Every action fan's guilty pleasure

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2002)

Usually I like watching movies with a good story and characters, but once in a while there are times where you say, "To heck with that, turn off the brain, and lets see some crap being blown up". Make no mistake, Blade 2 is one of those movies. If you take it for what it is (an action/martial arts/horror film) you won't be disappointed. I can't imagine anyone wanting to watch this movie expecting anything else different, because if you are, this movie would not be worth your time.
Hollywood has been quick to mass produce action movies, but even though a lot of them have high production values, few are really good (Con Air anyone?) I've seen a lot of action movies, and thankfully, Blade 2 is probably one of the better ones I've seen since The Matrix. I would even say it's better than the Matrix. Both had a combination of action and martial arts(okay, some might laugh at the fighting in the Matrix) with the only difference was that the Matrix was set in a "cyber" setting and Blade 2 has blood sucking vampires as the backdrop.
The martial arts is probably the best I've seen in any Hollywood movie. There is never a dull moment in the movie, and the action is fast and furious. Like every comic book hero, Blade has his trusty Ginsu sword and "boomerang" from the first movie, along with some special neat "UV" grenades which made for a nice bang. The gore, surprisingly, was more than I was expecting. Vampires and victims alike will be devoured, dismembered, sliced, blown up, shot, and impaled in the most creative ways that will make you want to say "ouch". The gore in this film practically makes the chestburster in Aliens seem like Micky Mouse. The autopsy of one of the Reapers will make you think twice about eating liver again.
While it lacked in what little story and character development the first movie had was more than made up by the action and fighting scenes. There is even a little, unoriginal "twist" if you can call it that near the end. There are some funny moments in the film, especially with Kris Kristofferson who reprises his role as the Hillbilly vampire slaying sob.
The only turnoffs might be the excessive language in the film and maybe the rap music, if those 2 things aren't your cup of tea. While not approaching Tarantino proportions of cussing, you'll probably lose count how many times the f-word is repeated. The rap music gets too annoying. On the other hand, the movie would seem kind of a lacking in some way if the cussing and rapping wasn't in there. In a way, they kind of lend to the atmosphere and grittiness of the movie.
I've never read the comic book before, but Blade 2 definitely kicks Batman's ass in so many ways and is probably the best comic book movie adaption (well, so far) that i've seen. If you are in the mood for kick ass marital arts, kinetic action, and aren't offended by gross out scenes or cussing, this movie is highly recommended to be seen on the big screen
Action: 8.5/10 Martial Arts: 8.5/10 Gross Outness: 8/5/10 Swearing: 7.5/10
Overall: 8/10