Blade (1998)

The final showdown in Blade is a pile of computer-generated swirls that look wildly dated now, and it ends a sharp movie on a cartoon. Deacon Frost doesn’t help. Stephen Dorff plays the big bad vampire like a rich kid with his first sports car, which is fun until you remember he’s the threat. But the first hour is cool in a way superhero movies weren’t in 1998. Wesley Snipes plays Blade with dark shades, a long leather coat, a sword and barely any dialogue, and every word lands. The nightclub opening is one of the great entrances in comic book movie history. Kris Kristofferson’s Whistler is a gravel road with a limp and a workshop full of silver weapons. Donal Logue’s Quinn keeps coming back no matter what happens to him, the movie’s best running gag. It earned an A minus CinemaScore and $131.2 million worldwide. A 6.9 because Snipes is pure cool and the climax is pure 1998. $98.65 says you add extra garlic to dinner this week and call it a safety measure.

What works: Wesley Snipes is effortlessly cool, the fights are crisp, and the opening club scene is an all-timer.

What doesn’t: The CGI-heavy finale looks dated, and Deacon Frost is more spoiled brat than real threat.

Who it’s for: Fans of moody, leather-coat action and anyone curious what comic book movies looked like before capes took over.