Μύ Released back in December 1998, when other discs were lucky to feature a trailer, the Region 1 DVD for "Blade" still impresses today with its technical specifications and entertainment value.
Heavily stylised and set in dark vampire-friendly hangouts, the gloomy settings offer a perfect breeding ground for nasty old grain to creep in and suck the fun out of your picture. Well, grain doesn't get to play on this DVD with its impeccable image quality. Even the bright reds that are used to symbolise blood remain sharp and don't smear into the murky background.
Just as the film hits you right from the beginning, so does the 5.1 sound mix. The bloodbath scene with its heavy techno track beats merry hell out of the sub woofer, while the surrounds fill with speaker swapping whispers.
The Special Features:
- Audio Commentary Track 1. In this hosted commentary we hear contributions from Wesley Snipes (star and producer), Stephen Dorff ('Frost'), David S Goyer (writer), Theo Van De Sande (director of cinematography), Kirk M Petruccelli (production designer), and Peter Frankfurt (producer). While not as much fun as some group commentaries, at least the best quotes are selected for this hosted one. Snipes chips in quite a bit, and he's clearly a thoughtful guy, discussing everything from his theatrical sensibilities to pointing out the scenes with his stunt-double and praising his talents.
- Audio Commentary Track 2 - For this track we get an isolated music score with commentary from composer Mark Isham. He provides the cues, the music plays and then there is silence until the next cue. It's a tough track to make exciting, and is not one that you're likely to linger long with.
- La Magra - Deleted scenes and an alternate ending are woven into a featurette that breaks them down from conceptual artwork to partially finished film. These include an alternate (and frankly awful) ending. As New Line President Michael De Luca explains; it was ditched because the test audiences couldn't relate to Stephen Dorff as a "faceless, gelatinous, gloopy mess".
- Designing "Blade" - A 22-minute documentary that takes us right from the stunning conceptual artwork to the finished product. Everything from the creation of the creatures, the weapons, and inspiration of the design is covered here.
- The Origins of "Blade". This 12-minute featurette includes an interview with Marvel Comics head, Stan Lee. He takes us through a short history of comics right from the wonderful days of EC Comics, through the tough censorship era to present day.
- The Blood Tide - Just when you think that the DVD team have exhausted all avenues of spin-off entertainment, they come-up with this great 20-minute documentary on the history of vampirism. Interviewees include a priest, a doctor, and vampire historians. It's strange stuff, but interesting too.
- House of Erebus - All the different symbols of the vampire clans are laid out for you to scroll though for a short history of each of them.
- Pencil to Post - A description of the comic book process from pencil sketches to colour seperations.
- Cast and Crew Filmographies
- Theatrical Trailer (in 5.1)
- DVD-ROM Features - An excellent DVD-ROM section includes the facility to access any scene from the screenplay (which is printable), watch extracts from the 1998 Comicon Convention, and explore the website.
If you don't own this DVD, you'll likely want it now after making it this far! Not only is the disc stuffed with features, but also the entertainment value of them is high.
NB: The release date above refers to the Region 1 disc.
Region: 1
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5:1
Extra Features: Scene selection, animated menus, and English subtitles for the hearing impaired.
