Rhiteek Chatterjee
Directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer, ‘Blade’ follows the titular Blade, a half-vampire, half-mortal man who chooses to become the protector of the mortal race, which causes the evil vampires to wage war against the human race and him. Based on the Marvel comic book series ‘Blade’, created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colanm, the film stars Wesley Snipes as the titular character; while N’Bushe Wright, Stephen Dorff and Kris Kristofferson share the screen as supporting characters. ‘Blade’ is shot by Dutch cinematographer Theo van de Sande and is edited by Paul Rubell.
‘Blade’ was an important film in the superhero genre. While ‘X-Men’ (2000) and ‘Spiderman’ (2002) are often credited for revitalizing the aforementioned genre, ‘Blade’ was the one which sparked off the wave of change. With gothic visuals and stylized action set pieces, ‘Blade’ is a highly entertaining piece of work. Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews, but was a commercial success, grossing $131.2 million against a budget of $45 million. The commercial success spawned two sequels, titled ‘Blade II’ (2002) and ‘Blade: Trinity’ (2004), thus forming the ‘Blade’ trilogy.
For this article, I have taken into account films which have similar narrative structure and visual style. All these films vary from genres of superhero to science fiction. So, without further ado, here is the list of best movies similar to ‘Blade’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these movies like ‘Blade’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
8. Dredd (2012)
Directed by Pete Travis and written by Alex Garland, ‘Dredd’ is set in a future, where society is torn apart by crime and corruption. To curb the distorted law and order, police have been given the authority to act as the judge, the jury and the executioner. One of the cops, the titular Judge Dredd, teams up with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO, which can completely destroy the social order. The film is adapted from the comic book series of the same name, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra, but also works as a remake of the much “dreaded” ‘Judge Dredd’ (1995), which stars Sylvester Stallone as the titular executioner. The science fiction action film is powered by the performance of Karl Urban. The movie received positive reviews, with many praising the exciting action sequences, the violence and the narrative developments.
7. Watchmen (2009)
Adapted from the DC Comic series ‘Watchmen’, written by Alan Moore, published in 1987, this Zack Snyder directed feature is set in an alternate history, where society is divided in the midst of the Cold War. In 1985, a group of mostly retired American superheroes come back to business to investigate the murder of one of their own, which leads to an elaborate and deadly conspiracy. Now, with the new knowledge, the superheroes are faced with the question of their own morality and the complex society that surrounds them. Zack Snyder has always been criticised for the over-reliance of style over substance. However, with this film, the director merges the comic book visuals, the neo-noir tone and a deeply contemplative narrative discussing themes such as politics, war, corruption and crime. Though it received polarised reactions at the time of its release, ‘Watchmen’ has garnered a significant cult following over the years.
6. The Crow (1994)
Directed by Alex Proyas and co-written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, ‘The Crow’ stars Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a man brutally murdered, who comes back to life as an undead avenger to fulfill his thirst for vengeance of his own death and his fiancée’s murder. Adapted from comic book artist and writer James O’Barr’s comic book series ‘The Crow’, this superhero film is built on dark production design and terrific performances. It borrows notable themes, styles and narrative structure from ‘Batman’ (1989) and ‘Blade Runner’ (1982). The narrative employs understated visuals and adrenaline pumping action sequences. ‘The Crow’ released on May 13, 1994, and garnered positive reviews. The film was also a commercial success, grossing $50.7 million against a budget of $23 million.
5. Sin City (2005)
A neo-noir crime anthology, ‘Sin City’ explores the various interrelated stories in the violent, corrupt and immoral town of Basin City. Co-directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, the film is adapted from American comic book writer Frank Miller’s series of the same. Like ‘Watchmen’, the neo-noir anthology borrows the visual stylistics from the comic book, and to good use. With a mix of black-and-white imagery and specific use of colour, ‘Sin City’ creates the narrative through symbols, themes and motifs. In addition, the narrative of the movie is constructed in a structure similar to chapters, which helps carve a layered character and story arc. ‘Sin City’ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews, and on theatrical release, did quite well at the box office, earning $158.8 million against a budget of $40 million
4. RoboCop (1987)
Set in a distant future, ‘RoboCop’ follows Alex Murphy, an honest cop in the crime-ridden town of Detroit, Michigan. He tries to test the limits by establishing justice, but while doing so, he is brutally tortured and killed by villainous thugs. As his department and partner are mourning, Murphy’s body is taken in by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP), who merge his brutalised body with a robotic body, thus forming the superhuman cyborg law enforcer known as RoboCop. Directed by Paul Verhoeven and co-written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, the film is crafted as a cyberpunk. ‘RoboCop’ explores multiple themes such as media trials, corruption, capitalism, crime and identity crisis, and moulds it with grotesque violence and action sequences, which essentially make for an entertaining and intellectually stimulating experience.
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3. Logan (2017)
Among the line of films that resurrected the R-rated superhero films, ‘Logan’ is a brutal experience. Directed by James Mangold and co-written by Scott Frank, Michael Green and Mangold, ‘Logan’ follows a time in the future where mutants are nearly extinct. An elderly battered Charles Xavier and a physically deteriorating Logan lead a quiet life. However, there lives turn into the mode of action when Laura, a mutant child who is chased by villainous scientists, comes for help.
There are many critics who might brand ‘Logan’ as an overrated piece of work. One of the biggest reasons for this criticism is the fact that it is a meditative saga of the titular Logan revisiting his role as the saviour and protector. However, the film isn’t just a slow-paced narrative; it is replete with stunning action sequences and brutal violence. The narrative is adapted from the ‘”Old Man Logan’ and incorporates elements of postmodernism and western to create an engaging piece of work. ‘Logan’ premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and later received a theatrical release. With a rating of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is widely regarded as one of the best superhero films ever made.
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2. Deadpool (2016)
Directed by Tim Miller and co-written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, ‘Deadpool’ sets up the origins of the red-suited antihero. With postmodernist narrative techniques and high octane action sequences, ‘Deadpool’ sets itself apart from contemporary superhero movies. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, a former mercenary whose life is turned upside down when he is diagnosed with cancer. In the efforts to find a permanent solution for recovery, Wilson comes across a corporation that offers him an experimental cure for cancer. However, Wilson finds himself in deep peril when Ajax, a mutant doctor who exploits the medication to cure him of cancer and gives him superhuman healing abilities; but permanently scars his whole body. The film follows Wilson, now taking up the moniker of the titular Deadpool, to hunt down Ajax to cure his skin. The narrative is replete with tongue-in-cheek jokes and self-referential humour.
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1. The Matrix (1999)
Written and directed by The Wachowski brothers, ‘The Matrix’ is set in a distinct dystopian future in which humanity is unsuspectingly trapped inside a simulated reality, which is the titular Matrix. The simulated world has been created by artificial beings that distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source. However, a computer programmer Thomas Anderson, under the alias of Neo, uncovers this truth, which puts him under the radar of artificial beings. The film follows the events that take place after Neo is joined by other humans who have the knowledge of the artificial reality, which starts the revolution of rebellion against the machines.
The science-fiction action film stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano. ‘The Matrix is an extremely important film in the genre of science fiction and action as it utilized the styles of cyberpunk and action, which essentially paved the way for filmmakers to incorporate diverse genre elements in their movies. With positive reviews and high box office returns, ‘The Matrix’ spawned two sequels, titled ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ (2003) and ‘The Matrix Revolutions’ (2003), thus forming ‘The Matrix’ trilogy.
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