Blade II, directed by the inimitable Guillermo Del Toro, is an exceedingly entertaining thrill-a-minute action romp with exceptional stunts, fantastic practical effects, occasionally dated CGI effects and a throwback WWE style final battle that is melodramatically re-watchable. The deliciously gnarly and perpetually hungry “upgrade” vampires, Reapers, are the antagonists of the film and represent the first real threat to vampire society outside of humans. Del Toro has gone on record that the Reapers of Blade II are proto-versions of the steeped-in-real-science vampires featured in his 2014-17 television show The Strain. Del Toro is nothing if not consistent. Nomak, leader of the Reapers and patient zero for the Reaper strain, stands out as the film’s seemingly unstoppable heavy. He is clearly the Bad Guy and does lots of Bad Things, but he’s also largely a victim – he becomes what he is out of no fault of his own. I love this type of antagonist. Nomak feels vindicated in taking up his crusade against vampires and you can’t really be mad at him once you understand his origin. The best moment of Blade II (spoiler alert for a 20 year old film) is Nomak’s final gasp. Already on the precipice of death, he takes his own life while lamenting the inherent sadness of a life stricken with perpetual physical and mental pain. A screenplay is doing something right when the viewer simultaneously understands why the villain has to die but feels very, very bad about it. Final thought: why would you hire Donnie Yen and not feature him? If Blade II has any missed opportunities, that would be it.
Blade II receives a 7/10 for general audiences and a 9/10 for fans of Blade and/or Guillermo Del Toro and the dark fantasy worlds he creates.
The Quick Critic
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