I must admit that I am not too familiar with the Blade comics. I like the movie Blade. I particularly like Blade II. And I will even admit to liking Blade: Trinity, despite its problems (its many, many, many, many problems). What I am not sure about, though, is whether or not I gain or lose geek cred for liking the movies - are they worthy, reputable movies that are true (or true enough) to the original comics, or are they, at most, guilty pleasures? Luckily, I have been informed that in the event of losing whatever geek cred I may still have, I will able to take out a loan on credibility from the soon-to-be-in-business Geek Speak Bank (look for a branch opening near you!). So whatever the case, of the movies, the 2nd is by far the best, and I am here, before you all today, too tell you why (in my opinion, at least).

The plot is a fairly standard action sequel plot, in that the heroes (Blade, and his own personal Q-branch guys of Whistler and Scud) must join forces with their enemies (Vampires, in particular a squad known as the Bloodpack specifically put together to take on Blade himself) in order to stop a new menace that threatens them all (Reapers, a type of mutated vampire). As the movie progresses, loyalties are questioned, revelations are made, a romance between the two sides is hinted at - it's all here. Not the most original of plots, no, but still provides a solid foundation for the movie. So what makes Blade II stand out and in many ways above others? Follow me to paragraph 3 to find out.

Guillermo del Toro. That's probably enough explanation right there (and would make my job much easier to leave it at just that, but I can already sense the glare from my editor), but to expand on that, the man just has a great sense of style and vision. The movie feels like a comic book, but without being cheesy, and it has the right tone for a movie about a Vampire Hunter. The imagination that is showcased in his later movies -- Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy movies (also starring Ron Perlman) -- is prevalent here, particularly during the entire sequence at the House of Pain. I, for one, am looking forward to del Toro's take on The Hobbit - one can only hope that not only will the same sense of wonder and imagination pervade those movies (what's up with splitting it into two movies, anyway? Ah, probably a discussion for another time), but that he'll also have Bilbo kicking as much butt as gets kicked in this movie.

Oh, yeah, the action. A comic book movie about a half-vampire killing vampires (and mutated vampires) wouldn't be worth much if the action scenes aren't worth their weight in salt (though why someone would try to weigh an action scene is something that I'd rather not attempt to contemplate). But this movie definitely holds up its end when it comes to action scenes. With fight scenes choreographed by the excellent Donnie Yen (who US fans may know as one of the two leads from Iron Monkey, or as Sky from Jet Li's Hero), and more of a focus on action than story, this movie surpasses its predecessor on the ass-kicking front, which, for this type of movie, pretty much means it surpasses its predecessor in general.

Going along with the action is the R-rating (here in the States, at least), which is somewhat rare (increasingly so, actually) in comic book movies. There is a lot of blood, a lot of gore, a lot of violence, and all of it is both warranted and necessary. Good choice for the producers to not try for a lower rating.

But this isn't to say that the movie is perfect, by any means. The plot explanation as to why Whistler is still alive is quite contrived (he says, oddly not in an attempt to rhyme), the computer graphics aren't quite up to par (watching it now, at least. The transition between live person and CG superhuman is not as smooth as it should be), many of the supposedly exceptional fighters of the Bloodpack are killed too easily (how do you kill off Donnie Yen that easily?! It's Donnie Yen!), and the final confrontation between Blade and Reinhardt (Ron Perlman) was, though somewhat amusing, ultimately unsatisfying considering the buildup throughout the entire movie.

Despite the flaws, though, this movie does, indeed, combine the right style with a decent plot and plenty of action to take the crown of the Blade movies, and is quite possibly on the top of the echelon of R-rated comic book movies.

  -- K. Burtt