out of
It's been about four years since Stephen Norrington unleashed his filmic version of the comic book Blade, and in those four years, much has obviously changed. Just watching the two films, you can tell how far filmmakers have gone in terms of digital moviemaking. Blade was a rather inventive and exciting vampire film, which was most notable for its eerie mythology and graphic bloodletting. Not to mention, it had the extremely talented Stephen Dorff on board, who elevated the film to something else. His villain was so good, the battles between him and Blade were surprisingly suspenseful. It's a rare occasion when you don't want to see the death of a vampire.
And now, in 2002, we get Blade II, the long-awaited sequel. Stephen Dorff's Deacon Frost is dead, and has remained dead. However, in a surprise occurrence, Kris Kristofferson's Whistler is back. Those who remember were led to believe he killed himself after a brutal attack by vampires. If you don't remember, don't worry--this film handles the flashback nicely. And while Blade II does contain two great villains, neither strives for the on-screen charisma of Frost. As a result, the primary focus is on Wesley Snipes. And I'm glad to say, he gives an even more impressive performance here.
Blade II begins at a run-down, atmospheric (read: dirty and gross) bloodbank where they will accept any blood, even if it isn't yours. It is no surprise this bank is run by the vampires themselves. One such blood-doner, Nomak (Luke Goss), has a strange virus in his blood, and the vampires are very curious to know why. Before they can find out, Nomak tears them all apart, in bloody vampire fashion. Vampires feeding on vampires? Yes, it's true. Because of this new revelation, Blade is forced into an alliance with the vampire nation--a temporary one, as they so adamantly claim.
Blade is enlisted to lead the Blood Pack, a group of highly-trained vampires (trained to hunt Blade, actually). Among them is Reinhardt (Ron Perlman), the vampire Blade most likely would be if he accepted his vampire roots; Nyssa (Leonor Varela), a charismatic hunter who bonds with Blade; Snowman (Donnie Yen), a silent, deadly martial artist; and several faceless others (obviously here for food). The head of the vampire clam is Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann), an elderly vampire who may or may not have played a role in the new vampire breed. These new vampires, called Reapers, are vastly superior creatures--their only vice is sunlight. Silver, garlic, even stakes don't seem to work against them. Later, when they surgically open a Reaper for inspection, they find the heart is encased in bone. "Try getting a stake through that," Whistler claims.
The Reapers are the highlight of this film, a remarkable creation of imagination and make-up. A small cleft on the chin opens up to reveal a gruesome affair--you have to see it for yourself. These Reapers also apparently become fluent in martial arts upon turning. Whereas Blade was more like Alien, Blade II is more like Aliens, the James Cameron juggernaut. Unfortunately, the film does take a massive misstep here. It's hard to root for vampires who would prefer to kill Blade than work with him, and amidst the onslaught of Reapers, little tension is found. In a twist to help us sympathize with the vampires, Nyssa and Blade form a earnest and romantic bond. It's just a shame it isn't brought out more--we still don't care if she lives or dies.
However, like Aliens, this film is more about wall-to-wall action than building suspense. There are fights that occur for no reason, but they're inventive to where you don't really care. There are fights that occur amidst a wave of Reapers surrounding our heroes (and, unlike the recent Resident Evil, these undead creatures trying to eat away are actually quite scary). There are fights that occur defying gravity, a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. All these fights are choreographed by Donnie Yen, who does a surprisingly good job of it. Even the obvious CGI moments don't distract from the excitement. Special effects have come a long way, and digital imagery is creating a massive niche for itself. Thankfully, due to the dark atmospheric surroundings, the CGI isn't irritating (like it was in Harry Potter). In fact, the special effects actually aide the film's comic book origins, the result looking more like a comic book than any other comic book film ever. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you.
David S. Goyer, the author of this film's screenplay, is quickly making a name for himself as the premiere comic book writer in Hollywood. His screenplays generally delve into the world of comic book mythology with the thrill of the best comic books. Goyer's script here is more assured than the one he crafted for the original, but unfortunately, that doesn't make it better. Director Guillermo del Toro, the mastermind behind Cronos and Mimic, really adds to the proceedings, with a visual flair all his own. The camera moves much like Schumacher's did for the Batman series, but where Schumacher failed, del Toro succeeds. Many shots are filled with eye candy, even when it turns to CGI to help its effect. The scenes of Blade doing utterly impossible stunts work because del Toro has created the perfect atmosphere for them to appear plausible. This film is easily better directed than the original Blade, but again, that doesn't make it better.
Snipes is back in a role that suits him well. In fact, he's a little more playful this time. His sullen image is lightened by his slight jabs at humor. Without Stephen Dorff to steal the movie, Snipes easily maintains control, and dominates amidst a well-rounded cast. Kris Kristofferson is again wonderfully droll as Whistler. Ron Perlman makes a very strong impression with a mean and nasty character. Perlman has been in many great films, but this may be America's first real exposure to the actor. Leonor Varela is strong as the love interest vampire. Without her, this movie probably would have had no soul (ironic as that may be). The real shining point here is Luke Goss as the tragic villain. His suffering is more along the lines of how Blade originally acted in the first film. Goss creates a character for himself without being on screen all that often. It's a great character, and Goss runs with it.
Blade II is rated R for strong pervasive violence, language, some drug use and sexual content. For those keeping up, my main complaint with Resident Evil was the lack of gore and bloodshed, which is the primary reason anyone goes to a zombie film. That requirement has been more than made up for with Blade II. The graphic bloodletting is gory, especially when the Reapers munch away at their prey. While many criticize films for their graphic gore, it must be said that filmic gore does not harm anyone. In fact, there may be a sadistic glee derived from watching such a gorefest. I fully admit it is fun to watch fake blood splattering around (as opposed to more realistic wounds in Black Hawk Down). In the end, Blade II is a superior action film which never lets up. It's a good sequel to a good film. While it may not be as entertaining and enjoyable as the original, if you're looking for a violent good time, you're better off skipping Resident Evil and sticking with this one.
| Rating: out of
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© 2002 Boyd Petrie |