Almost 25 years ago, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, a half-human/half-vampire who devotes his life to killing as many suckheads as he can, took a big bite out of the box office. Released in 1998, Blade, written by David Goyer, launched a franchise in a time before Spider-Man and X-Men films were in existence. The film was followed up with a sequel, Blade II directed by Guillermo del Toro. While both films share plenty of similarities, they’re also quite different. The character of Blade is almost invincible when it comes to fighting off his fanged-foes, but what happens when we pit Blade against Blade? Only one to find out: FACE OFF!
On the one hand, Blade (1998) arguably set the stage for the modern superhero invasion, with New Line Cinema forward-thinking in their notion that comic book fans would turn out in droves to see this beloved character slash his way onto the big screen. Director Stephen Norrington showed a lot of promise, only for his career to fizzle after a disastrous time shooting The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which led him to virtually quit directing.
On the other, Blade II (2002) made more money than its predecessor and kicked the action up a few notches, courtesy of Guillermo del Toro’s vision. Whoever comes out on top, both films hold a special place in comic book movie history.
This episode of Face-Off was written by Eric Walkuski, narrated by Shawn Knippelberg, and edited by Ric Solomon. Watch previous instalments below!