Blade: The Series

I really didn't expect much when I first started watching the pilot, but I am pleased to say I was interested enough to watch the next episode, which I liked a bit better. I think that the length of the intro was a bit too long, and the story seemed to flow better in the second. However, the third was even better. Now this is saying a lot, considering I really wasn't a big fan of the movies. I find Kirk "Sticky" Jones much less annoying than Wesley Snipes, better looking, and without the awful hairdo. As a nice plus it's got a really cool intro. The story is getting progressively more interesting. I'll definitely continue to watch!

I myself was a skeptic of this series, because I enjoyed the movies a lot and didn't want the series to ruin that. I listened to Howard Stern the other day and he was raving about the series, and said "if you can get over the fact that it isn't Wesley Snipes, then you will really enjoy this show." And I completely agree I watched it for the first time last night and it was awesome. Watching this show is like jumping into the comic, dark and twisted.It is very different because you don't hate the bad guy Marcus, you almost feel for him, and there is a mystery about him because he has sympathy but is very powerful and strong.It great because it has a little of everything plenty of action, blood, skin and good plots. So everyone should give this show a try, once you do you will be sucked in (no pun intended.)

Network: Spike TV; Genre: Action, Drama, Horror; Content Rating: TV-14 (for strong language, graphic violence and gore); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4);

Seasons Reviewed: Complete Series (1 season)

For their first big scripted dramatic series, Spike TV went to the movie well and got screenwriter David S. Goyer himself to adapt Marvel comic book character and movie trilogy star Blade for the small screen. Half-human, half-vampire, Blade (Kirk "Sticky" Jones, "Over There"), also known as The Daywalker, tries to infiltrate a vast highly sophisticated underground syndicate of vampires. Meanwhile, a battle brews between the infected, lead by Marcus Van Sciver (Neil Jackson), and the purebloods that rule the vampire bloodline, one of the leaders of which – in the show's best character twist - is 12-year old Charlotte (Emily Hirst).

"Sticky" Jones does a decent Blade, as well as Wesley Snipes, but even at series length Blade is an anti-social one-note force of martial arts destruction. The show compensates by bringing in an original character. After her brother is shot by Marcus in the pilot, Krista (Jill Wagner) ventures into the vampire underworld, is converted and is then flipped by Blade as a double agent on the inside. With Blade left to do nothing more than grunt and growl, the show follows Krista's rise to the right hand of Marcus - much to the chagrin of his beautiful partner Chase (Jessica Gower) - as he tries to develop a vaccine to kill the purebloods.

One of the most interesting things about the "Blade" movies was that vampirism was treated like a disease and the aristocratic depiction of the vampire culture and inside of which where political power struggles between the 2 "races". It is fertile ground for a series to explore and yet "Blade: the series" feels like a monumental missed opportunity. Vampirism is now sold on the street like a drug as "Ash", but otherwise the show can't think of any new avenues to take itself down. If we aren't getting action how about vampirism as a social metaphor? The whole production reeks of an inescapable feeling of creative claustrophobia. I know should be grateful, given how few shows like this actually are on TV, but good intentions don't keep me entertained.

But the marquee appeal of "Blade" was the comic book fight scenes. While the Pilot looks great (the visual style of the entire series is slick eye-candy), as the show goes to series the action is suffocated by the Spike TV budget. In order to pay for a CGI effect of vampire skeletons exploding into dust (or a bit like my favorite, where Krista decapitates a vampire with a street sign), "Blade" scrimps and saves every penny by padding the show with endless, endless, scenes of expository conversation and dramatic dialog, effectively turning "Blade" into a vampire-related drama instead of a comic book actioner. And that is the biggest, and likely unavoidable, mis-step the show makes. All the saving does pay off in the end. If you can make it that far the show delivers a satisfying face-to-face final battle between Blade and Marcus.

I should also make the point that the TV-14 rating given to the show by Spike is wildly, irresponsibly, inappropriate given the language and level of gore on display here. "Blade" is a basic cable TV-MA if I've ever seen it.

* * / 4

This series has some potential.

No, it's not the Blade movies, it is different. And that can be a good thing.

Once "Sticky" makes the role his own and stops trying to act like Wesley Snipes' Blade character, I think his role and his acting will improve.

The rest of the folks do a decent acting job and the story looks like it has an arc that can last a while. The supporting cast looks pretty strong. If Spike gives it a chance to develop an audience, I think it can stick around a few seasons.

Consider other titles that appeared shaky at first but went on to strong showings: Firefly, Buffy, heck, even Star Trek, TNG had a pretty shaky start but eventually the actors and writers found the characters and they developed them richly.

I think the show has potential.

It has a good story line so far. It will be interesting to see the story progress as the season continues. I like the actors playing Krista and Marcus. They have nice chemistry.

However, the actor playing Blade needs a little work. He's trying too hard to duplicate Wesley Snipes, making it difficult to understand his lines. Maybe he needs to enunciate or maybe it's just hard for him to speak with fangs...? Either way, he needs a speech coach.

All in all it's a good show if you're a fan of vampire movies or Buffy/Angel type shows.