Day Shift Has The Vampire Action The MCU's Blade Needs (But Can't Have)

Day Shift features the kind of gory, crunchy action that belongs in the MCU's Blade reboot - which is why it's a shame that movie can't have it. The original Blade from 1998 was based on a relatively obscure comic book character, with LL Cool J originally circling the part. Wesley Snipes later signed on, with all the stars aligning to produce one of the best action/horror hybrids of the '90s. Blade's action sequences prefigured the success of The Matrix the following year - including a brief moment of bullet-time - but the film is important in more ways than one.

In addition to being one of the first major comic book franchises fronted by a Black actor, Blade's success helped kick off the modern-day domination of superhero films. Outside of the Batman sequels, few comic adaptations were hits at the time, but Blade reinforced the genre's potential. The Blade movie trilogy featured hard R action sequences and showed that vampire hunting was a messy business. Snipes himself is also a talented martial artist, which made Blade's fights all the more impressive.

Outside of maybe the Underworld series, 0s style of action largely fell out of favor during the 2000s. Netflix's recent success story Day Shift feels like a return to the action movies inspired by Blade, with Jamie Foxx's Bud using special types of ammunition and gadgets to hunt down the movie's bloodsuckers. It features a similar sense of worldbuilding for its vampire subculture too, although it ultimately feels closer to a Lethal Weapon/48 Hrs-style buddy comedy than a retread of Blade. Day Shift's vampire hunting sequences might be some of the best since the first two Blade films, but while Marvel's upcoming reboot could use some of its flair, it can't for one simple reason - its PG-13 rating.

The MCU Blade Will Have To Drop The Gore

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Day Shift was the directorial debut of J.J. Perry, a prolific stunt performer and second unit director on movies like Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, John Wick and F9; he also played Scorpion in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He unleashed decades of experience of action cinema on Day Shift, and while not a perfect movie, it shines when it comes to the setpieces. That's because even with its use of CG, it makes sure to keep its action both visceral and easy to follow. The MCU has featured some solid fight scenes - such as the elevator bout in the second Captain America movie - but for the most part, its setpieces can often devolve into noisy chaos.

The MCU Blade should have a higher bar to set, considering the pedigree of the previous movies. Mahershala Ali will inherit the role from Snipes - having made an uncredited vocal cameo in Eternals - though story details about the new Blade are being kept under wraps. The film is unlikely to break Marvel protocol and be an R-rated, bloodsoaked return to the style of the Snipes era, even though that's what fans of the previous films will be looking for.

The type of action featured in both the original Blade and Day Shift would be a welcome change for an MCU blockbuster, but the new take on the Daywalker can't have it due to its restrictive rating. The MCU Blade will have to fit into a wider universe than the original trilogy too, so it can't step too far outside the box stylistically. The new film could still surprise audiences with its action, but for the moment, Day Shift is where fans of the Snipes' Blade will find their natural successor.