More of the same, but better

Rating: Null/10 (13 April 2002)

SLIGHT SPOILERS
Blade II is a better film than its predecessor, though not much. That is to say, it is another gore-drenched helping of vampire slaying, except with more, or better, of everything. There's more blood, more fighting, a better villain, a better script and a better pace.
As befitting a more well-plotted film, much of the action is transferred to suitably Gothic European locations. But this is no James Bond movie. Blade is enlisted to lead a group of vicious individuals known as the Blood Pack, vampires themselves who have been organised to hunt down the carrier of a deadly virus, who looks suspiciously like a member of Bros. The tension of the story is that these mercenaries have also been trained to hunt Blade who until now has been their worst enemy. The edge of the film is based on the lack of trust between the two.
Beginning with a blistering action-packed start, the film keeps the tempo up well, in the typical Hollywood fashion which makes sure that no-one in the audience has time to bother thinking about what's going on. The flaws however do not manage to hide themselves in the torrent of blood and guts. Kris Kristofferson is as wooden as before and the half-hearted romance that develops is totally superfluous, meaning that its supposedly emotional climax is just daft.
Still great, fast-paced nonsense for anyone fancying a huge hit of adrenaline with a little hint of blood at the edge.