Retro Trailer For The Original 1998 Marvel Movie BLADE
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe became a massive Hollywood powerhouse, Wesley Snipes was kicking vampire ass in the 1998 action-horror classic Blade.
Directed by Stephen Norrington, the film follows Eric Brooks, a half-human, half-vampire known as the Daywalker, who has all the strengths of a vampire without their weakness to sunlight. Armed with an arsenal of deadly weapons and some seriously impressive martial arts skills, Blade dedicates his life to hunting down the bloodsuckers hiding among humanity.
His biggest threat comes in the form of Deacon Frost, played by Stephen Dorff, an ambitious vampire who plans to unleash an ancient blood god and take over the world. With the help of his mentor Whistler, played by Kris Kristofferson, Blade goes to war against an underground vampire society.
The movie is packed with brutal action, cool fight sequences, a great soundtrack, and some wonderfully over-the-top moments. That opening vampire nightclub sequence alone is still one of the greatest introductions to a comic book movie character ever put on film!
What makes Blade so special is that it arrived at a time when comic book movies were struggling to find their footing, especially after the disaster of 1997's Batman & Robin. Based on the Marvel Comics character created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan in 1973's The Tomb of Dracula #10, Blade proved that Marvel characters could successfully make the jump to the big screen with a darker, more mature approach.
Written by David S. Goyer, the R-rated movie was a box office hit, earning more than $130 million worldwide on a budget of around $45 million, and it helped pave the way for the comic book movie boom that followed, including X-Men in 2000 and Spider-Man in 2002.
It also launched a trilogy, with Guillermo del Toro delivering the awesome sequel Blade II in 2002. Looking back, it's pretty wild how much this movie helped establish Marvel's presence in Hollywood before Marvel Studios became what it is today.
Snipes completely owned the role, bringing an effortlessly cool attitude and physical intensity that made Blade an instant badass icon. More than 25 years later, the original movie is still a blast to watch, and its trailer is a great reminder of why it remains one of Marvel's coolest comic book adaptations.