Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Blade 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Vampire Hunter B.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 2, 2020

NOTE: The screenshots in this review are sourced from the 2012 Blu-ray, which is included in this release.

Warner Bros. continues their 4K catalog upgrades with Stephen Norrington's Blade, most notable for being Marvel's first serious attempt at a comic book adaptation. It's hard to to imagine such movies were once considered financial risks but Blade's resounding success paved the way for Your Favorite Comic Book Movie, so cram it and show some respect. Although it's not exactly a Best Picture nominee, Wesley Snipes goes all in to make this Blade a fun and free-wheeling action flick that unfortunately ends with one of the most anti-climactic CGI showdowns in film history.

For a surprisingly in-depth synopsis of Blade, please see Kenneth Brown's review of Warner Bros.' 2012 Blu-ray. This new 4K edition ups the ante with a new HDR presentation of the film as well as a nicely refined Dolby Atmos audio mix, both of which add plenty of support to the film's moody visuals and action-packed atmosphere.

Blade 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Carrying all the usual highs and lows of most New Line Cinema 4K discs -- and Blu-rays, for that matter -- Blade makes its UHD debut with an overall pleasing but occasionally frustrating 2160p transfer. Obviously enough, this represents a solid step up from its respectable 2012 Blu-ray presentation but, given the relative recentness of that release (and the lack of a more detailed press release), it's quite possible that this 4K disc utilizes the same master.

Either way, improvements are visible across the board, from both a broader perspective and during specific moments: textures and fine detail look very striking, depth and black levels are improved, and HDR enhancement gives the film's moody color palette a tangible boost. The crispness of Blade's sleek leather jacket stands out nicely in optimal lighting conditions, skin details and facial hair are very well-defined, and small background items in industrial settings award those scenes a much-improved level of depth, which is also boosted by more robust shadow gradients that rarely give way to black crush. And despite the fact that much of Blade is awash in a steel-grey blue filter, even those scenes look more refined and dynamic than their Blu-ray counterparts. Specific colors also pop nicely along the way: crimson red during the "Bloodbath", of course, but also the fiery reds and yellows of Quinn's initial crucifixion, bold neon signage, and the intense blinding light of a sunrise that eats through vampire flesh in a matter of seconds.

But it wouldn't be a New Line disc without the use of digital noise reduction, right? Blade's organic 35mm roots are still on display in regards to fine details -- and to be fair, the extensive levels of shadow likely made this a tough transfer to balance out -- but the unyielding smoothness of this image doesn't make it a pitch-perfect 4K release. Though by no means completely distracting (or even unwarranted, at least during certain moments), it's a pervasive enough problem that all but the film's most casual fans will notice... even if they don't find it bothersome. And as for those -- well, let's just say quaint -- digital effects, they still stick out like a sore thumb. Yet on the whole, this is still a mostly satisfying 2160p transfer, and one that equals or handily beats the 2012 Blu-ray in every major department.

Blade 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's much less to say about the new Dolby Atmos mix, but only because previous home video releases of Blade already set the bar so high. Overall atmospheric qualities are dialed up in all the right areas: the propulsive, throbbing "Bloodbath" rave sequence is an early standout, showcasing terrific channel separation and very good use of the height channels, up to and including Blade's room-circling boomerang throw. The same also applies to later action sequences, especially those filled with heavy gunshots and ringing sword slashes, as well as Whistler's rescue operation and more supernatural moments like skeleton bats circling overhead, raging fires, and front-channel explosions that carry a huge amount of forward power and momentum well into the rear channels. The only apparent defect here is source-related and applies to several dialogue exchanges, where a faint gauzy distortion prevents certain lines from sounding as crystal-clear as everything else. Overall, though, it's a solid natural extension of an already-great mix.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and often spill outside the 2.39:1 frame. Similar to the earlier Blu-ray and DVD releases, a few stray moments of foreign dialogue are burned in to the transfer rather than being player-generated, which preserves the theatrical experience.

Blade 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release arrives in a multi-hubbed eco keepcase with stylish cover artwork, a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. Two audio commentaries -- one of them rescued from DVD oblivion -- are included on the 4K disc, and all of the remaining DVD-era bonus features can be found on the recycled Blu-ray.

• Audio Commentary with actors Wesley Snipes and Steven Dorff, screenwriter David S. Goyer, producer Peter Frankfurt, production designer Kirk M. Petruccelli, and cinematographer Theo van de Sande.

• Isolated Score Audio Commentary with composer Mark Isham. Again, it's great to see this ported over from the 1998 "Platinum Series" DVD, not to mention having both commentaries on the 4K disc. Given Warner Bros.' spotty track record in this department, preserving these tracks should be the rule and not the exception.

Blade 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stephen Norrington's Blade was hardly a flawless production even back in 1998 and, in a few key areas, hasn't aged gracefully. But it's still a pretty fun flick featuring a great lead performance by Wesley Snipes that helped pave the way for better comic book adaptations. Warner Bros.' 4K serves up a decent HDR-enhanced transfer, a new Dolby Atmos mix, and a complete extras package, all of which make this an essential purchase for established fans.