In a way, Blade suffered from “Raiders of the Lost Ark Syndrome”. Like that classic, Blade started out with a fantastic opening sequence, as following a brief prologue, we encounter the premise and main characters through a dizzying fight scene that takes place in a meatpacking plant transformed into a makeshift disco.

When I saw the movie theatrically in 1998, I found that opening bit to be absolutely dazzling, as it presented one of the most exciting and visceral action scenes I'd ever viewed. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie couldn't keep pace. While it was interesting and enjoyable, I'd been taken to such heights by that first sequence that the rest of the film seemed like a disappointment.

Despite some misgivings about the flick, I decided to give it another shot on Blu-ray. Now that I've seen the film a few times, I must amend my earlier impression. While the opening scene still stuns, most of the rest of the movie delivers the goods as well.

Known as the “Daywalker”, half-human/half-vampire Blade (Wesley Snipes) works to eradicate full-fledged vampires. His situation comes with special blood-related needs, though, and he recruits hematologist Dr. Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright) – the recent victim of a vamp bite – to help his cause.

In the midst of all this, a rebellious young vampire named Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) works to lead his kind. He wants to violate the long-lasting human/vampire détente and rule the world, a quest that Blade attempts to stop.

The first half of Blade provides some of the highest quality, most compelling action I've seen in a long time. I was wrong to think that just the opening packed a hard punch, as really, the whole first hour takes the viewer on a terrific thrill-ride.

The story sags a bit during the second half, though. Basically, Blade spends most of the initial hour kicking butt - we occasionally pick up some plot points, but the first half really dedicates itself to learning that Blade's a bad mutha.

During the last hour of the film, the plot really takes over, and most of that time works toward the climactic fight. It's kind of an odd mix.

Most films set up the story during the first half and worry more about action during the second. While Blade provides rudimentary expository material at the start, the plot doesn't really take hold until the second part.

I don't necessarily think that this is a bad thing. The alternative seems to have been a film with no plot at all, and I think it's good that they at least tried to provide a story more compelling than just random vampire hunting.

The problem stems from the fact that after we've spent an hour with wall-to-wall action, it's hard to come down off of that sugar high. This means that the film sort of plods towards its ending, which nonetheless works very well.

When Blade goes on his "final attack" during the final 15 minutes, those scenes seem as good as almost any from the opening hour, and they help compensate for the less-scintillating nature of the previous 45 minutes.

Overall, I enjoyed Blade more the second - and third - time around and it seems to be a film that should hold up well to even more re-viewings. Director Stephen Norrington creates a terrific comic book atmosphere. Few can capture that tone, but he makes Blade a thrill ride that succeeds well as a whole.

Blade appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a satisfying presentation.

Sharpness worked fine. A couple of wide shots showed a smidgen of softness, but the majority of the film appeared accurate and well-defined. I saw no issues with jaggies or shimmering, and both edge haloes and print flaws remained absent.

Colors worked fine. The movie went with a chilly blue palette most of the time, and the hues seemed concise within those parameters. Blacks were dense and dark, and low-light shots offered nice clarity. In the end, the image seemed pleasing.

Blade also featured a pretty strong DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, as the soundfield created an active and engaging piece. The lively score showed excellent stereo presence, while all five channels provided a natural and realistic environment.

Blade used the different speakers well, as elements moved cleanly across channels and blended together effectively. The surrounds included a lot of unique information and played an active role in the mix.

Audio quality seemed fine. Dialogue appeared natural and warm, with no issues related to intelligibility or edginess.

Music sounded bright and vibrant, as the score and songs showed strong fidelity and offered tight and taut bass response. Effects also seemed accurate and dynamic, and low-end sounded deep and rich. Blade provided a quality soundtrack.

How did the Blu-ray compare to the original 1998 DVD? Audio seemed fuller and warmer, without some of the mild distortion from the DVD. Visuals seemed tighter and better defined as well. This turned into a good upgrade.

The Blu-ray includes most of the DVD’s extras, and we start with an audio commentary from actor and producer Wesley Snipes, actor Stephen Dorff, writer David S. Goyer, director of photography Theo Van De Sande, production designer Kirk M. Petrocelli, and producer Peter Frankfurt. All were recorded separately for this edited track. Many dislike that format, but I think it works well, especially when handled as well as it is here.

The commentary covers a nice mix of topics, from different technical elements to plot points to bringing the comic to the screen to acting concerns. The absence of director Stephen Norrington seems like a negative on paper, but really, I don’t miss him, as the commentary provides a lot of terrific information without him.

“La Magra” offers an alternate ending for Blade as well as additional information. During the 14-minute, eight-second piece, we hear from New Line President of Production Michael De Luca, producer Peter Frankfurt, production designer Kirk M. Petrocelli, screenwriter David Goyer.

They discuss the project’s genesis and various story elements that disappeared along the way. This allows us to see some deleted scenes, including that alternate ending. It’s a nice little piece, and it’s fun to see the unused footage, even though the unfinished special effects make the ending seem even sillier than it otherwise would have been.

Next we get Designing Blade. At 22 minutes, 31 seconds, this program offers the longest of the video materials as it discusses different aspects of the visual production. We hear from production designer Kirk M. Petrocelli, makeup effects creator Greg Cannom, stunt coordinator Jeff Ward, and special effects producer Richard “Dr.” Baily as each discusses his specialty.

“Designing” leads us through the movie’s visual design, the practical effects, fight choreography, and computer effects. The nicely low-key program includes a few good shots from the set and offers an informative and entertaining piece.

During Origins of Blade, we find a 12-minute, 10-second “exploration of dark comics”. The program consists solely of comments from screenwriter David Goyer, comics legend Stan Lee, and Wizard Magazine publisher and president Gareb Shamus.

Despite the show’s title, they don’t really discuss how Blade came to be. Instead, we hear about issues related to darker comics. Lee chats about the creation of the Comics Code, and we learn about various trends during this engaging little discussion.

For information about the history of vampires, look no further than The Blood Tide, a 20-minute, two-second program. It includes comments from Father Gregory Coiro, UCLA Associate Professor of Medicine Dr. Gary Schiller, author Dr. J. Gordon Melton, author Nina Auerbach, screenwriter David Goyer, filmmaker Brian Clemens, and author Mick Farren.

The show offers a nice primer about the history of the vampire myth. For the record, many vampire historians look exactly the way you'd expect vampire historians to look.

The set ends with the film’s trailer. Absent from the DVD: an isolated score/composer commentary, a “Pencil to Post” featurette, and some text/stillframe materials. Of these, the score/commentary becomes the biggest loss.

Back in 1998, Blade came out of nowhere and managed to become a modest hit. It deserved its success, as the wild vampire flick offers a lively, vivid comic book adventure. The Blu-ray presents solid picture and audio along with a fairly informative set of supplements, though we lose some from the DVD. Despite the missing bonus materials, the upgrade in picture and audio makes this the Blade to own.

To rate this film, visit the DVD review of BLADE