Customer Reviews

Blade II [VHS]

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(66)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Other than the explanation of where he (Blade) came from, who he and everyone else is, at the beginning, this film stands nicely on its own. for those of you that know the first one, then this opening explanation will be a little irritating (and a tad confusing, but it becomes clear later). The opening does smell strongly of franchise potential, being repeated in all the inevitable sequels still to come. Once past this though, we are lead through a massive fight and action scene that sets up the whole movie. and warns anyone who can't stand Hong Kong action scenes that they are probably watching the wrong screen.

The movie is essentially a platform for Snipes to have fun with his most renowned character. And he does so with very entertaining results. The movie has reasonably well rounded characters, suspicion piled on top of everyone, some amazing set pieces and a good sense of humour. The impact of all the blood and guts is reduced by the obvious fantasy of the fights (wires and SFX a lot of the time), but its still pretty powerful.

The lead performances are all very good, although some of the peripheral characters are a little too hammer horror. Luke Goss demonstrates great potential, although you would need to see him without the make up, body doubles, and special effects to really judge. and there is occasionally that urge to shout "when will I be famous." and the pure blood female vampire who takes a shine to blade is well worth being bitten by.

Overall it feels less like a sequel and more like a stand alone movie. with this in mind, I think its in fact better than the original (a rare example of the exception that proves the rule).

Blade 2 was diffenetly a movie that shot down the theory that sequels are worse then the first movie. Again Snipes went above and beyond during the fight scenes in this movie. It was interesting to see how the directors were able to establish moves from the wwf(or now, the wwe, and bring those moves into blade. I thought the bad guys in this movie were the best, and my hat comes off to the make-up artists. All in all, Blade 2 was a great movie, with awesome action scenes, tight bad guys, and a good plot.

'Blade II' is one of the few exceptions to the rule concerning sequels. This one rivals the first and posits the proverbial question "which one is the best?" My general rule is the original is always the best, but I accept my choice as subjective opinion and will posit the possibility that I might be wrong.

In installment two Blade joins forces with the Vampire Nation to destroy a new strain of the vampire virius which is producing a hybrid creature with a ravenous thirst that hunts both vampires and humans. Now fighting alongside the "Blood Pack", a group initally put together to hunt down Daywalker, the battle for the survival of both races is about to begin.

Positives: More action, more blood. Ron Perlman is amazing as Blood Pack wiseguy 'Reinhardt'. The scenes involving the interaction between Blade and Reinhardt are the best in the movie. Also, the inclusion of Hong Kong martial arts legend Donnie Yen as 'Snowman' was a great move. Unfortunately they killed him off much too early.

Negatives: The storyline and dialogue aren't as sharp and cohesive as the first (with the exception of the banter between Blade and Reinhardt). Leonor Varela is good as the vampire princess 'Nyssa', but I would've preferred the return of N'Bushe Wright to reprise her role as Blades' potential love interest Dr. Karen Jenson.

A new strain of stronger, more virulant vampirism has developed and its carrier doesn't differentiate between human and vampire victims. The Vampire Nation offer Blade a truce and ask him to lead their Blood Pack (a group originally in training to hunt him) in a search and destroy mission.

This film is dark, comedic, stylized (based on the comic book of the same name) action, and has some nice character moments, especially as the line between enemy and friend becomes blurred between Blade and Nyssa, the leader of the Blood Pack and daughter of the Vampire overlord and Blade and his newly rescued/vampire detoxed mentor Whistler.

Wesley Snipes, as Blade, has cool down to a science. Watching his fight scenes is like watching music in motion. Luke Goss, who plays the threat and new strain of vampirism, a Reaper, although looked and dressed like hell, carried himself with elegance, definitely an aristocratic heir/son (which his character is). Ron Perlman "sucks" in the best possible way as the vampire Reinhardt. He's a nice mix of blood stopping toughness, undead cool and black humor (a vampire who chews gum? And blows bubbles during an autopsy? Thankfully it wasn't his own).

