Date Released: 03/22/2002
Rated: R (for strong and intense violence, language, some drug usage and sexual content)
Film Length: 117 Minutes
Produced by: Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, Patrick Palmer
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Norman Reedus, Leonor Varela, Luke Goss, Ron Perlman, Matt Schulze
Distributor: New Line
Cinema
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
Director Guillermo del Toro ("Cronos", "The Devil's Backbone") does a decent job at vigorously creating this riveting world populated by ominous night cretins. His direction enhances the synergy and testosterone-driven scope of "Blade II's" effectiveness. However, del Toro's boisterous celluloid comic book comes off as just another blood-soaked actioner relentlessly posing as a case of erratic eye candy escapism. Snipes is undeniably compelling and masterful as the muscled and menacing Blade and he impresses moviegoers (as he did in the previous 1998 hit) but the formula to this sardonic chopsocky flick runs drier than a blood bank guarded by a thirsty Dracula. This frantic gothic thriller has an attitude and a velocity for action-packed gumption, but the feeling for a sense of redemption is sadly non-existent.
The premise finds Blade, the half-vampire and half-human specimen, searching for his partner-in-crime Whistler (Kris Kristofferson, reprising his role from the original film). Although Whistler was rumored to be dead, he is in fact being held hostage by the wicked undead fiends whom are his captors. In the meanwhile, Blade has been saddled with a new cohort named Scud (Norman Reedus). Together, they manage to rescue the weary Whistler and soon revenge is in the eyes of notorious threesome. It's not long before Blade and his sidekicks are approached by a couple named Asad and Nyssa (Danny John Jules and Leonor Varela), proteges of the diabolical vampire king Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann). Apparently the determined duo, with the blessing of Damaskinos, enlist Blade and his buddies to team up with them in an effort to challenge the evil-minded forces and curve the ominous activities of the renegade vampire sect the Reapers. Word is that the ghoulish Reapers are presenting some devastating problems to both the human and vampire inhabitants in the area. Hence, Blade and his crew seriously have their work cut out for them.
The Reapers are a formidable, if not complicated, bunch of carnivorous savages who are both sensitive to the daylight and possess a voracious appetite like nothing seen before. This species can also survive the traditional vampire-rendering deaths (silver bullets, garlic symbols) and boast the tremendous abilities to climb and leap. The Reapers are skillful foes indeed; a hideous group not to reckon with. Of course this all justifies Damaskinos seeking the talented vampire-slaying prowess of the savvy, cool-calculating Blade. In fact, Damaskinos provides the resilient Blade with his crackpot of ruthless warrior-like vampires known as the Bloodpack. In charge of the king's blood-thirsty squad is Reinhardt (Ron Perlman) while Nomak (Luke Gross) leads the way for the Reaper regime.
When the film revels in all the goriness and gloom that is being displayed on screen, there's a perverse poetic aura that's so inexplicably invigorating. del Toro willingly orchestrates his protagonists to indulge in the reckless mayhem of showing torn flesh, blood-splattering bullets piercing through countless bodies and all the spiffy gizmos that would make Inspector Gadget brimmer with envy. There's a deranged celebration of the ultra-most hedonistic kind. But aside from all the intentional misguided ribaldry being shown, "Blade II" shamlessly wiggles about in overwrought and ponderous fashion. Surprisingly, there's no soul-searching pulse behind all the twisted and mawkish chaos taking place. Basically, del Toro goes wild and tries to feed his sensationalistic and surreal vampire-bating vehicle a vibrant personality. Instead, he ends up shooting what appears to be a pointless, disjointed execution of mindless, raucous entertainment that neither thrives or thrills. Sure, the computer-generated imagery is to die for and the shock value of the visual stimulation will probably tap into the moviegoer's active imagination. Consequently, "Blade II" will function on the level of a glossy gorefest with nifty martial arts sequences thrown in for good measure.
Not all superhero flicks need to play the emotional card because for the most part, this kind of genre begs for the brainless excitement and nonsensical platitudes that come with the territory. Still, with all the flashy firepower and frenetic flexing that persists, screenwriter David S. Goyer seems to struggle with conjuring up a frothy storyline that gets lost in the poorly protrusive antics of this gregarious gross-out session. As Blade, Snipes is competent enough to pull off this anti-hero's verve. He's the Shaft of the graveyard crowd with his cunning calisthenics and noticable arrogance. Beyond the endless stream of callous cartoonish fight scenes, you're left wondering if there's more to the dimension of Snipes's alter ego.
To the many fans who may crave the adventures of the plasma-seeking vipor, "Blade II" will most likely cater to your cinematic needs as it supplies the blazingly excessive goods. The original installment should have sufficed and satisfied those who appreciated a big-scale grade B monster movie the first time. As usual, overzealous filmmakers smelled the opportunity for another go around of a silly-minded, rampart exhibition. For those who enjoy the natural high of pure aimless destruction, "Blade II" is the bloodbrother that can muster up the jolt you've been hankering for all along.
Frank rates this film: ** stars (out of 4 stars)