Kicking it all off with a rave scene like no other, Blade is a triumph of style working together with substance to make an interesting, exciting and entertaining film.
Based on the Marvel Comics character, Blade is a vampire hunter, who is half vampire himself. Born just after his pregnant mother was changed, Blade is a rarity in the expansive and hidden vampire community, having the strength and advantages of the vampires and none of the weaknesses to sunlight, silver, etc. His mission is to destroy the vampires, specifically he who killed his mother, Deacon Frost. His mission, however, has the odds stacked against him, as the vampire community, if uncontrolled, could grow exponentially.
During the course of the film, the vampire community is explored, and it is revealed that there is a controlling power, a council of purebred vampires (vampire born from vampire), who swing deals with governments and the police in exchange for various courtesies and favors. Deacon Frost, a changed vampire (a vampire, once human), wants to cease co-existing with humans, and instead wants to extinguish them ('they're cattle', he cries). So, Deacon Frost sets in motion a ritual which would bring a power to earth which, not unlike the horsemen of apokalypse, wouldn't stop until it's goal was completed, to change and extinguish the human race.
Meanwhile, Blade is having difficulty controlling his bloodlust, and his partner's serum which keeps it in check, is losing its effectiveness. However, during a confrontation with one of Frost's henchmen, Blade helps out a victim, a hemotologist whose skills may be useful in curing him.
Once Blade catches wind of Frosts plan to insight his own brand of armageddon, Blade takes every measure to stop him, culminating in the final duel between the two old foes.
The script, written by David S. Goyer, comes from one who understands how to bring the a fictional world to life, without losing the fantasy in the reality. His handling of the characters are less Marvel Comics and more his own, which is, in some cases, the only way you can do a stand-alone film on a decades old serialized fictional character. The film is full of intense and stunning action sequences, working more with body movements than big explosions. Special effects and cinematography on Blade are stunning, and it's a real eye-candy type of film. Of the now dead summer blockbuster season, Blade was probably the biggest surprise and best of the rest.