The Film

Synopsis: Welsey Snipes stras as Marvel’s iconic half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter, Blade. With all the strenghs of a vampire, and none of their weaknesses, the Day Walker uses his incredible gifts to hunt his enemies in his search for the one that killed his mother and turned him into the monster he is. Blade’s fight leads him to Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) a rising force in the vampire world, set on raising a vampire God bent on destroying man

The Review:  

Wesley Snipes is a talented actor as well as gifted martial artist, his films in the 90’s showcased that he could lead a film and it could make money. Perhaps the ultimate example of his star power culminated in 1998 when he stared as the titular vampire hunter in Blade. Directed by Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), it’s worth noting that Norrington is a particularly gifted special effects sculptor and designer, including doing some uncredited work on Blade with special effects makeup.

The story of this Marvel antihero is told in a genuine and loving way. Both Snipes and Norrington took the material and made it their own, but still staying true to heart of the character created by Marv Wolfman. David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy) is no stranger to writing superheros, and while things may get a little off as far as the script goes, there is enough to make any Marvel fan happy.

The success of Blade, in the way that it honored the comic book that it was based on paved the way for modern day superhero films. The audience was introduced to a new way of telling this story.

With its 4K release there is some improvement to the overall look and sound. The outdated CGI is obviously not going to magically go away, but those darker blacks in the costume and the scenes at night or in darkness are easier on the eyes as there is not as much “noise” on screen.

Unfortunately, there are no new special features that have no already been released, so if this is already in your collection you are not missing much. That being said, if you are interested in upgrading your current collection or have the sound equipment to support the Dolby Atmos mix, it’s certainly not going to let you down.

The Release: Blade will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray disc with the feature film and special features. Fans can also own Blade in 4K Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers beginning on December 1^st.

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc of Blade will feature Dolby Vision HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the d Dolby Atmos soundtrack remixed specifically for the home Theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.

Special Features: The special features featured have been a part of previous releases.

Blade 4K UHD Special Features

• Commentary with Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, David S. Goyer, Theo Van De Sande, Kirk M. Petruccelli & Peter Frankfurt
• Isolated score with commentary by composer Mark Isham

Blade Blu-ray Special Features

• La Magra
• Designing Blade
• The Origins of Blade: A Look at Dark Comics
• The Blood Tide
• Theatrical Trailer

Running Time: 120 minutes

Rated R for strong, pervasive vampire violence and gore, language, and brief sexuality.