Silver Bullets and All, He’s Wesley the Vampire Slayer

In “Blade,” a bulked-up Wesley Snipes plays a superhero who’s half human, half vampire. He spends his spare time prowling for vampires, dispatching them with an array of silver and garlic-treated weapons. Rated R.

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“Blade” is one of those brainless action flicks that tends to leave most adults numb. In other words, a movie that often appeals to kids.

This box-office hit is based on the Marvel comic of the same name, which explains some of that appeal, especially for boys who buy the monthly issues. “Blade,” like the comic, has bim-bam-boom energy, colorful (and bloody--as you’d expect with all those vampires) images and a plot that doesn’t test anyone’s smarts.

After catching a screening in Costa Mesa, Joe Martinez, 14, of Irvine thought it was good escapism. “It had neat fights and a lot of other things happening,” he said. “It reminded me a lot [of the comic].”

Joe and his friend Robert Varela, 12, also from Irvine liked how the story developed, especially when Blade’s origins are explained. (His mother was attacked by a vampire just days before his birth, infecting the baby with a diluted version of the bloodsucker’s curse and instilling a raging vamp hatred in the adult Blade.)

“He has the strength of a vampire but can go out [during the day] like anybody,” Robert said. “That makes him a real tough hero.”

Indeed. Blade does in vampires by the hundreds, employing radical kung fu moves, silver bullets and a silver-nitrate coated sword that he swings like a propeller. He even carries “vampire Mace,” made from garlic extract and silver nitrate.

That struck Jeff Glover, 16, of Costa Mesa as funny, as did the clever vampire trick to lay on a thick coat of sunscreen if they wanted to spend an hour or two walking among regular folks.

“It had some hilarious parts in it, which was cool [because] you could laugh too,” he said.

Although the Costa Mesa audience was male-heavy, at least one girl also thought “Blade,” on the whole, was amusing. “Some of it was dumb, but I kept watching it,” said Lisa Prak, 15, of Costa Mesa. “It was scary.”

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PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE: “Blade” does have its share of throat-chewing violence, which could easily frighten younger children. Gary Meade of Santa Ana recommended the movie for teens only.

“Too intense for little ones, for sure,” he said. “I wouldn’t take anyone to it, actually. Too stupid for my tastes.”