In less than 20 years, Marvel has risen from bankruptcy to multi-billion-dollar business. Ryan charts its rise and rise...
Just about every great comic book story has a darkest hour moment: a point in the tale where all seems lost. The heroes are on their knees, the city's a smouldering ruin and the villains are closing in for the kill. For Marvel, its darkest hour came in the winter of 1996.
A company that had grown in stature throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s thanks to the often stunning art and storytelling in such comics as Fantastic Four and The Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel's financial success had reached a peak by the early 90s. But then a series of bursting financial bubbles and questionable business deals saw Marvel's stock value collapse; shares once worth $35.75 each in 1993 had sunk to $2.375 three years later. An ugly fight between a group of very rich investors followed,...
Just about every great comic book story has a darkest hour moment: a point in the tale where all seems lost. The heroes are on their knees, the city's a smouldering ruin and the villains are closing in for the kill. For Marvel, its darkest hour came in the winter of 1996.
A company that had grown in stature throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s thanks to the often stunning art and storytelling in such comics as Fantastic Four and The Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel's financial success had reached a peak by the early 90s. But then a series of bursting financial bubbles and questionable business deals saw Marvel's stock value collapse; shares once worth $35.75 each in 1993 had sunk to $2.375 three years later. An ugly fight between a group of very rich investors followed,...
- 2/12/2015
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Put a stake in this genre already. The vampire movie gets yet another reworking in New Line's excessively gory and unpleasant "Blade" starring Wesley Snipes as a half-breed immortal with big guns and muscles who is determined to rid the world of the enterprising bloodsuckers.
Based on characters from Marvel comic books, "Blade" may slash its way to a respectable opening weekend at the boxoffice, but there's nothing noteworthy about this cinematic killfest. Crossover appeal is unlikely, from both sides of the tracks -- mainstream audiences will stay away and vamp fans of all colors will be wary.
And they should be. Credited to screenwriter David S. Goyer, the scenario is packed with new angles on the pointy-toothed-ones -- from serums to sunblock -- but at its center is a big void. Snipes grimaces a lot as his one-note character goes through hell. He's joined by the viewer having to suffer through an overwrought slaughter that drags on for an ungodly two hours.
The film begins with a literal bloodbath as partygoers in a rave club housed in an abattoir are sprinkled with blood in preparation for a communal massacre. Bursting in to ruin the ferocious gang's fun is Blade (Snipes), an avenging ally of us normal folk, although his mother died of a bite in the neck as she gave birth to him.
Half-man/half-monster, Blade the "daywalker" can leap off tall buildings and has other supernatural attributes, but thanks to a daily dietary supplement he doesn't crave the red stuff. His ally is fatherly Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), a normal human whose family was killed by the creeps.
When a burned-to-a-crisp corpse comes to life in a hospital and attacks nurse Karen (N'Bushe Wright), Blade's usual hard-line approach softens and he whisks her away to safety. Although Whistler suspects it's too late to stop her changing, the pair keep her around and she eventually joins the struggle.
Meanwhile, upstart neck-muncher Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) is shaking up the centuries-old vamp society with his group guzzling parties like the opening sequence. When aristocratic Dragonetti (Udo Kier) -- how exactly can one be born a vampire? -- opposes his power play, Frost rises to the occasion and dispatches the older gent with a trip to the seashore at dawn.
The evil ones are everywhere, according to this movie, with many human allies that have convenient tattoos. Frost's master plan is to harvest some of Blade's precious juices to awaken the "Blood God" and exterminate the human race. In a temple erected ages ago for just such a purpose, the final showdown takes place, but one has no interest in the outcome.
Other nasty highlights include a 1,000-pound androgynous vamp archivist who is fried with garlic sauce and the climactic confrontation between Blade and his mother, who lived on as an undead one. The violence is constant and repulsive, from such relatively tame examples as Blade's hand-shredding trick sword hilt to Whistler's brutal demise.
Production-wise the film lives up to this gem in the press notes from set wrangler Kirk M. Petruccelli: "Red is an extremely important color in the film." Sticking their necks out with gruesome success are special effects makeup artist Greg Cannom and visual effects supervisor Chuck Comisky. Needless to say, the concepts of subtlety and restraint are not familiar to sophomore director Stephen Norrington.
