{"id":172,"date":"2021-02-05T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T10:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leoloves.quirki.co.uk\/?p=172"},"modified":"2020-12-07T13:32:48","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T13:32:48","slug":"the-blade-trifecta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/2021\/02\/05\/the-blade-trifecta\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blade Trifecta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WARNING:<\/span> <\/strong>This Review May Contain Spoilers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So a little thing about me, I love vampire films. It started with Lost Boys <\/em>and once I was old enough to watch Blade <\/em>\u2013 I couldn\u2019t resist. Here\u2019s the thing, and it\u2019s a question I ask myself every time I sit down and watch this franchise, was Blade: Trinity <\/em>a step too far?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blade: The Character<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact for those of you who didn\u2019t know, Blade is actually a Marvel Comics character. Surprising right? OK, Wesley Snipes doesn\u2019t look the way the character did when he first appeared in The Tomb of Dracula #10 <\/em>but then it isn\u2019t the seventies any more. I don\u2019t think audiences would have taken him so seriously if he had rocked up at Frost\u2019s club in the first film in brown trousers and a green jacket. However, it does seem by 1999 the comic version of Blade had begun to look a lot more like Snipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Half man, half vampire \u2013 Blade is a man fuelled by revenge and continuously battling with his own blood lust. What I love about his character though is that he isn\u2019t the perfect hero \u2013 he has weakness and he gets caught because of it. There\u2019s also a darkness to him, which I guess makes him more of an anti-hero and truthfully that has always been the style of hero I prefer.  However, he never misses the opportunity for a superhero landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Company We Keep<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                For a lone-wolf style character, Blade isn\u2019t lacking in friends. Part of me expected them to have been created solely for the films but I was happy to find out that I was wrong. Firstly, and most importantly, there\u2019s Whistler. The man who made Blade the vampire hunter that he is and became the father that he never had (not that Blade will admit to that of course). He\u2019s also that one character that helps audiences see that deep down Blade isn\u2019t just this cold-hearted character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Those that he teams up with the second film I wouldn\u2019t class as his friends so I\u2019ll move straight on to Blade: Trinity. <\/em>Enter the Nightstalkers, a human taskforce intent on the destruction of the vampire. The flaw to these guys is that they turn what had been a reasonably serious franchise into a bit of a comedy but I guess every film at some point needs a little light relief. Now, I\u2019m not saying there is no humour in the second film, I mean who wouldn\u2019t laugh at this line:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blade: You\u2019re human<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kounen: Barely, I\u2019m a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolution of the Vampire<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                In the first film we see what people traditionally understand to be a vampire, can\u2019t walk in the sunlight (unless they\u2019ve got their sun lotion on), and killed by garlic and silver. However by the second film, Blade is up against a whole new breed of enemy, the reapers. They are led by Nomak who has a hate for vampires and doesn\u2019t exactly use fangs to drain blood from his victims. I\u2019m not exactly quite sure how to explain what projects from Nomak\u2019s mouth if I\u2019m honest. It is because of him that Blade has to team up with the Bloodpack, led by Princess Nyssa. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s obvious from their name but they\u2019re all vampires (now you see why I didn\u2019t refer to them as friends previously).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                In the third film, the vampires are back to what you would expect, except for their dogs but I\u2019ll leave that to your imagination. However, this is where Blade must face possibly the king of all vampires – Dracula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always has to be a Whistler<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                This is actually the only thing I well and truly dislike about Blade: Trinity, <\/em>the introduction of Abigail Whistler. I don\u2019t know if its Jessica Biel\u2019s acting or the way the character is written, there\u2019s just something I don\u2019t like about her. I don\u2019t think it helps that she was created specifically for the film – unlike her father, Abraham Whistler, and her compatriot in the Nightstalkers, Hannibal King. Obviously, with the unfortunate self-sacrifice of Father Whistler \u2013 the director may have felt that we couldn\u2019t have Blade without a Whistler. Maybe don\u2019t kill him off? Just a thought. To make it worse, they reuse a scene from the first film of Whistler telling Karen, our damsel in distress from the first film, about his family but change it so that it comes across as him telling Abigail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                I also find that, even though Blade is the titular character, once we meet Abigail the film practically becomes about her. Especially as the weapon to