BLADE 2
Running time: 106 mins
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris
Kristofferson, Thomas Kretschmann, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Luke Goss,
Norman Reedus
Blade II begins where the original left off, in
Moscow. Wesley Snipes's titular vampire hunter learns that his mentor
Whistler, who was presumed dead at the end of the first film, is in fact
being held hostage by vampires in Prague. Blade rescues his good friend
(staking a few motorcycle-screeching bloodsuckers into the bargain), only
to learn that the nightcrawlers are the least of his worries.
A mutation in the vampire virus has created
a rare hybrid known as The Reapers, which are wreaking havoc on the
bloodsucking population, attacking humans as well as their own kind to
satiate their bloodlust. Unlike normal vampires, there is no erotic
exchange with The Reapers - they are like giant leeches, and exist solely
to feed on their prey, and pass on the virus to create thousands of new
carriers. Unfortunately, human numbers are dwindling fast, so vampire
overlord Damaskinos reluctantly asks Blade and Whistler to join forces
with an elite team of vampires known as The Bloodpack to defeat the Reaper
threat.
Blade and his mentor are uneasy about aligning themselves
with their former enemy, but it seems to be the only way to defeat The
Reapers. The Bloodpack is equally unhappy about this new union between
vampires and Blade. Indeed, the group's leader, Reinhardt, makes it quite
clear that he will kill our eponymous hero, given half a chance. The trail
of bodies and bloodshed leads back to Patient Zero, Jared Nomak, who must
be exterminated to prevent The Reapers taking over the entire world.
Blade brings along brilliant young inventor Scud to give him the
technological edge, but it quickly transpires that the Bloodpack will need
much more than state-of-the-art weaponry to wipe out the thousands of
Reapers swarming beneath the city streets.
Director Guillermo del
Toro is well versed in the horror movie canon.. His sense of style is
impeccable, making each skirmish between Blade and The Reapers larger than
life, feeding into the comic book aesthetic.
Snipes looks cooler
than cool, clad in black leather and sunglasses as he somersaults and
punches his way out of danger. There's little emotional content to the
performance, but he copes admirably with the physical demands, completing
many of his own stunts.
Make-up and special effects are
stomach-churning in detail, and The Reaper designs are also impressive,
with jaws fanning out to reveal a hidden, barbed sucker that latches onto
unsuspecting victims.
BLADE 2
Running time: 106 mins
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris
Kristofferson, Thomas Kretschmann, Ron Perlman, Leonor Varela, Luke Goss,
Norman Reedus
Needless to say, the script leaves the coffin lid
open for a third film. On this evidence, it's no bad thing at
all.