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The original was posted on /r/movies by /u/samx3i on 2024-09-27 12:11:25+00:00.
Deadpool and Wolverine made me want to revisit the Blade franchise as I remembered loving both the original and the sequel when they came out, but it’s been over two decades, so you never know if they age well.
The original holds up aside from some wonky special effects toward the end that made it seem as if they shot everything in order but ran out of budget with about 15 minutes left to shoot.
But the sequel? Holy shit! It’s even better than I remembered.
One thing I love about these movies as someone who was a kid growing up with 80s action flicks is how throwback they are to what would probably be called “toxic masculinity” now. Blade is a fucking cool dude badass who does everything with maximum machismo and flair. Lot of “rule of cool” in these movies.
Did he have to those flips and shit, spring off the wall, flourish his sword with a bunch of pointless twirls and spins? Of course not, but it looks dope as fuck so he does.
They ramp up the action so most of the movie is action scenes with the plot advanced by sparse dialog between wild action set pieces. If people are talking, you never have to wait long before you’re thrust into the next action scene.
The plot isn’t terrible for a comic book/action flick either, written by the same David S. Goyer who wrote Nolan’s The Dark Knight and the criminally under-viewed Dark City. It adds to the lore, gives us a bigger cast, and even presents a couple of twists and new angles on relationships.
Guillermo del Toro knows his craft and everything looks and feels absolutely awesome. The pacing is breakneck and tight as can be. He definitely understood the assignment here and what needed to be accomplished.
What’s really notable is that one of the strengths from the first movie–the fight choreography–is even better this time around, clearly assisted by some wires and even what appears to be animation at times to give a really comic book/video game feel to the larger-than-life fights. They’re made to feel like enhanced humans–stronger, tougher, and more agile–without it looking like a Superman vs General Zod throwdown. They do damage to each other and their environments, but finding a sweet spot between somewhat realistic violence and cartoon violence.
Speaking of violence, holy hell. The creature effects are awesome, and so are the violence/gore effects.
I also know whoever did the fight choreography is a pro wrestling fan because you’ll see elements of WWE type moves including a suplex and flying elbow drop–no really–that again lean into that “rule of cool” saying fuck it if it doesn’t make sense; it’s rad.
I really encourage action fans to revisit Blade and Blade II.