Movie Info
Movie Name: Blade II
Studio: Amen Ra Film
Genre(s): Comic Book/Action/Adventure/Horror
Release Date(s): March 22, 2002
MPAA Rating: R
Look out Reapers…the Bloodpack is coming for you!
Blade (Wesley Snipe) has rescued his mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) from the grasps of the vampires holding him and Whistler is seemingly cured of the vampirism that has taken him…or is he? When Whistler, Blade, and his new assistant Scud (Norman Reedus) are approached by Nyssa Damaskinos (Leonor Varela) with a request to help vampires fight a mutual enemy called Reapers, Blade must decide if he’s going to side with those he hate to take on a creature that could become a greater threat.
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, Blade II is a Marvel Comics action-adventure superhero film. Following Blade in 1998, the movie was released to more positive reviews and a strong box office.
I enjoyed Blade and was excited about Blade II. Blade II showed an improvement on Blade (which wasn’t bad), but it took the story to a different level. Primarily, this is still a “comic book movie”, but it is infused with more character development and story than the previous entry.
A lot less “Blading” and more “Gunning”
The movie has a long, winding story. It has the classic “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” team-up between Blade and the vampires which switched up the plot from the first film and has Blade leading “The Bloodpack” who was originally meant to kill him. It is a fun cat-and-mouse game of who is going stab the other in the back first, but it is overlaid with family themes involving Whistler and Blade and Nyssa (played by Leonor Varela) and her father Damaskinos (played by Thomas Kretschmann).
The acting in Blade II is also better. While Wesley Snipe’s Blade is still over-the-top in his actions and catch phrases, the script is written even better to incorporate them a bit more naturally. Kris Kristofferson returns and once again adds his grizzled grumbling which is a nice contrast to the ego driven Norman Reedus’s character. The Bloodpack also has a nice make-up with Donnie Yen, Marit Velle Kile, Danny John-Jules, Matt Schulze, Daz Crawford, and Tony Curran. Guillermo del Toro favorite Ron Perlman always adds to a movie, and I think Luke Goss makes a nice villain with purpose.
Blade’s got Reaper Madness!
It is obvious that Blade II had a bigger budget than the original. The film has aged better in that sense, but it always looked pretty good. Guillermo del Toro has a way with visuals and his vision is great for the series. The Reaper creatures bear a resemblance to the creatures of The Strain, but del Toro had created that idea before Blade II (so it really is the other way around).
Blade II is one of those sequels that is better than the original and one of the better horror film. It is an interesting follow-up to Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone in 2001 which shows his potential range (he followed Blade II with Hellboy in 2004). With Blade II being a stronger-than-average comic book movie, the release of Blade: Trinity in 2004 showed a slippage that helped end the franchise.
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