The DVD has great in depth behind the scenes footage and a commentary by writer David Goyer and star Wesley Snipes and a commentary by producer Peter Frankfurt and director Guillermo Del Toro (who should get a special Academy Award for Best Movie Commentaries).

What could have easily been, well, a mess, instead became as intriguing as the original. Sometimes, Hollywood needs to relax on the laurel of the success of the first movie and leave it alone. However, I am glad that they threw that advice out of the window with BLADE II. My worry would be that the sequel would not be as action-oriented or smartly written as the first; the common thread found in many "part two" flicks. What I got was more action than required and a storyline that involved a group of monsters called the Reapers, a vampiric bunch that destroyed humans and vampires alike. The best part of the movie, outside of the fight scenes, was when Blade and the vampire task force had to join forces to destroy the Reapers. How can a team work together when distrust almost becomes stronger than the common enemy? That interesting aspect, along with the betrayal of a cast member and the mystery of the lost and found Whisperer, made this one of the hottest movies around!

First off, I have to say that the director's commentary on this disc is the best damn commentary I have heard. Guillermo del Toro tells it just the way it is without any apologies. He is definitely my kind of director, and I am so glad that he has earned the well-deserved credit he needs in Hollywood to keep making his films the way he damn feels like making them.

Secondly, this is not Shakespeare ladies and gents. Simply, it is balls-out one of the best "Dirty Dozen" type action film to grace the screen in a while.

It is about the allegiances that a band of misfits must form in order to conquer over the greater evil. There are so many relationships that are formed/severed as the result of each characters action. The main characters need to re-examine who they are considering where they came from. For example, Blade's struggle against his true nature continues as Nyssa's faith in the vampire bloodline becomes questionable. The villain Nomak delivers one of the best lines to Blade as: Is the enemy of my enemy my friend, or my enemy?

Film highlights:

* If you have not seen the first film, watch this one instead; it gives you a nice re-cap of events and has a much stronger, tighter pacing.

* Blade 2 is to Blade 1 what Aliens was to Alien. It starts off with a bang right away, and it does not let up. Let us just hope that Blade 3 does not turn out like Alien 3.

* Ron Perlman is great as always; insanely perfect choice for casting him as Hellboy by the way. If you have not already seen "Chronos", also starring Ron Perlman, check it out. It's Guillermo del Toro's other "vampire" film. Keep in mind that Chronos is much more "soulful" than "action-packed".

* Wesley Snipes kicks so much ass, it's a good thing the boots he is wearing are steel-toed.

* If you liked Batman & Robin, you probably won't like this movie.

* If you liked Batman & Robin and you feel you can compare that movie to Blade 2, you may have had a lobotomy.

* Obligatory "bad dudes walking down the street (headed towards a big fight) in slow-motion" scene is great!!!

* Makes a great gift for bloodthirsty dads on Father's Day!

Recently I sent Guillermo del Toro a pair of slightly used socks. He knocked them off with this movie, so they belong to him now. Well done Guillermo; display them proudly.

After I saw Blade the original I thought to myself here is an excellent film. It had action, good plot and great actors like Wesley Snipes and Kirs Kristofferson. But after seeing Blade II I said now here is an even better film. The interesting plot of Blade's alliance with the vampire race (a race he has sworn to destroy) to battle a new type of mutant super-vampire race keeps you engrossed. Fine supporting cast of Ron Pearlman helps too. The alliance between Blade/Whistler and the Vampires does not last long but you have to see the movie to find out what I am talking about. Also has some good bonus materials like interviews with the director and deleted scenes.

"Blade ll" offers exactly what you would expect: Lots of martial arts fighting, thin plotting and ghoulish vampires, but the surprise is in director Guillermo Del Toro exhilirating and stylish approach, which elevate the film above its somewhat far-fetched plot, even for a vampire movie. Wesley Snipes reprises his role as the titular vampire hunter, and with just as much aching cool as he did the first time around. Within the first ten minutes of the film, he saves his mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) from torture, and a new breed of vampire shows its face. A Reaper. A super-strong and almost indestructible foe that turns it vampire victims into new Reapers and this gang is led by a jolly good fellow Jared Nomak (Luke Goss). Seeing Nomak as a threat, the Vampire Nation offers a truce to Blade for his help in hunting down and killing the super-vamps. But of course, nothing for Blade is what it seems, especially with David S. Goyer's occasionally juvenile script.

