Action/Horror/Sci-Fi
1 hour and 57 minutes
Rated: R
Written by: David S. Goyer
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Produced by: Peter Frankfurt, Patrick J. Palmer, and Wesley Snipes
Cast:
Wesley Snipes
Kris Kristofferson
Ron Perlman
Leonor Varela
Norman Reedus
Luke Goss
When Evil Strikes, One Man, Still Has The Edge.
After arriving on the scene in the early 1990s with his inventive vampire film, Cronos, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro went on to prove himself a creative force within the horror and fantasy genres. Early del Toro films like Mimic and The Devil's Backbone still remain possibly the director's best. Given his inventive nature and pleasant responses from both audiences and critics, it was inevitable del Toro would be given an opportunity to take the reins on a big budget studio motion picture. That opportunity came in 2002 with Blade II.
Given how "Mormonized" (del Toro's words) the vampire genre has become, Blade II offers a unique story and take on the largely stale mythology. The story, while obviously a complete work of fantasy, offers reasonable explanations within its own universe, allowing for the more fantastical ideas to seem completely plausible (again, within its universe) while not seeming far fetched or desperate. The idea of different species of vampires combating with one another seems logical to viewers given the course of nature and natural selection within the real world, and rather than seeming outlandish, the storyline feels more intelligent than most comic book offerings. Are there some plot holes? Absolutely. No big budget blockbuster is without them, but most are so miniscule that the overall flow of the story and entertainment value is hardly ever diminished. That being said, the film stumbles over the storyline of the first Blade film immediately, ignoring the events of what happened with Kris Kristofferson's character, Whistler, and coming up with its own explanation instead. It's a big retcon that threatens to disengage any major fans of the first movie - but it later does become forgivable as Kristofferson's heavy presence throughout the film becomes enjoyable.
For a superhero movie, Blade II is quite artfully photographed. Cinematographer Gabriel Beristain does a terrific job lighting and setting the tone. The vampire underworld is lit using opposing colors like reds and yellows contrasted with blues and greens. The color scheme brings to mind the lighting of Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre. These colors are heavily desaturated, giving the film an overall grindhouse (or arthouse, if you prefer) quality that no doubt was del Toro's vision given his exploitation influences. Within the industrial world, Beristain chooses a more whitewashed, ultra bright lighting pattern that works well and pays homage to much of the cinematography of the first Blade movie.
The film's effects work is impressive, although some of the CGI is now dated and rubbery in appearance. Del Toro and editor Peter Amundson do well in trying to cover this up with both quick cuts and interesting lighting arrangements - including a blinding back lit fight sequence, and using minimal lighting in fight scenes located in sewers and an abandoned church (interesting location for vampires to comfortably fight). The practical effects work, however, is far more impressive and even allows for some of the distasteful CGI to be easily forgiven. A student of the Italian Godfather of Gore, Lucio Fulci, del Toro goes for the jugular and allows for the blood and gore effects to be the centerpiece of the action sequences. Given the ultra-violent nature of the first Blade, del Toro was wise to keep his film a bloody and gory entry. The most impressive practical effects being seen during a reaper-vampire autopsy scene. In another nod to Nosferatu, the make up effects of both the reaper-vampires and Thomas Kretschmann's character are stunning, and call back to the reptilian figure of Count Orlok in the silent film classic.
The film by no means deserves to be applauded for its performances, but it also is not in any danger from being underacted. Wesley Snipes clearly has fun playing the film's anti-hero, and his fun becomes infectious. His banter with Ron Perlman's character is enjoyable, and earns many of the film's much deserved laughs. Kristofferson (whose presence in the sequel can only be explained by logic via films like Highlander II: The Quickening) is perhaps even better in this movie than he was in the first Blade. His extended screen time allows audiences to remember why Whistler is perhaps the most favorable character in this universe - his fully human qualities. Norman Reedus, surprisingly, isn't as impressive as other works have proven him to be, but he doesn't embarrass himself by any means. Much of the vampire supporting cast is decent to bad, but even the worst are allotted a short amount of screen time. The two outstanding performances of the film are delivered by Thomas Kretschmann, as the eugenic-obsessed leader of the vampires, and Luke Goss, as the patient-zero of the reaper-vampires. The two share a brief moment of screen time but it is perhaps one of the film's greatest moments.
While it is far from being perfect, Blade II is an excellent action movie and both a refreshing take on the vampire and superhero genres. Its inventive story does have its problems, but these are minor in comparison to its realized vision and entertainment aspects. In a world full of wide-audience reaching PG-13 superhero movies, Blade II carries on what its predecessor set in place - that hard R rated comic book movies can do just as well with fans if the right people are at their helm.
8/10
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