Blade: Wesley Snipes	Whistler: Kris Kristofferson
Scud: Norman Reedus	Nyssa: Leonor Varela
Nomak: Luke Goss	Reinhardt: Ron Perlman
Damaskinos: Thomas Kretschmann	Director: Guillermo Del Toro

30 Second Bottom Line: Follow up to Blade, the 1998 hit film. Again starring Wesley Snipes in the title role, Blade II perfectly executes the feel of a live action comic book (on which the series is based) and the smoothed out style of a rapid-fire video game. The key word here is action!

Story Line: Wesley Snipes returns as Blade, the half-human, half-vampire, uber-vampire hunter. He is referred to in vampire circles as the "daywalker;" able to tolerate sunlight. Before he was born, Blade's mother was attacked by a vampire and died giving birth to him, and central to his quest is the search for her attacker. Blade has also learned that his friend and mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), is still alive.

Years ago Whistler developed the serum that has helped keep Blade alive and able to walk by day. He is also a weapons expert, developing some pretty nifty items for Blade to slice, dice and reduce his victims to smoldering embers.

Blade's new partner in devastation and destruction is Scud (Norman Reedus), a heavy metal loving (literally and musically) slacker type. Together they develop enough firepower to liberate Whistler from his blood and plasma filled vat.

Vampire overlord Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann), Blade's sworn enemy, sends two emissaries to Blade to propose a truce, his beautiful but lethal daughter Nyssa (Leonor Varela) and his trusted warrior-aide Asad (Danny John Jules). They now all have a common enemy, the "Reapers." These razor-teethed mutations of vampires hunt humans as well as vampires and give new meaning to the phrase "Open wide!"

The proposal is that Blade and his crew will align with Damaskinos's elite force of warrior vampires, the "Bloodpack;" who were originally trained to hunt and kill Blade! But the prospect of the "Reaper Strain" being unleashed and spreading worldwide, with thousands being infected in just a month, poses an unimaginable threat to humanity and the vampire underworld as well. The key to locking down this epidemic lies with the character Nomak (Luke Goss), a chilling protoplasmic anomaly with a horrific appetite.

Lots of blood flows here and there's the ever-present threat of immediate annihilation. Vampire slaying is a tense gig. Lose your logic as you enter the theater, although the story is easy enough to follow. I was reminded of the physicality of Matrix as I allowed my mind to bend and reel as the acrobatic movements on the screen unwound. Intertwined with the non-stop action, interesting character developments are allowed to surface.

Hang on for the wild ride as Blade II sweeps us through labyrinthine vampire lairs; cavernous nightclubs that are pleasure pits for the nocturnal feeders and the high-tech laboratory where Blade's vampire hunting equipment is developed.

Tell Me More About It: Filmed in Prague, where the silver bullets, garlic and the enormous sets cost less, the exterior shots in Blade II have the look of a world grown weary. Director Guillermo Del Toro wanted the appearance of a decadent Eastern European city as opposed to the urban American universe Blade inhabited in the 1998 film. Designers also created a goth-tech look to the environment. Everything was made to look like a comic book rendering, oversized and overwrought, but it still maintains an ominous feel.

Del Toro was the director of the critically acclaimed 2001 Spanish language, gothic horror film, The Devil's Backbone.

The use of CGI, makeup and puppets help keep the action over the top and the characters appropriately ghoulish. There are lapses in the believability of movement when some techniques are used. But you get over that quickly as your mind is pushed in a different direction.

Rated R for strong pervasive violence, language, some drug use and sexual content

pam@reelmoviecritic.com

Wesley Snipes: The Art of War; Blade	Kris Kristofferson: Songwriter, singer; Limbo; Lone Star
Norman Reedus: 8MM; Mimic	Leonor Varela: The Tailor of Panama
Luke Goss: Award winning musician, stage & TV actor	Ron Perlman: Alien:Resurrection; Cronos
Guillermo Del Toro: The Devil's Backbone; Cronos; Mimic