Sharpen this Blade

Rating: 8/10 (31 March 2006)

Many individuals have raised the issue that it is rare to find a sequel that matches the quality of the original, let alone surpasses it. On that short list, you should find the film Blade II. The sequel to the 1998 vampire action flick is more stylish, more exciting and scarier than it's predecessor, making it a solid entry in the comic-book adaptation pantheon.
Opening some time after the conclusion of the original, we find our hero Blade (Wesley Snipes) searching for his mentor, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), whom the vampires converted to a vampire and kidnapped. Shortly after locating and curing Whistler of his vampirism (using some complicated retro-virus magic serum), two vampire ninjas drop in on his hideout, but not to kill him. The vampire nation is seeking Blade's assistance in ridding them of a new mutant strain of vampire, dubbed the Reapers. You don't want to mess around with the Reapers: aside from being impervious to silver and many of the other standard vampire repellents, they have a nasty habit of splitting their lower jaw in half and sucking you dry in a much less appealing way than normal vampires.
Blade joins forces with a elite group of vampires that were trained to hunt him down, the Bloodpack, led by Reinhardt (Ron Perlman) and Nyssa (Leonore Varella), daughter of the leader of the vampires, Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann). Blade and the Bloodpack begin hunting the Reapers, but it quickly becomes obvious that they have an agenda that goes beyond stopping these mutants.
A big component in the improvement of Blade II over Blade has to do with the presence of director Guillermo Del Toro. Director of several stylish horror films, he brings a more unique flair to the proceedings. The film is darker, with harsher shadows and moodier lighting than the last entry. The action sequences are also well choreographed, using computer generated imagery that generally integrates well into the live action to add an extra kick to them.
Unlike Blade, Blade II also has a stronger element of horror to it. This is principally attributable to the presence of the Reapers. The standard vampire in a horror film is rather passé these days; the Reapers, however, are not. It's easy to see that the Reapers are representative of any major disease, be it AIDS, bubonic plague, etc. They are hairless, light skinned, and will feed on anything that moves. The scenes where they attack en masse are reminiscent of such films as Night of the Living Dead, although with a little more kick to them than the slow, shuffling zombies of that black and white classic. Where the vampires in Blade were not that scary, save for the film's opening, the Reapers are and add an extra level to Blade II missing from the original.
Wesley Snipes is back in fine form as Blade. Still not graced with an overabundance of dialogue, Snipes imbues the character with a little more attitude than the first time around, making Blade a character that is easier to sympathize with. Ron Perlman turns in his usual solid performance as Reinhardt, taking the role of central villain for the piece. Kristofferson is also his curmudgeonly self as Whistler, and his presence is welcome.
It is always refreshing to see filmmakers take a decent film and liberally expand and improve on it with a quality sequel, which seems in short supply these days. Blade II manages the break the curve, and if you were a fan of the original, the sequel is more than worth your time.