Blade (film series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blade Trilogy
The Blade Trilogy DVD box set
Directed by	Stephen Norrington Guillermo del Toro David S. Goyer
Written by	David S. Goyer Marv Wolfman Gene Colan
Starring	Wesley Snipes as Blade
Distributed by	New Line Cinema
Release date(s)	1998 – 2004
Running time	350 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English
Followed by	Blade: The Series
Allmovie profile

The Blade films are based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, portrayed by Wesley Snipes which begins in 1998, continued in 2002 and ended in 2004. They were written by David S. Goyer, Marv Wolfman, and Gene Colan, directed by Stephen Norrington, Guillermo del Toro, and David S. Goyer, respectively and distributed by New Line Cinema.

The character was created in 1973 for Marvel Comics by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan and was a supporting character in the 1970s comic Tomb of Dracula. In the comic, Blade's mother was bitten by a vampire while she was in labor with Blade. Thus, Blade was born as a dhampir, a human with vampire genes.

[edit] Plots

[edit] Blade

Main article: Blade (film)

Blade grows up to become a vampire hunter, swearing vengeance on the creatures that killed his mother. He teams up with a man called Whistler, a retired vampire hunter and weapons expert.

Meanwhile, in the urban underworld, a feud is started between 'pure-blood' vampires and those who had been human, but were 'turned.' Blade becomes aware of this and investigates further, uncovering a plot to raise the blood god La Magra, something he must stop at all costs.

[edit] Blade II

Main article: Blade II

A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community. "Reapers" are vampires so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Now their quickly expanding population threatens the existence of vampires, and soon there won't be enough humans in the world to satisfy their bloodlust. Blade, Whistler and an armory expert named Scud are curiously summoned by the Shadow Council. The council reluctantly admits that they are in a dire situation and they require Blade's assistance. Blade then tenuously enters into an alliance with The Bloodpack, an elite team of vampires who were trained in all modes of combat to defeat Blade. They'll use their skills instead to help wipe out the Reaper threat. Blade's team and the Bloodpack are the only line of defense which can prevent the Reaper population from wiping out the vampire and human populations.

[edit] Blade: Trinity

Main article: Blade: Trinity

The vampires succeed in framing Blade for the killing of several humans (who were in fact familiars being used as bait). Blade, now in the public's eye and wanted by the FBI, has to join forces with the Nightstalkers, a human clan of vampire hunters. Blade, Hannibal King, and Abigail Whistler go after Danica Talos, who has succeeded in locating and resurrecting Drake, also known as Dracula, the first vampire and by far the most powerful. In order to stop him, Blade has to release a virus that will wipe out all vampires, but he has only one opportunity to do so.

[edit] Future

In December 2007, it was reported that Wesley Snipes has launched a lawsuit against New Line, director David Goyer and the film's producers, because he was forced to give up screen time to Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel. Further, Snipes alleges he did not receive his agreed upon salary and was not afforded the decision-making power he was entitled to as a producer. Snipes holds hope that he'll reach an agreement in the lawsuit. Snipes is also optimistic that, once things are settled, there will be a Blade 4.^[1]

However, on April 24, 2008, Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for three misdemeanor convictions for willful failure to file federal income tax returns. Due to this, his role in future Blade movies is uncertain. On October 26, 2007, the Bloody-Digusting.com website reports that just such a move is being plotted right now in Hollywood. A source for the website contends that a reboot of the series is in works (a la Batman Begins)^[2].

[edit] Cast & Characters

List indicator(s)

• Italic indicates the character is central to the film or the film's plot.
• A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
• All characters are primary characters (they have more screen time than others)

[edit] Body count

172 characters die by Blade's hand in the entire trilogy, beating single movie winner Ogami Ittō, of Lone Wolf and Cub (body count of 150). A dialogue from Blade: Trinity involving two FBI agents involves Blade's body count:

FBI Agent Ray Cumberland: Say, how many people have you killed? Thirty? Forty? Fifty?

Blade: 1, 182. But they were all familiars.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Blade
• Blade II
• Blade: Trinity
• Blade: The Series - A short-lived show on Spike TV that was set some time after Blade: Trinity.
• Weaponry of Blade

[edit] External links

• Blade at the Internet Movie Database
• Blade II at the Internet Movie Database
• Blade: Trinity at the Internet Movie Database
• Blade: The Series at the Internet Movie Database