow, the film is able to overcome these issues and remain a truly enjoyable experience. The opening scene featuring Blade take out a swarm of vampires in a club as blood rain down on them has become rather iconic these days. It sets the stage perfectly for what is to unfold in the movie, a violent and action-packed thrill ride that is deeply rooted in horror influences.

Blade is a testosterone fueled action-horror that doesn’t feel lost in trying to be something it shouldn’t. Instead, it’s a film that thrives in its comic book origins with undeniable charm and originality. Packed full of deadly vampire-slaying action, it’s the perfect choice for a Halloween movie night binge, especially those wanting to revisit some of the best the 90’s had to offer as far as horror and comic book films.

The legacy Blade left on not just Marvel movies, but comic book movies in general, continues to be felt today. With the recent reveal of Blade’s return, this time to the MCU played by Mahershala Ali, we will soon see the vampire hunting bad ass back on the big screen. But now that Marvel has catapulted one of the most successful franchises into existence and made their billions of dollars, it’s a great time to revisit the earlier years that made all of this possible.

Don’t forget to add Blade to your October Halloween movie binge, it’s a blast from the past that will keep you entertained from the first scene to the last with it’s intensely gory action and nonstop thrills!