(Blade II, Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Mimic)
Producers:
Peter Frankfurt, Patrick J Palmer and Wesley Snipes
Screenplay:
David S. Goyer
Original Score :
Marco Beltrami and Danny Saber
Cast :
Blade: Wesley Snipes
Abraham Whistler: Kris Kristofferson
Scud (Josh): Norman Reedus
Nyssa Damaskinos: Leonor Varela
Reinhardt (Bloodpack leader): Ron Perlman
Jared Nomak: Luke Goss
Lighthammer (Bloodpack): Daz Crawford
Chupa (Bloodpack): Matt Schulze
Snowman (Bloodpack): Donnie Yen
Asad (Bloodpack): Danny John-Jules
Priest (Bloodpack): Tony Curran
Verlaine (Bloodpack): Marit Velle Kile
Overlord Eli Damaskinos: Thomas Kretschmann
Blood Bank Doctor: Pete Lee-Wilson
When Blade II
began I was a fair bit disappointed because it dragged as it explained the
backstory to Wesley Snipes' character and I thought that if they hadn't
spent four years getting this sequel to the big screen then it wouldn't have
been necessary to show clips because the audience wouldn't have forgotten
what it was about.
As luck would have it, after 40 minutes the action started to kick in, I got
more into the film and from there it just got better and better. Knowing what
I know now, perhaps when I next see it again, the first third of the film
will pass more quickly.
For those of you who thought that the first film saw Abraham Whistler (Kris
Kristofferson) killed off, then think again. He wasn't dead, just resting,
in some kind of liquid-filled stasis tank and Blade's first port of call is
to rescue him once he gets wind that his friend's still alive, even if he is
looking rather the worse for wear. Once the duo are back together, there's a
typical bit of testosterone-fuelled rivalry as Whistler whinges with Blade's
new in-house recruit Scud (Norman Reedus).
Blade, Asad, Nyssa and the Bloodpack
So, what's the sequel about? Blade's been given the unenviable task of having
to side with the team that he did battle against last time. The vampires are
asking for his help because an even more deadly force is around: the Reapers
led by Jared Nomak (Luke Goss, yes, him from Bros) are creatures that
not only kill humans, but go after the vampires too. They'll
kill everything in their path... and everyone wants them stopped.
Those who enjoyed
Aliens will be
in familiar sequel territory here as the hero(ine) of the piece is joined by
a rabble of gruff yokels who've been through plenty of physical training
to get them into their current vocation and now they're ready to kick butt
against the unknown.
Blade must lead the Bloodpack against the evil enemy, but he hardly gets, nor
expects, a willing welcome from someone who puts away their kind for a living.
The main grump of the group is Reinhardt (Ron Perlman, usually one for
arthouse movies, but drops in for blockbuster on occasion), Asad (Danny
John-Jules, aka Cat from Red Dwarf), Priest (Tony Curran)
and Verlaine (Marit Velle Kile, the cute redhead, if I remember correctly).
There's a few others too, but these serve merely to fill out the numbers and
get offed along the way like you'd expect.
To supplement the threadbare plot, not that that's much of a problem with this
kind of film, there's sibling rivalry thrown in for awkward measure as the
Overlord Eli Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann) wants to ensure that all
plans to kill off the bad baddies run smoothly, even if that means the death
of his daughter Nyssa (Leonor Varela) who joins the Bloodpack. That
doesn't necessarily mean that she does die, but just that the Overlord would
consider it an occupational hazard and little else.
Finally, the role of the Blood Bank Doctor is played by a bit-part actor,
Pete Lee-Wilson, who has appeared in The Bill, Casualty and
in this film has been given the Sven Goran Erikkson make-over treatment.
Well, he certainly didn't look like anyone else.
Luke Goss before...
As the film progresses, there's a comfortable blend of action scenes as
Blade grins and high-kicks the baddies to pieces, plus some clever inventions
courtesy of the aforementioned Scud, such as ultraviolet bombs which explode
light all over the shop and are the quickest way to kill off the Reapers... as
long as the Bloodpack don't get caught in the brightness. There's also secrets
to be revealed in the usual plot devices of good guys who turn out to be
working for the other side and characters who are revealed late on to be
related to other people.
Of course, what you also want to know is... is Luke Goss any good... or
does he sing in the film? Well, yes and no. He's been taking acting lessons
in the US and I don't know how he'd get on in a period drama, but he certainly
doesn't seem out of place here and it shows good foresight on behalf of the
director to have given him the lead baddie role. (And the "no" was to the
singing)
In fact, he must have liked Goss' performance so much that when director
Guillermo del Toro was casting his next film, Hellboy, due for
release next year, he will be bringing both Goss and Snipes back together again.
...and Luke Goss after.
When this film reaches DVD later in the year, I shall be looking forward to it
for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's a damn good action film and secondly, I
hope that when I watch it again, the first 40 minutes won't seem to slow now
I know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'll also look forward to
the extras to discover the way in which the Reapers' "mouth movement" was
done, which you'll see for yourself when you watch the film - something the
trailers do not give away.
Fans of computer games such as Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur
will find something to enjoy too, since many of the battle scenes within the
film look like moves taken from these games, particularly in the final fight
between Goss and Snipes as the former leaps around the room with such height
and comes down with such force that you wonder if the latter will ever win.
I have to admit thinking something was up with the cinema screen when the
1.85:1 screen didn't open up to 2.35:1 as the BBFC logo appeared and the opening
credits rolled because that was the ratio of the
first film,
but apart from a handful of oddly-composed shots, the film mostly settled down
into the narrower ratio. I still think 2.35:1 would've been better for this
one though.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