BLADE
New Line Cinema
An Amen Ra Films production
In association with Imaginary Forces
Director: Stephen Norrington
Screenwriter: David S. Goyer
Producers: Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, Robert Engelman
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Avi Arad, Joseph Calamari, Lynn Harris
Director of photography: Theo Van de Sande
Production designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Editor: Paul Rubell
Costume designer: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Special effects makeup artist: Greg Cannom
Visual effects supervisor: Chuck Comisky
Music: Mark Isham
Casting: Rachel Abroms, Jory Weitz
Color/stereo
Cast:
Blade: Wesley Snipes
Deacon Frost: Stephen Dorff
Whistler: Kris Kristofferson
Karen: N'Bushe Wright
Quinn: Donal Logue
Dragonetti: Udo Kier
Running time -- 120 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Based on characters from Marvel comic books, "Blade" may slash its way to a respectable opening weekend at the boxoffice, but there's nothing noteworthy about this cinematic killfest. Crossover appeal is unlikely, from both sides of the tracks -- mainstream audiences will stay away and vamp fans of all colors will be wary.
And they should be. Credited to screenwriter David S. Goyer, the scenario is packed with new angles on the pointy-toothed-ones -- from serums to sunblock -- but at its center is a big void. Snipes grimaces a lot as his one-note character goes through hell. He's joined by the viewer having to suffer through an overwrought slaughter that drags on for an ungodly two hours.
The film begins with a literal bloodbath as partygoers in a rave club housed in an abattoir are sprinkled with blood in preparation for a communal massacre. Bursting in to ruin the ferocious gang's fun is Blade (Snipes), an avenging ally of us normal folk, although his mother died of a bite in the neck as she gave birth to him.
Half-man/half-monster, Blade the "daywalker" can leap off tall buildings and has other supernatural attributes, but thanks to a daily dietary supplement he doesn't crave the red stuff. His ally is fatherly Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), a normal human whose family was killed by the creeps.
When a burned-to-a-crisp corpse comes to life in a hospital and attacks nurse Karen (N'Bushe Wright), Blade's usual hard-line approach softens and he whisks her away to safety. Although Whistler suspects it's too late to stop her changing, the pair keep her around and she eventually joins the struggle.
Meanwhile, upstart neck-muncher Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) is shaking up the centuries-old vamp society with his group guzzling parties like the opening sequence. When aristocratic Dragonetti (Udo Kier) -- how exactly can one be born a vampire? -- opposes his power play, Frost rises to the occasion and dispatches the older gent with a trip to the seashore at dawn.
The evil ones are everywhere, according to this movie, with many human allies that have convenient tattoos. Frost's master plan is to harvest some of Blade's precious juices to awaken the "Blood God" and exterminate the human race. In a temple erected ages ago for just such a purpose, the final showdown takes place, but one has no interest in the outcome.
Other nasty highlights include a 1,000-pound androgynous vamp archivist who is fried with garlic sauce and the climactic confrontation between Blade and his mother, who lived on as an undead one. The violence is constant and repulsive, from such relatively tame examples as Blade's hand-shredding trick sword hilt to Whistler's brutal demise.
Production-wise the film lives up to this gem in the press notes from set wrangler Kirk M. Petruccelli: "Red is an extremely important color in the film." Sticking their necks out with gruesome success are special effects makeup artist Greg Cannom and visual effects supervisor Chuck Comisky. Needless to say, the concepts of subtlety and restraint are not familiar to sophomore director Stephen Norrington.
BLADE
New Line Cinema
An Amen Ra Films production
In association with Imaginary Forces
Director: Stephen Norrington
Screenwriter: David S. Goyer
Producers: Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, Robert Engelman
Executive producers: Stan Lee, Avi Arad, Joseph Calamari, Lynn Harris
Director of photography: Theo Van de Sande
Production designer: Kirk M. Petruccelli
Editor: Paul Rubell
Costume designer: Sanja Milkovic Hays
Special effects makeup artist: Greg Cannom
Visual effects supervisor: Chuck Comisky
Music: Mark Isham
Casting: Rachel Abroms, Jory Weitz
Color/stereo
Cast:
Blade: Wesley Snipes
Deacon Frost: Stephen Dorff
Whistler: Kris Kristofferson
Karen: N'Bushe Wright
Quinn: Donal Logue
Dragonetti: Udo Kier
Running time -- 120 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 8/20/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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