Blade II

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Norman Reedus, Thomas Kretschmann, Luke Goss
Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Action
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Blade (Wesley Snipes) reluctantly teams with the Vampire Nation to stop a new, deadlier threat- a breed of reapers targeting vampires, who could destroy the world if they get out of control.

Review:

Tim: In director Guillermo Del Toro's hands, Blade II is a worthy sequel that almost rivals the original in terms of quality, but falls just short. I want to stress that I was impressed with how good many part of this film were. It maintained high levels of entertainment and a new, interesting story. It was almost as good as the first film, but not quite. Still, this film could have represented a huge drop in quality (that wouldn't have surprised me). I'm happy that it does not.

For the most part, I really liked the story. It felt like a good companion piece to the original- it kept the same atmosphere and themes, but also felt like a legitimate stand alone entry. I liked how this film connected to the first one, but was determined to stand on its own feet. Too few sequels accomplish that these days. The story was cool and twisted what we saw in the original. In this film, Blade and the vampires are working together to stop the reapers. This creates some interesting dynamics- Blade workly closely with vampires trained for the sole purpose of destroying him. This creates a complicated, uneasy alliance that is fun to watch on screen. I love that the film went this route, rather than playing it safe and giving us the same story as the original, just slightly rehashed. This one change makes this feel like a different, unique movie.

I thought the story diving deeper into the mythology of Vampire Nation was intriguing. We got to learn more about the vampire hierarchy and what their plans for the future are. I like how this series blends the supernatural with the scientific and tangible, and we got some good scenes regarding that. This film also did an impressive job with the action scenes. In comic book movies, you definitely need the quiet, character building moments. However, you also want to see some impressive action sequences, too. This film delivered (almost too much, in fact). I felt like the majority of this movie's run time was spent on the action scenes. This might have been too much, but the action is fast paced, exciting, and mostly entertaining. That is a strength.

I do think this film had a few flaws. While I loved seeing Kris Kristofferson back as Whistler, I felt like his mere presence was a huge stretch, after the events of the original. While yes, I admit that the movie does attempt to explain it all, and it does make sort of logical sense, it still is too much. I had a hard time believing the explanation of events, which made every scene with Kristofferson in it feel a bit awkward. I liked Wesley Snipes as Blade, but I thought the film portrayed him as a bit too powerful. Sure, I buy that he can easily destroy a gang of 8-10 vampires, but did he have to look so effortless in doing so? There were many moments in the film where Snipes looked like he was showing off- like it was a game- verses taking the deadly threat in front of him seriously. Most of the battle sequences were far too predictable, and Snipes sucked out any suspense with his overly confident performance. I wanted to at least feel like there might have been a chance Blade could be hurt or killed. Except for the big climactic battles, most of them felt like he could have won with one arm tied behind his back.

The supporting cast is decent. I liked seeing Ron Perlman as a vampire, but I wasn't blown away by his character or his performance. I thought Leonor Varela did a good job as the lead actress, but was still a bit forgettable. She's definitely stronger than whatever the actress in the original's name was (she's so forgettable I barely remember what she looks like). Unfortunately, Varela was only decent. This film needed a stronger, better actress.

While Blade II certainly delivers in the action department (and is full of gruesome images again), I felt like it ultimately didn't do quite enough. It's a very, very good sequel, but not quite a good movie on its own right. I did enjoy the film, but it could have made me care more.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Blade, Blade: Trinity, Vampires, X-Men