20. Blade (Blade; The First One)
Blade is a character who is half-human and half-vampire, and is constantly caught in the middle of the two sides both externally and internally, trying to figure out his place in the world. He has to keep himself constantly disciplined physically and emotionally, and like many superheroes, he tries to use his curse as a gift to help make the world a better placethere is a real world beneath the sugar-coated one, and although he struggles a great deal every day, he is there for it. The filmmakers have said that Blades characterization is a statement on being black in the United States, but his position could also be read with similar feelings for many people from different racial, cultural, and social backgrounds who, for whatever reasons, feel like they dont fit in. Blades conflict is a very powerful thing. The first Blade film started a financially successful franchise, and probably would have been even more successful if it were not for a number of factors behind the scenes. Blade wasnt a solo leading character before this movie, but has since starred in two other live-action films, a TV series, and a Japanese anime series. Blade lives with many problems, but he is not an issue. He is an awesome, conflicted character, and the overall conflict he faces and his very human struggle can be read in many different, fascinating ways. Especially in the first movie, it augments the story very, very well. He is the very cool story. And action movies are always popular enough on their ownunless we dont care, which has been the case for many blockbusters this past summer. Hollywood should look at the positives of the Blade franchise and try to use more of what worked.