‘Blade’ Slices onto 4K Ultra HD
While we wait for the upcoming reboot, the original Day Walker has come home in Ultra High Def, with the 1998 live action Marvel comic book adaptation Blade just released in a new 4K combo pack.
Directed by Stephen Norrington (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) and written by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy), the film stars Wesley Snipes and the half-vampire, half-human vampire hunter Blade in Marvel’s first true live action “superhero” movie (not counting Howard the Duck). It comes with all the goth and angst you should expect from a late-’90s R-rated vampire film. It’s in league with The Crow, which is a clear inspiration in the look, lighting, and tones of the film, as well as Underworld, which Blade actually pre-dates by five years.
Stephen Dorff is the sinister villain Deacon Frost, who wants to break the longstanding peace treaty between the human and vampire elites so the bloodsuckers can rule the mortals like cattle. Kris Kristofferson is Blade’s weapons maker, Whistler, and N’Bushe Wright is a doctor who Blade saves early on after she is bitten by Donal Logue, one of the film’s biggest highlights as Frost’s main henchman. Udo Kier also appears, fittingly cast as the supreme leader of the “true born” vampires, who see themselves as better than those vampires like Frost who “were simply turned.” Sanaa Lathan rounds out the strong cast, playing Blade’s mother.
The Ultra HD 4K resolution with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range (HDR) on this new release looks great and really brings out the deeper blacks of Blade’s signature leather coat and outfit, and the razor sharp contrast allows the dark red blood to pop.
The opening “blood bath” scene is still my favorite part of the movie, and new Dolby Atmos soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place audio anywhere in the room puts viewers inside the underground vampire nightclub as the blood rains from the ceiling sprinklers ahead one of the best hero entrances ever.
With all the strengths of a vampire, and none of their weaknesses, Blade uses his gifts to hunt his enemies in his search for the one that killed his mother and turned him into the monster he is.
The new Blade Ultra HD Blu-ray contains all of the special features previously released on Blu-ray and DVD, including a feature commentary track with Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, David S. Goyer, Theo Van De Sande, Kirk M. Petruccelli, and Peter Frankfurt, as well as an isolated score with commentary by composer Mark Isham.
Blade is out now on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and Digital from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
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