Blade

Marvel Comics broke new ground with an African-American superhero named Blade. The movie adaptation tweaked action-movie formulas by mixing martial arts and not quite accurate vampire legend. Appropriately, the New Line Platinum Series DVD adaptation of Blade also contains some surprises. The disc has all the trailers, bios, and commentary DVD viewers have come to expect. More unusual inclusions: a 20-minute documentary on blood and vampire folklore, an isolated movie score with commentary from the composer (great for music freaks), and Blade's screenwriter philosophizing about "dark comics." The many features devoted to comics and vampires keep the extra features from turning into a love-in for the movie, though pure cinema fans will enjoy the printable screenplay, deleted scenes, and a look at an alternate ending. Viewers who also like to read and listen will be pleased, because this is a talky disc packed with information, interviews, and trivia. It all looks and sounds good (letterboxed, 5.1 Surround Sound or Stereo, original 2.35:1 aspect ratio) and is enhanced for widescreen TVs. The back of the box exclaims, "It's More Than Just the Movie." It certainly is.