take down Dracula is conveniently designed to be able to work with a bow and arrow \u2013 her weapon of choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Technology<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                OK, I get that Blade <\/em>was made in 1998 but seriously, some of the visual effects \u2013 especially the death of Dragonetti \u2013 are pretty bad. By the second film, even though it\u2019s only been 4 years, you can see that development in technology just in the first fight sequence. Having said that, when he takes on Nyssa in their lab, it is pretty obvious that parts of the fight aren\u2019t actually real. Thankfully, things had moved on by 2004 and the CGI is much better than in the previous two films, although you can tell the UV Arch isn\u2019t actually real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fight Scenes<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Here\u2019s another fun fact for you. How many of you knew that Wesley Snipes is actually a trained martial artist? No, well now you know why at least in the first two films the fight scenes are so good. Especially in the second film as Luke Goss, who plays Nomak, is also a trained martial artist. OK, there\u2019s clearly wires involved for certain moves but no stunt doubles required. The one thing I will say however is that they might have wanted to get an actual stunt double that can fight for Princess Nyssa because her CGI double is not great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Now here\u2019s my issue with the third and final film. There aren\u2019t as many of these fight scenes where Wesley really gets to show off his talent. Yes, there are fights but they are shorter than in the previous films and we seem to cut away as soon as it looks like it\u2019s about to get good. In addition to this, it seems that certain fights had to be sped up. I guess some people did attend their training classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Conclusion<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                I never used to enjoy the first part of the franchise, mainly because I used to feel that it falls foul of what I like to call \u201cfirst film syndrome\u201d. You know, the whole back story taking over the majority of the storyline feeling, but having watched it again it isn\u2019t as bad as I remember. However, the second film will always remain my favourite out of the three. The third I feel there isn\u2019t as much of the Blade we have grown to enjoy as there should be. All in all, these films do one thing extremely important for me that a lot of films based on books and comic have fallen foul of since, they don\u2019t exclude those that haven\u2019t read them before. You don\u2019t need to be a purist or comic book fan to enjoy them for what they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So a little thing about me, I love vampire films. It started with Lost Boys <\/em>and once I was old enough to watch Blade <\/em>\u2013 I couldn\u2019t resist. Here\u2019s the thing, and it\u2019s a question I ask myself every time I sit down and watch this franchise, was Blade: Trinity <\/em>a step too far?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blade: The Character<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun fact for those of you who didn\u2019t know, Blade is actually a Marvel Comics character. Surprising right? OK, Wesley Snipes doesn\u2019t look the way the character did when he first appeared in The Tomb of Dracula #10 <\/em>but then it isn\u2019t the seventies any more. I don\u2019t think audiences would have taken him so seriously if he had rocked up at Frost\u2019s club in the first film in brown trousers and a green jacket. However, it does seem by 1999 the comic version of Blade had begun to look a lot more like Snipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Half man, half vampire \u2013 Blade is a man fuelled by revenge and continuously battling with his own blood lust. What I love about his character though is that he isn\u2019t the perfect hero \u2013 he has weakness and he gets caught because of it. There\u2019s also a darkness to him, which I guess makes him more of an anti-hero and truthfully that has always been the style of hero I prefer.  However, he never misses the opportunity for a superhero landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Company We Keep<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                For a lone-wolf style character, Blade isn\u2019t lacking in friends. Part of me expected them to have been created solely for the films but I was happy to find out that I was wrong. Firstly, and most importantly, there\u2019s Whistler. The man who made Blade the vampire hunter that he is and became the father that he never had (not that Blade will admit to that of course). He\u2019s also that one character that helps audiences see that deep down Blade isn\u2019t just this cold-hearted character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Those that he teams up with the second film I wouldn\u2019t class as his friends so I\u2019ll move straight on to Blade: Trinity. <\/em>Enter the Nightstalkers, a human taskforce intent on the destruction of the vampire. The flaw to these guys is that they turn what had been a reasonably serious franchise into a bit of a comedy but I guess every film at some point needs a little light relief. Now, I\u2019m not saying there is no humour in the second film, I mean who wouldn\u2019t laugh at this line:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blade: You\u2019re human<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kounen: Barely, I\u2019m a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolution of the Vampire<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                In the first film we see what people traditionally understand to be a vampire, can\u2019t walk in the sunlight (unless they\u2019ve got their sun lotion on), and killed by garlic and silver. However by the second film, Blade is up against a whole new breed of enemy, the reapers. They are led by Nomak who has a hate for vampires and doesn\u2019t exactly use fangs to drain blood from his victims. I\u2019m not exactly quite sure how to explain what projects from Nomak\u2019s mouth if I\u2019m honest. It is because of him that Blade has to team up with the Bloodpack, led by Princess Nyssa. