"Blade II" is unique. Consider first that it is based on an underappreciated and, up until the first movie, relatively unknown superhero outside of comic book stores. Then consider that it's a sequel. These are two things that just don't add up to success in the modern world. You can make a clunker of a movie like "Hulk" and still get big numbers in the opening week based on the character's name alone. You can also toss together a sequel(any of the "Batman" sequels)and gain solid numbers until word gets out that the movie is horrible. Somehow "Blade II" takes both of these seemingly impossible odds, puts them together with a good plotline, slick action and solid direction, and comes up with a good movie that's ten times better than any other action sequel out there(excepting "X-2").Snipes is perfect as "Blade." He pulls it off with style, humor, and attitude. Every move he makes is done in a "superhero pose" type of way. He makes "Blade" both believable and impossible at the same time. He's just flat out cool. I know very little about this character except what I learned in the first movie. I don't know if they got everything correct about the character, but I don't care because Snipes owns this character in the films. Let the geeks iron out the inaccuracies.
"Whistler," played by Kris Kristofferson, is his same old tough-as-nails, cranky self. The "Nomak" character, by Luke Goss, is a perfect foil. You almost feel sad for the guy since his pop screwed with his genetics like that. His fight with "Blade" is one of the best brawls in modern comic-to-screen history. It's over-the-top, a little fake-looking at times, but fits the tone of this movie to a tee. The rest of the cast is superb as well, especially Ron Perlman, the perfectly annoying Scott Reedus and Danny John-Jules(of "Red Dwarf").
Don't let the naysayers fool you, this movie has a solid storyline to it. It may not be the romanticized version of a vampire most folks are used to these days, but it does give you a taste of the gory side of our bloodsucking brethren. If the plot isn't your cup of tea, don't worry, because this movie has also got gene manipulation, ninja-vampires, the token nightclub brawl, cool gadgets that would make "Batman" giddy as a schoolgirl and even a love interest, albeit a brief one.
Director Guillermo Del Toro manages to make the "Blade" franchise his own with this sequel. He keeps the dark, techno-music tone of the first flick intact, but puts his own mark on this flick as well via gore and stylized action. Folks knock the sometimes-obvious CGI effects and "Wrestlemania" type fight sequences found throughout this movie, but that's what makes this movie so fun. It's not too serious, it's fun and it's so stylish that you'll want to forgive the CGI miscues and over-the-top fight scenes. This is an action movie folks, not "Pride and Prejudice!"
In closing, watch this slick flick for the fun, action-packed romp that it is. "Lestat" he ain't, but "Blade" could take that punk out anytime, anywhere.
