Blade II

Guillermo del Toro begs to be called one of those gritty and flashy directors. There isn't a lot to Blade II except fighting and gore, but it's sure pleasant to sit through. The fight scenes are furious, and direction is energetic, and the editing is quick and flashy. It's a film that basically personifies everything that I don't like about a lot of modern films. One thing, however, del Toro takes no prisoners. He doesn't shy away from when the violence gets too fantastical to be anything resembling realistic. He doesn't shy away from CGI. Its also clear that he realizes the obvious sexual connotation to the new being that inhabits Blade's world. Guillermo del Toro directs as a comic and movies fan, somebody who merely got the chance the direct a sequel to a film he loved. He saw possibilties, and his completed film realizes them.

Norrington's original film wasn't one that I enjoyed a whole lot. It was lacking in character and an overall aggressiveness. Del Toro's sequel is clearly a better film than the first. It takes a no-holds-barred approach to violence and sprays blood all over the place. It seems to revel in open flesh wounds, exposing them whenever it can. While it's often repulsive, it enhances the frenetic actions of the storyline, the almost begging manner in which the reapers thirst for blood. The action forms perhaps a bulk of the film's running time.

Del Toro knew that we had already been introduced to the main characters so he shoves us right into the action with an over-the-top beginning action piece. The reapers are a new breed of being that threatens to wipe both vampire and human off the planet. They're nearly invincible. They don't have the usual weaknesses that the vampires have. New methods are needed to combat this new foe. It is because of this need that Blade and the vampires unite to fight this plague.

Blade II is a techno-thumping action film that reestablishes Wesley Snipes as a hero to be reckoned with. Amongst swinging camera shots, del Toro allows Snipes to sink his teeth into his role more than Norrington did in the original. We don't get the same raw hunger as the first film, but we get to see deeper into his true character. Blade is therefore a much more appealing character. He's also a much better fight. Watch out, because Blade will kick your ass.

On a scale of 1 to 10 buckets of boiling blood : 7