MovieChat Forums > Blade (1998) Discussion > Is this the movie that started it all?

Is this the movie that started it all?

posted 11 years ago by michaelward15
48 replies | jump to latest

Before Blade was released WB made big budget Superhero movies, and all Marvel made was made-for-TV garbage (Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, Captain America, Captain America II, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, The Death of the Incredible Hulk, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield).

(Edit: When I first wrote the above I forgot about Howard the Duck and the 1990 version of Captain America, but both of those on further illustrate my point.)

Starting with Blade, Marvel has released 28 major motion pictures based on Marvel Universe characters by my count, 7 of which grossed over $300M in the US alone. In the same time WB has only released 7 DC Universe theatrical films--9 if you count Constantine and Watchmen, and only 2 of those surpassed $300M.

I think 1998's Blade marked Marvel's turning point just one year after 1997's Batman & Robin foreshadowed bad times for DC.

[–] MadMan5225 11 years ago

yep this movie and its success helped spawn the current era of Marvel superhero movies. After this they released X-Men and Spider-Man and the rest is history.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Darwinskid 11 years ago

I find it pretty sad that a lot of people always look to X-Men or Spider-Man as the game changers for superhero/comic book movies when it was really Blade that gave the genre a fresh new perspective.

I have an unbelievably long ignore list.

[–] Ithilfaen 11 years ago

lol. No. Xmen started it all. Blade was a genre movie for teenage boys obsessed with comics. Everyone and their grandma saw Xmen.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

[–] princeofnewyork 11 years ago

Yup without Blade Marvel would not be in the position that its in today!

[–] Symarip 11 years ago

Both Blade and X-men did pretty good (130 mil and 290 mil), but the first Spiderman I would say was the real turning point, which made over 800 million at the box office.

If you've heard of it, it's already too mainstream for me.

[–] redban02 9 years ago

I don't agree. Blade did well, but not many people were aware of its comic book roots. X-Men and Spiderman were the ones that really "started it off."

[–] dlancer 11 years ago

I'd have to agree with the OP, though it was baby steps.

Blade's success opened the door for X-men, and that opened the door for Spider-Man.

Although I liked X-men and Blade more than Spider-Man, the box office numbers show a clear progression.

If you can read this then you are trying too hard.

[–] lonewolf333 9 years ago

Blade really did start it all. I graduated the year this movie came out(1998) and for years afterwards people were all dressing like vampires and *beep* and even wearing the prosthetic fangs.

[–] trekkie313 9 years ago

Pretty sure Batman (1989) kicked off the idea that you could make a superhero movie that wasn't as cartoony as Superman and still appeal to kids. Superman stopped being cool when they *beep* up the third movie, hell Spider-Man was gonna be like a Cronenberg movie James Cameron directing before he did True Lies.

SPAWN even though it sucks, probably broke some ground for under-the-radar stuff like Blade and Hellboy to get made.

Listen, do you smell something? -Ray Stantz

[–] YouKnowMyName68 11 years ago

@ Michaelward15 :

Thank you for starting this, I was about to ask the very same question. Have a good day, sir

"You know, my name..."

[–] Mr-Fusion 10 years ago

I don't think the argument is as cut-and-dried. Like Ithilfaen says, it was X-Men that really threw those doors open, and I think there's something to that. Or one could argue that the massive success of Spider-Man is what blew the doors off.

The reason Blade stands out for me, is that it felt like there was a Marvel property that was taking it seriously. It looked dark, cast someone in the title role that really seemed to fit (he did), and just wasn't messing around. It was kind of strange; it came out in August, the reviews weren't glowing, but it was the right property for a genre movie that would do well in its respective market. Gone was the image of hammy Marvel movies like Captain America, The Fantastic Four, and the Punisher misfire. They really had something here.

But also, Stephen Norrington wasn't the director of The Usual Suspects. So hiring Bryan Singer for X-Men was a big deal. Wizard magazine devoted three different issues to the making of this movie (and X-Men in general) leading up to release, so there was a groundswell of support in the comics community. This was magnified for Spider-Man. But this was also back in the days when people were rooting for underdog Marvel to do big business.

So I do think that (like the OP said) Blade marked a turning point for Marvel. As if they got serious about the whole thing. But it came on the heels of Batman and Robin and Spawn (). So Blade is what started it for me.

-----
No fair, he's got a gun from the future!

[–] hafabee 10 years ago

Well said Mr. Fusion.

In a lot of ways Blade was the movie that really got the ball rolling for Marvel, it rescued the company when the chips were down and it paved the way for the bigger titles, but it was also X-MEN that brought the world's attention to Marvel comics, and the genre as a whole, and it was a major title that most people had heard of before.

I think you could give credit to either, but I'd give it to X-MEN a little more, if for no other reason than it was a legitimate comic book movie, whereas Blade is truly a vampire movie (albeit one based on a comic).

[–] Vorpaledged 10 years ago

In my opinion Blade put Marvel Studios on the map and really showed us that a Rated-R Superhero movie could work and be successful. Casting Wesley Snipes and the supporting cast was a great thing as well! I wonder how the movie would have turned out if David Fincher, who originally was to direct, stayed on. I also liked Blade 2 and think Guillermo Del Toro did a nice job!

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

Casting Wesley Snipes and the supporting cast was a great thing...

It's his signature role IMO. He was born to be Blade. I've never read the comic, but I think this is a really good adaption.

[–] andyllew-social 10 years ago

New Line Cinema is owned (and also was at the time of Blade's release) by WB. So, if it wasn't for WB funding a huge percentage of Blade, Marvel would never have got it made. So, Marvel has WB to thank, in part, for their current standing.

[–] elgrandTA82 10 years ago

I more or less put it like this when it comes to the progression the current superhero movie boom we have today. Blade saved the comic book movie franchise after Batman & Robin, Steel and Spawn nearly put it into the grave. Without Blade I don't think they were ever going to take a risk on either X Men or Spider Man, Blade showed that with a different approach they could be successful. With Blade a hit, even if not a smash hit, they moved forward on X Men and while not R rated stuck closer to the darker and gritter feel of Blade, when X Men came out that became a hit, and made more because it was accessible to a wider audience being PG13 and not R. It was what the studios wanted and they could then move on with a character everybody knew and did Spider Man, which went on to become the mega blockbuster hit that it was and long and behold our current wave of superhero movies was fully cemented. But yes it all goes back to Blade, without Blade it might never have happened.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] IMDB_Vits 10 years ago

No, Burton's BATMAN showed that super-hero movies can be dark. BLADE and SPAWN slightly expanded on that by being R-rated, but they weren't really groundbreaking. X-MEN showed that super-hero movies can be deep.

[–] stevegrayston-75-221538 9 years ago

x men deep lol...

[–] midwestdawg83 8 years ago

Spawn was not released as an R-rated film in theaters. The animated HBO films were great, but the theatrical movie doesn't hold up well at all when you look at the special effects and the terrible action sequences. Plus, Todd McFarlane's horrendous acting.

Batman is a dark character to begin with, not to say Blade isn't either, but the first Batman wasn't that dark compared to "Batman Returns" and that film killed the Keaton franchise.

Blade spawned a trilogy with the lead being an African-American superhero, which had not existed before in movie history. It was groundbreaking for a superhero movie because of it's bloodshed. It got banned in Jamaica when it was released. It also paved the way for action horror movies, like "Resident Evil" and "Hellboy".

 me.