Contrary to popular belief, the link between horror and comic books is not so distant and there are already many screen adaptations to prove that, including Blade. The 1998 hit from New Line Cinema starred established action hero Wesley Snipes in the title role of a human (born Eric Brooks) with all the strengths but none of the weaknesses of a vampire, which easily makes him the ultimate hunter of the most vicious bloodsuckers. With a new interpretation from Marvel Studios in the works starring Mahershala Ali, we cannot think of a better time to catch the original Blade movies streaming, so, as we wait for the upcoming superhero movie, let us point you in the right direction.
Blade (1998)
With the help of his mentor (Kris Kristofferson), a naturally born half-man, half-vampire (Wesley Snipes) with furious hate toward creatures of the night tries to help cure a doctor (N’Bushe Wright) from becoming one herself, which leads him to a standoff against one of his most powerful enemies yet, Deacon Forst (Stephen Dorff). Released at a time when R-rated comic book movies were still rare, director Stephen Norrington and writer David S. Goyer’s stylish, blood-soaked adaptation of Marv Wolfman’s Blade series became highly influential for the state of the genre going forward.
Rent or buy Blade on Amazon.
Buy Blade on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Blade II (2002)
Blade is forced to form an alliance with his enemies in order to rid the world of an even greater threat: a race of creatures known as the Reapers, which feed on both vampires and humans alike to quench their insatiable bloodlust. Guillermo del Toro, who would later return to the comic book movie genre with Hellboy and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, brought his dazzling, signature visual style to Blade II — the bigger, bloodier second installment of the franchise, which was once again penned by David S. Goyer.
Rent or buy Blade II on Amazon.
Buy Blade II on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Blade: Trinity (2004)
While on the run from the FBI, Blade must join forces with a group of fellow vampire hunters called Nightstalkers in order to take down the most famous and feared bloodsucker of them all: Dracula (Dominic Purcell). Future Deadpool movies star Ryan Reynolds made his Marvel movie debut as Hannibal King alongside Jessica Biel as Abigail Whistler in Blade: Trinity — the final installment of the original Snipes-led franchise which David S. Goyer ended up directing himself.
Rent or buy Blade: Trinity on Amazon.
Buy Blade: Trinity on Blu-ray on Amazon.
Blade: The Series (2006)
A couple years after the release of Blade: Trinity, the franchise continued in the form of a TV series spin-off created by Goyer which aired for one season on the Paramount Network when it was still called Spike TV. Succeeding the role from Snipes for the small screen was rapper Sticky Fingaz for 12 episodes that saw the Daywalker go on further adventures in vampire hunting.
Stream Blade: The Series on Tubi.
Buy Blade: The Series on DVD on Amazon.
After revisiting this action-packed trilogy (and short-lived spin-off series), are you excited to see what Mahershala Ali will bring to the role in the upcoming Marvel movie, or will Snipes always be Blade to you? Well, to be honest, as far as we are concerned, slaying creatures of the undead is fun to watch no matter who is wielding the sword.