Blade II (2002)

 

The first film was pretty good, considering no one took comic book films seriously. But how do you top that? If you can.

Well, this one proved you can, by going all in on the concept and taking things several steps further.

Also: hiring Guillermo Del Toro wasn't a bad move, either. Dude knows his visuals. 

This film literally takes place two years after the events of the first one, and you even get a nice little recap of the first one for good measure. Turns out Blade is hunting for Whistler, who didn't kill himself, but was on the brink of turning and then moved all over the world by the vampires. 

Why? I have no idea why. Neither does the film, and this is probably the most egregious example of a plot hole/silly thing you can find here, storywise. It's a film about vampires, of course there are other silly things, but they fit in this universe. 

As soon as Kris Kristofferson makes his re-entry, the story kicks into high gear. It turns out there is a new strain of vampires called Reapers, that prey on both humans and vampires, and the vampires themselves want Blade to help them exterminate them all. Of course, no one side trusts the other. You get a crack team called the Blood Pact, who were originally trained to take out Blade and now have to work with him. This doesn't sit well with a couple, Reinhardt (Ron Perlman) as one prime example. 

I love Perlman, but if he wants to, he can play one total asswipe of a character and revel in it, which he does here with gusto. He's the dick you'll love to hate. 

Also keep an eye out for an early Hollywood appearance by Donnie Yen. He doesn't talk, but he sure does use his swordfighting skills in several scenes, and they are awesome.

Turns out the main Reaper is called Jared Nomak (Luke Goss). But there is more afoot, as Blade and Nyssa, daughter to a very influential vampire called Damaskinos, soon discover. Heck, if you regularly watch films, you will know what is happening. Of course Blade gets sold out, of course Nomak is not just a random occurence. Will you care for the obvious nature of these events? Not really, because this film as a whole is just so much fun.

Now to be fair: the story is incredibly straightforward, as is often the case with comic book adaptations. But the execution is what makes this one memorable. Wesley Snipes is now a lot more engaging as Blade, even able to quip a joke left and right. Ron Perlman is one heck of an asshole, and Luke Goss as Nomak is almost as much fun as he would be in 'Hellboy II' as Prince Nuada. There's a reason Del Toro asked him again. The stakes are raised and that is always a good thing. Del Toro is also a very visual director and it shows, because this looks gorgeous. The set design, costumes, atmosphere: it clicks. Check the scene in the 'House of Pain', an extremely sadomasochistic dance club for vampires. It looks inviting, in spite of some gruesome actions there. 

Not everything is top of the line, to be truthful. The story is thin the best of times, and what really feels funky is some of the CG used in parts of the action scenes. Once you notice the glitchy movement of Blade at times, it's hard to unsee. His first swordfight with Nyssa in front of the massive lights in particular is wonky. 

But all in all, this is a fun comic book adaptation and definitely a must watch of you like the more recent Marvel films. Just remember that this precedes all that and actually paved the way.