Blade Trilogy
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The Blade Trilogy is a movie trilogy starring Wesley Snipes. The movies were written by David S. Goyer, Marv Wolfman, and Gene Colan, and directed by Stephen Norrington, Guillermo del Toro, and David S. Goyer, respectively. The three films in the trilogy are:
A short lived U.S. TV show was also produced:
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[edit] Origins
The character Blade 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] Synopsis
[edit] Blade
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
A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community. The Reaper. A vampire 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
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] Influence
Many images, techniques and plotlines in other films stem from Blade, not only the original comic but the modern screenplay and special effects.
There are many stunts and visual effects in The Matrix and X-Men that were most recently seen previously in Blade, including:
- Morpheus' leap from building to building across a wide gap is similar to some extent to a stunt in Blade, though the jump in Blade was from a higher roof to a lower one.
- Both The Matrix and Blade feature groups of characters dressed in black except for one conspicuously white-clad female member. In The Matrix, Morpheus' group includes Switch, whereas in Blade, Deacon Frost's vampire gang includes Racquel.
- There is a slow-motion bullet dodge scene by Deacon Frost. This is not the same as Bullet Time, an effect created for and exclusive to the The Matrix Trilogy.
[edit] Savior Imagery
By the same token, however, both Blade and Neo are interpretations of the "savior superhero" image of Jesus Christ, in that they are both some kind of mixture of two natures, half-human and half-the enemy; both use the strength of one nature to help their efforts with the other nature. This is a modern interpretation of the Jesus figure, who is allegedly both God and man, and the mixture of these two natures conspire to work together to save man.
While there are other savior types, western society would be most familiar with the general history of the Jesus-type, hence the borrowing from that body of tradition for a comic hero type.
Insofar as secular interpretations would conclude the Jesus-type is but an ancient "superhero" myth, Blade and the Matrix borrow from this imagery to present a modern interpretation of a savior figure who has dual natures and uses them both to save humanity, as well as developing the supporting themes and imageries of self-discovery and purpose; sacrifice, greater common good; eternal life; the power of life through the blood, etc that we see in these films.
[edit] Taglines
- The power of an immortal. The soul of a human. The heart of a hero.
- Against an army of immortals, one warrior must draw first blood.
- Vampire Hunter.
- Sometimes it takes one to kill one.
- Have you given blood lately?
- Part Man. Part Vampire. All Hero.
- Know The Mark.
- One Man Still Has The Edge.
- One man is still the cutting edge.
- Last time he fought against his sworn enemies....This time he will fight with them.
- Faster. Sharper. Deadlier.
- When Evil Strikes, One Man, Still Has The Edge.
- Let the combat begin.
- The Final Hunt Begins.
- He's fought the forces of darkness alone...until now.
[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.
[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
