Blade II * * * (2002)

Directed by: Guillermo Del Toro

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman

Just like the original Blade, Blade II takes place in a dark world of vicious vampires who, unlike movie vampires from the 30's and 40's, would rather suck all of the blood out of you in one shot rather than come back for more and adding to their workload. If you got the person there already, you may as well finish the job. The creatures in Blade II don't just bite your neck. Their faces come apart and resemble a Venus Flytrap as they add a new meaning to "sucking face."

Blade himself is a pretty interesting hero. He is half-human and half-vampire. He is immune to the weaknesses that befall other vampires. Daylight, steel, and garlic don't bother him, but he has to inject himself daily with serum to control the bloodlust which obviously comes from the vampire side of the family. He has an unsatiable desire to destroy vampires, but here the vampires come to him with a truce. The vampires themselves are being hunted by a new superior race more powerful than your average vampire. Blade is convinced to join them because the race plans to wipe out humans and vampires alike. Can Blade trust those he has fought against all of these years? They don't make it easy on him, especially Reinhardt (Perlman-from Hellboy), who takes an antagonistic approach to Blade.

The film is filled with caves and darkness, punctuated by long fistfights and killings. Sometimes fistfights and killings in movies tend to go on and on. Soon enough, you find your mind wandering. Blade's fight scenes are pretty much the same, but I did enjoy the witty dialogue, especially coming from crusty Whistler (Kristofferson, who I thought was dead in the first one but apparently not). Also, I enjoy the fact that Blade does what he does in a businesslike manner; not tortured by the meaning of it all like Batman or Daredevil. Director Del Toro also made Hellboy and both movies were saved by convincing and likable heroes. Without people to root for and against, action scenes don't mean a whole hell of a lot.

Last week I reviewed The Passion Of The Christ and vilified it. Why? Because it was all brutality and nothing else. Not even a hint of drama. There is plenty of blood and gore here, but it stops occasionally to keep the story moving along. It also drops a few soap operatic types of surprises as well. If The Passion Of The Christ had even a hint of drama, I would've liked it better. Enough to give it one star at least.