Best of the trilogy.

Rating: 8/10 (16 April 2020)

Blade II is not your typical vampire movie sequel. Not only does it do things better than the original, but it makes vampires look even cooler than they already did. Guillermo del Toro didn't hold back on any of the action, Donnie Yen's signature fight scenes style is really prevalent in this movie, as he himself plays a role, which can only be described as underused. The cinematography is decent, there are some really cool shots of the Bloodpack while they are heading into the vampire nightclub. The plot is really unique and breathes fresh air into the vampire genre, accompanied by the never ending tension, this sequel really succeeds in making a different movie, even when the story isn't complicated at all. You have vampires versus a new breed of vampires, created from a virus, which makes them even more strong and bloodthirsty, and really really grotesque. The make up and effects team deserve very high praise on their work here, the reapers are truly terrifying.
Wesley Snipes returns as Blade, of course, and the new additions to the universe are quite exciting. Young Norman Reedus plays the whacky sidekick to Blade, and Kris Kristofferson returns as Whistler. Del Toro also brings in the Bloodpack. They are highly trained vampires, whose only job was to hunt down Blade, until things went downhill with the arrival of the reapers. They are a cool new addition, as Ron Pearlman, Matt Schulze and Tony all give plenty of personality to the group. Donnie Yen is also a part of the Bloodpack, but as mentioned before, he is severely underused in the movie. None of them really have any backstory or move the plot in any way, apart from a few very cool scenes. The villain of the movie is Nomak, who is the patient zero and carries the reaper virus. He is decent and the opening scenes with him are entertaining, but he doesn't do much from there. The dialogue is simple, but the movie let's its dark visuals do the talking.
There are couple of bad plot points, which involve Nomak's father - Eli Damaskinos. He is the weakest character in the film, even though he has more lines and screen time than more of the members of the Bloodpack. The only positive is that it doesn't take away from the overall quality of Blade II.
If you are a fan of action packed early 2000's vampire flicks, which include a well known Marvel hero, this is the perfect movie for you. Blade II perfectly captures the gritty and hostile vibe of the cities and makes vampires cool again for a bit.