Bloody let-down

>> Blade 2 doesn’t live up to the first movie’s standards

by MARK SLUTSKY

The first Blade film was surprisingly awesome—Wesley Snipes was perfect as the titular vampire hunter, and the movie had really well-choreographed action sequences, a great look, and some very creative touches. A sequel’s finally coming along, this time directed by Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, Mimic), and it’s my sad duty to inform you that some of that old Blade magic is gone.

Snipes reprises his role here, as the tortured half-man, half-vampire avenger they call the “daywalker;” he’s got the crazy powers of a bloodsucker, but is immune to daylight. He’s been travelling around Eastern Europe for the past couple of years in pursuit of his mentor, played by Kris Kristofferson, who ardent Blade fans might remember shot himself in the last film.

Seems that the old-timer was actually spirited away by Snipes’ enemies and kept in suspended animation in a big red jar (there’s never really any explanation for this; presumably the vampires just wanted to be annoying). Snipes rescues him, and soon after is approached by some worried vampiric emissaries, bearing news of a new breed of deadly super-vampires, who prey on both human and vampire alike. So Snipes and co. team up with a crew of vampire assassins to hunt down the new guys, and much bloodshed follows.

And this is where the problems begin. As an action director, del Toro’s a little lacklustre. There’s some neat set-ups, but it’s just not as exciting as the stylized chaos of the first film. And while del Toro has a nose for atmosphere, he’s not as good at either telling the story—the script is pretty limp, with a couple of useless twists—or creating a unified look for the movie. Blade 2 was shot in Prague, which has a lot of visual potential as far as vampire-hunting goes, but it kind of feels like all the action takes place in one abandoned warehouse. It’s too bad the movie never really comes together. Thankfully, we’ll always have the first Blade to keep us company. :

Blade 2 opens Friday, March 22