Blade (1998)
76%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: Won 2 Oscars
101 wins & 165 nominations total
Though some may find the plot a bit lacking, Blade’s action is fierce, plentiful, and appropriately stylish for a comic book adaptation
Blade is the ultimate vampire-killing, butt-kicking, action-packed movie that will leave you wanting more. With Wesley Snipes as the charismatic lead, the movie is a perfect blend of gore, humor, and martial arts. The blood rave scene alone is worth the watch, and the action sequences will keep you on the edge of your seat. Blade may be the first black superhero lead on film, but it’s a movie that everyone can enjoy. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and get ready for a wild ride.
Production Company(ies)
Agi Orsi Productions, Forever Films, Quicksilver Entertainment,
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Stock Exchange Palace, Szabadság Square, Budapest, Hungary
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and language
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Atmos Auro 11.1 IMAX 6-Track Dolby Surround 7.1 Sonics-DDP SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 0m
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Language(s):English, Finnish, Japanese, Hungarian, Russian, Somali, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 1998 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 9, 2004
Genre(s)
Horror/Action
Keyword(s)
starring Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson, N’Bushe Wright, Donal Logue, Udo Kier, directed by Stephen Norrington, written by David S Goyer, horror, action, fantasy, adventure, R rating, box office gross $70.0M, produced by Robert Engelman, Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, reviewed by Peter Bradshaw, Chris Stuckmann, Michael O’Sullivan, Xan Brooks, Jay Boyar, Dave Kehr, Trace Thurman, Joe Lipsett, Toussaint Egan, Alan Ng, Sezín Koehler, Blade, Eric, Deacon Frost, Abraham Whistler, Dr Karen Jenson, Quinn, Dragonetti, comic book adaptation, vampire, martial arts, special effects, Blood Rave song, Confusion (Pump Panel Remix) by New Order, modern-day, technologically advanced vampires, human race, evil god, special blood type, vampire council, vampire Elders, La Magra, Blood God, goth-culture, aesthetics, fight choreography, Only-One-Guy-Attacks-At-A-Time Syndrome, plot-hole
Worldwide gross: $259,352,064
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $312,839,815
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 482
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 34,115,574
US/Canada gross: $92,071,675
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $111,060,176
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 679
US/Canada opening weekend: $32,753,122
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $39,507,997
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 316
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $150,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $180,935,411
Production budget ranking: 146
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $97,433,719
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $34,470,685
ROI to date (est.): 12%
ROI ranking: 1,334
Stephen Dorff – Deacon Frost
Kris Kristofferson – Abraham Whistler
N’Bushe Wright – Dr. Karen Jenson
Donal Logue – Quinn
Udo Kier – Dragonetti
Director – Stephen Norrington
Producers – Robert Engelman, Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes
Writer – David S. Goyer
Director(s)
Stephen Norrington
Writer(s)
David S. Goyer
Producer(s)
Robert Engelman, Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 2 Oscars
101 wins & 165 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (107) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (46)
Blade is an entertainingly macabre and excitingly staged action horror, with a propulsive energy…
October 27, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Not only is this an important movie for comic book films in general — it’s just a f—ing blast!
October 19, 2020 | Rating: B+
Chris Stuckmann
ChrisStuckmann.com
TOP CRITIC
Blade’s stomach-turning special effects, bone-crunching martial arts and cynical humor will more than satisfy any action-film addict’s need for a fix of eye-popping escapist adrenaline.
April 2, 2019
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Noise and martial-arts action mask its tinny pedigree.
March 29, 2019
Xan Brooks
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
For a while, anyway, this vampire picture flies.
July 15, 2015 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Has the comic-book movie reached the end of the line? The glumly familiar, been-there-done-that aspect of Blade certainly suggests so.
July 15, 2015 | Rating: 1/4
Dave Kehr
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Stylized, smart and boasting a charismatic lead performance from Wesley Snipes, Blade belongs in the upper tier of comic book adaptations.
October 25, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Trace Thurman
Horror Queers Podcast
Blade is not only a significant part of the historical development of Marvel superhero films, but may be the first example of a black superhero lead on film. Stylish, gory and delightful, Blade still kicks butt
October 20, 2021
Joe Lipsett
Horror Queers Podcast
Come for the blood rave, stay for the kickass action sequences.
October 19, 2021
Toussaint Egan
Polygon
Blade is just good, plain action movie fun.
July 29, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Alan Ng
Film Threat
In so many ways Blade was made for today: for today’s politics, for today’s television screens, and for today’s marginalized audiences.
May 23, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Sezín Koehler
Black Girl Nerds
I found it fascinating how Blade works through a lot of that nastiness in its own way.
February 6, 2020
VyceVictus
Lewton Bus…
Plot
Thirty years after the events of Blade Runner (1982), a new Blade Runner, L.A.P.D. Officer “K” (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former L.A.P.D. Blade Runner, who has been missing for thirty years.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Blade on Fresh Kernels.
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