But Snipes (who also co-produced the film) and Del Toro shine in this kind of movie. Intense fight scenes comprise nearly half the film, involving swords, guns, bombs and plenty of fist-flying, giving fans of the first film what they really want: Blade kicking much Vampire ass. But the fights are sometimes marred by painfully obvious computer effects, and a couple painfully trashy shots. But these are minor quips, seeing as Snipes is so freakin' cool as the big bad Daywalker, and Del Toro stages the battles with intense, macabre applomb. If your in the mood for escapist fare with plenty of bloody violence, "Blade ll" fits the bill nicely. The DVD includes a making of, details on the Vampire make-up and interviews with Del Toro, Snipes and David S. Goyer.

BLADE II is a far superior film from BLADE in just about every element: the acting, directing, writing, effects, music, lighting, sound, plot, believability are all better in this sequel than the original. I'm not sure why that is because at face value, it would seem that BLADE II is a totally unoriginal film, borrowing from the best of action-horror movies. However, the film works and works quite well.

BLADE II starts off not too long after the original movie ended. Two years have passed since Blade saved the world by ridding it of the young vampire who was threatening to destroy it. Blade has spent that time killing vampires and searching out their lairs, seeking to find his weapons-manufacturer, mentor, and friend, Whistler. In BLADE, everyone assumed that Whistler was killed. However, we soon learn that wasn't quite the case. He tried to kill himself, but the vampires wouldn't let him. Instead, they turned him into one of their own and beat him as close to death as possible and then began the procedure all over. Blade succeeds in finding Whistler and injects a serum into him that will either turn him back into a human or kill him when the sun rises. The serum works and things seem back to normal.

However, things aren't quite normal. A new breed of vampire has risen that doesn't seek out human blood, but vampire blood. Also, unless a vampire is devoured, it turns into one of these new creatures, too. The creatures seem to be a cross between zombies and vampires, but stronger than either one. Silver and garlic have no effect upon them and only sunlight does any substantial damage. The vampire lord summons Blade seeking a truce. He wants Blade to help him hunt the creatures down. Blade agrees, only because it brings him farther into the vampire world than he has ever been before. And so, the chase begins.

The action was quite good in the film and though much of it is derivitive from the Matrix, those style of stunts work in the world where BLADE II takes place. I was also impressed with how fleshed out the characters were. All of the major characters were fully developed in this movie and we see sides of Blade and Whistler that weren't even hinted at in the first film.

Overall, BLADE II is a fairly decent action picture that is far better than the original film in the series.

Two things are prominent in this fast-paced, gory, adrenaline pumping sequel: the action is non-stop and the Reaper vampires are some of the ugliest creatures committed to cinema, and impressively real-looking. Wesley Snipes returns as Blade, the half-vampire/half-man killer who is recruited by a Nosferatu like vampire (played with quiet relish by Thomas Krestchmann) to rid the world of these mutant vampires who are impervious to silver, stakes and garlic; sunlight seems to be their only mortal enemy. Snipes reunites with Kris Kristofferson and takes on nerdish Norman Reedus to join forces with "normal" vampires to wipe out these deadly new creatures.
BLADE 2 moves like a tornado, with dazzling fight sequences, lots of flashy gore, and tremendous atmosphere from director Guillermo Del Toro (Hellboy). Ron Perlman is on hand as a particularly nasty vampire whose cockiness and macho bravado is properly put in its place finally. And Leonor Valera is beautiful as the vampire Nyssa. Luke Goss gives fierce delivery to his role as the original Reaper. There are a few surprises at the end, which gives BLADE 2 a powerful presence as a genre film.