Pocket's Review Page
Blade 2: X-Men was considered Marvel Comic's film saviour, but it is interesting to note the character of Blade was based around a 1973 comic book character from the popular comic book house. And now there's a sequel. I actually had read a spoiler to this movie and really was not expecting it to be very good at all. The plot sounded rather laughable and everything sounded all a bit gratuitous. Watching it, my opinion was justified- the plot was ridiculous and the acting was even worse. However I don't think anyone really goes to see these kind of films for good plot and acting, and thus what the movie lacks in storytelling it does make up in very very sweet looking costume and props design and some very fast paced action sequences that do leave your neck muscles tense at the end of each scene.
The movie brings back Blade after 3 years on his quest to find his mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofesen- why hollywood insists on using this country singer I don't know.. at least he's not a ballroom dancing instructor like in his woeful role in 'Dance with Me') who has been kidnapped by the Vampires. Blade now also has a Robin-esque sidekick named Skud who creates all his new toys in Whistler's absence. Blade is then approached by the vampires in a truce to help them hunt down a new creature that feeds off Vampires called Reapers- Vampires who have been bitten turn into Reapers too and so forth. The Vampires assign Blade a 'bloodpack'- sort of a group of vampires influenced by the marines in Aliens all with dumb ass names and who sneer a lot who originally were training to kill Blade, but now are going to be lead by him to go after the Reapers. And so they go, a small team of well trained well equipped and over confident warriors off to hunt down these parasitical Reapers in a dark enclosed corridor filled environment..
You can tell what happens.
This movie is gory as. It's got about 10 times more impaling, slicing, dicing, gratuitous guts sequences than the first one, while the first one was very much black and red in it's imagery and tinting, this one is very much black and..well blue. The camerawork is very stylised, although at times the CG is very obvious and blade looks more like he belongs in Super Mario Land.
The fighting sequences are awesome; as always influenced by hong-kong movies and they're just amazing to watch. No more are fight sequences trampoline assisted slow choreographed punches and kicks, they're now leaping off walls and at speeds you just have to stare at it and go "whoah".
The show stealer are the costumes and props. Amazing stuff, very stylised and modern, they've taken the vampire myth and taken it into the cyber edge. The coats, armour, bodysuits, guns, swords you name it, visually spectacular stuff.
The special effects are great; if not incredibly gory and you'd have to question the stability of the creature shop guys because they are HELL-DISTURBING.
The script writers.. probably wrote the script with a crayon and gave up for nap time. Nuff said.
Oakley definitely get their moneys worth product placement wise. You rarely get to see Blade's eyes. Or anyone else's for that matter. Ironically, a movie that spends 90 percent of it in the dark has all the characters walking around wearing oakleys.
There is a pumpin metal/speed garage/industrial techno soundtrack. Obviously.
The film does follow certain movie clichés. The man who screams "Oh u want some of this?" undoubtedly does not last. If there are 2 women and the second woman's character is not developed, u know she's not going to last. There's always a soulful silent one who is in touch with his warrior edge and..well carks it. There is the antagonistic loud one with facial hair, and the other one who chooses to not wear a shirt. If you betray your own, whether you're good or bad, you get yours 10 times worse. If the lead man is black, and then another female character introduced is black or Hispanic, they will get together. The woman always begins as an awesome warrior from the start will always be a total wuss at the end.
Blade2 is an awesome movie to watch as long as you can put up with the unnecessary violence and gore right down to the end credits. You have to also overlook the god awful acting and plot, and the attempt at romance can just be left well alone.. I loved the costume design and the weaponry, I love the action sequences but I found the pace was so furious it was more exhausting than exhilarating. 7/10