I have a subscription to HBO Max and there is so much content! My Watch List has grown exponentially while my rate at watching new movies can’t compare. On HBO Max are the three Blade movies starring Wesley Snipes as the hybrid vampire, Blade. One of the main reasons I started watching the original trilogy is because Marvel relaunching Blade starring Mahershala Ali Blade is an extremely well-made movie ahead of its time.

Blade (played by Wesley Snipes) is a vampire hunter while being a hybrid vampire himself. His mother was attacked by a vampire while pregnant with Blade. As a result, Blade has good vampire attributes while still being human. Blade is mentored by Abraham Whistler (played by Kris Kristofferson) so he can be the most well-training hunter. When vampire rebel Deacon Frost (played by Stephen Dorff) wants to capture Blade to resurrect a blood god; that’s when all hell officially breaks loose.

The Blade opening sequence has to be one of the best openings in an action movie. The film opens with a man being walked through a butcher shop into a vampire rave. Blood is sprinkled among the crowd as the vampires go into a feeding frenzy. This frenzy is stomped on when Blade enters with his sword and wrecks havoc while the strobes flash. This opening scene helped keep me invested as the movie unfolded.

Blade also doesn’t force a romance between the protagonists. Assisting Blade with taking down Frost is Karen (played by N’Bushe Wright). Karen is a hematologist who is attacked by another vampire named Quinn (played by Donal Logue). Blade rescues Karen and keeps her safe since she’s been marked after being bitten. Its clear Blade starts to care for her safety, but they aren’t romantically entangled when the credits roll. This doesn’t happen in many action movies. Additionally, Karen isn’t dressed sexually either. She’s dressed practically which allows her to kill vampires and fight back.

Watching Blade, it doesn’t feel like a movie made in the ’90s The one exception to this is Deacon Frost’s overall aesthetic. Deacon looks like a former Backstreet Boy who was turned into a vampire. Otherwise, the movie has aged well and it’s still enjoyable to watch.

Blade was a blast to watch. The day after watching Blade, I watched Blade II. I will write a Blade II review soon because I was surprised how well this holds up as a sequel. Blade is available to stream on HBO Max.