The reviews lean towards qualified approval of Blade, with praise concentrated on its visual style, action and Wesley Snipes’ performance. Supporters find the exaggerated shadows and camera angles well suited to comic-book filmmaking, while Snipes gives the hero a commanding presence and, for some, a welcome sadness. The opening sequence draws particular praise, and the more enthusiastic accounts also credit Stephen Dorff and the inventive stunt work. Even some mixed reviews find it slick and intermittently diverting.
The spread is wide, however, with disagreement extending to the fights themselves: Empire finds them effective and energetically handled, while Time Out calls them messy and sadistic. Reservations cluster around thin storytelling, unconvincing computer effects and silliness that weakens the later action. For the harshest critics, the gore becomes wearying, and too little attention goes to the hero’s inner life to provide either emotional involvement or suspense.