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s obvious from their name but they\u2019re all vampires (now you see why I didn\u2019t refer to them as friends previously).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                In the third film, the vampires are back to what you would expect, except for their dogs but I\u2019ll leave that to your imagination. However, this is where Blade must face possibly the king of all vampires – Dracula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always has to be a Whistler<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                This is actually the only thing I well and truly dislike about Blade: Trinity, <\/em>the introduction of Abigail Whistler. I don\u2019t know if its Jessica Biel\u2019s acting or the way the character is written, there\u2019s just something I don\u2019t like about her. I don\u2019t think it helps that she was created specifically for the film – unlike her father, Abraham Whistler, and her compatriot in the Nightstalkers, Hannibal King. Obviously, with the unfortunate self-sacrifice of Father Whistler \u2013 the director may have felt that we couldn\u2019t have Blade without a Whistler. Maybe don\u2019t kill him off? Just a thought. To make it worse, they reuse a scene from the first film of Whistler telling Karen, our damsel in distress from the first film, about his family but change it so that it comes across as him telling Abigail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                I also find that, even though Blade is the titular character, once we meet Abigail the film practically becomes about her. Especially as the weapon to take down Dracula is conveniently designed to be able to work with a bow and arrow \u2013 her weapon of choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Technology<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                OK, I get that Blade <\/em>was made in 1998 but seriously, some of the visual effects \u2013 especially the death of Dragonetti \u2013 are pretty bad. By the second film, even though it\u2019s only been 4 years, you can see that development in technology just in the first fight sequence. Having said that, when he takes on Nyssa in their lab, it is pretty obvious that parts of the fight aren\u2019t actually real. Thankfully, things had moved on by 2004 and the CGI is much better than in the previous two films, although you can tell the UV Arch isn\u2019t actually real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fight Scenes<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Here\u2019s another fun fact for you. How many of you knew that Wesley Snipes is actually a trained martial artist? No, well now you know why at least in the first two films the fight scenes are so good. Especially in the second film as Luke Goss, who plays Nomak, is also a trained martial artist. OK, there\u2019s clearly wires involved for certain moves but no stunt doubles required. The one thing I will say however is that they might have wanted to get an actual stunt double that can fight for Princess Nyssa because her CGI double is not great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Now here\u2019s my issue with the third and final film. There aren\u2019t as many of these fight scenes where Wesley really gets to show off his talent. Yes, there are fights but they are shorter than in the previous films and we seem to cut away as soon as it looks like it\u2019s about to get good. In addition to this, it seems that certain fights had to be sped up. I guess some people did attend their training classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Conclusion<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                I never used to enjoy the first part of the franchise, mainly because I used to feel that it falls foul of what I like to call \u201cfirst film syndrome\u201d. You know, the whole back story taking over the majority of the storyline feeling, but having watched it again it isn\u2019t as bad as I remember. However, the second film will always remain my favourite out of the three. The third I feel there isn\u2019t as much of the Blade we have grown to enjoy as there should be. All in all, these films do one thing extremely important for me that a lot of films based on books and comic have fallen foul of since, they don\u2019t exclude those that haven\u2019t read them before. You don\u2019t need to be a purist or comic book fan to enjoy them for what they are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WARNING: This Review May Contain Spoilers So a little thing about me, I love vampire films. It started with Lost Boys and once I was old enough to watch Blade \u2013 I couldn\u2019t resist. Here\u2019s the thing, and it\u2019s a question I ask myself every time I sit down and watch this franchise, was Blade: … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-once-more-unto-the-breach-sequels","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":181,"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172\/revisions\/181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leoloves.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}