Sequel a success

Everyone’s favourite half human/half-bloodsucker vampire killer is back in this sequel to 1998’s hit film Blade.
Picking up two years after the events of the first film, Blade (Wesley Snipes) is once again on the rampage, killing any vamp he crosses paths with. He also finds time to rescue his old mentor Whistler (yes he’s back, even though he died in the original film) once again played by Kris Kristofferson.
While Blade may have faced vampires in the original film, in this installment, Blade is faced with a new foe.
It appears as though a new breed of bloodsucker exists, that not only feeds on humans, but on vampires as well.
This puts Blade in an uneasy partnership with a group of vampires called “The Blood Pack,” who were have dedicated their lives to destroying Blade.
Replacing the first film’s Stephen Norrington as director, is Guillermo Del Toro (director of The Devil’s Backbone).
Unusual for a sequel, this film actually manages to improve on the first film.
While the first film had a terrific opening sequence, it was unable to maintain the frenetic pace it promised. However, with a change in director, and an action quotient which has seemingly been doubled, this installment actually manages to maintain the level of excitement promised in the fantastic opening sequences.
Judging from the look of the film, which is reminiscent of films such as Full Contact, and Black Mask, director Del Toro has obviously drawn inspiration from Hong Kong action films.
This is also evident through his choice of Donnie Yen (star of Iron Monkey, reportedly one of Del Toro’s favorite films) as fight choreographer.
Naturally, for a film of this type, one is encouraged to suspend disbelief and it is advisable to “check your brain at the door”.
Refreshingly, this film never attempts to pretend it is making some grand statement on the nature of evil, and simply attempts to entertain the audience. While the action quotient may have been doubled, the gore quotient has evidently been tripled.
One of the chief criticisms of the original, was its lack of horror. It seems as though someone at New Line Cinema was indeed listening, as this film is full of decapitations and eviscerations. So anyone who thought the original film was gory is advised to stay far away from this installment.
Overall, this film is easily the best action film of the year (thus far) and for pure entertainment value, it cannot be beaten.
So go ahead, spend that money. This film is easily worth the price of admission.

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