Blade II is a
2002The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
superheroA superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
vampire film based on the fictional
Marvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character
BladeBlade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
. It is the sequel of the
Blade film series. It was written by
David S. GoyerDavid Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer.-Early life:Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended Hebrew school and has described himself as "half Jewish"...
, who also wrote the previous film.
Guillermo del ToroGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. He is mostly known for his acclaimed films, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy film franchise. He is a frequent collaborator with Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi and Doug Jones...
assumed director duties, and
Wesley SnipesWesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
returned as the lead character and producer.
The film follows the
DhampirA Dhampir in Balkan folklore is the child of a vampire father and a human mother. The term is sometimes spelled dhampyre, dhamphir, or dhampyr. Dhampir powers are similar to those of vampires, but without the usual weaknesses...
Blade in his continuing effort to protect humans from vampires.
Plot
The film begins at a
blood bankA blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusion. The term "blood bank" typically refers to a division of a hospital laboratory where the storage of blood product occurs and where proper...
. A homeless man walks into the clinic and sits by another homeless man (
Luke GossLuke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...
) with a scar running down his chin. A nurse takes the latter man into a room with several people waiting where he is to be drained of blood, but kills his captors and reveals himself to be a new breed of vampire.
Two years have passed since the climax of the first film, and
BladeBlade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
(Wesley Snipes) has been trying to find
WhistlerAbraham Whistler is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a vampire hunter and mentor to Blade. Screenwriter David S. Goyer created him for the 1998 film Blade , but he first appeared on screen in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and was voiced by Malcolm McDowell and later by...
(
Kris KristoffersonKristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
), who survived his suicide attempt. He has been sweeping across Russia and eastern Europe, searching for his old friend and mentor, enlisting the aid of a young man, Scud (
Norman ReedusNorman Mark Reedus is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal as Murphy MacManus in the 1999 film The Boondock Saints as well as its 2009 sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day and for the character of Daryl Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dead...
), to design him a new line of gadgetry and weaponry. In the first scene, Blade fights his way through a large gang of vampires, leaving one of their vampires, Rush (
Santiago SeguraSantiago Segura Silva is a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.Santiago was born in the Carabanchel neighbourhood in Madrid. After studying Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid, he decided to pursue a career as a film-maker and in 1989 he directed the short Relatos de...
), alive. Rush tells Blade he will be back for him. Blade finds Whistler locked in a tank by a gang of vampires who were keeping him alive for purposes of torture. Blade rescues Whistler and brings him to
PraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
.
Meanwhile, a crisis has arisen in the vampire community. What appears to be a more developed strain of vampirism (dubbed the "
Reaper virus") is sweeping through their ranks, giving its carriers new characteristics. The original carrier of the strain is Jared Nomak (the homeless man from the beginning of the film). Stronger than common vampires, the Reapers have three-way jaws, leech-like suckers and hearts encased in a thick layer of bone, making them invulnerable to any weapon barring sunlight. They also have a "ravenous" hunger, requiring more feeding than vampires, and even their dead victims become Reapers. The reapers also appear to be immune to silver and garlic. In order to combat the virus, the vampire elder (overlord) Eli Damaskinos (
Thomas KretschmannThomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
) sends his minions, Asad (
Danny John-JulesDaniel "Danny" John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. John-Jules attended Rutherford Comprehensive School, Penfold Street, Marylebone, from 1972 to 1977. He is best known for portraying Cat in the television programme Red Dwarf.-Dance and song:John-Jules is a baritone...
) and Damaskinos' daughter Nyssa (
Leonor VarelaLeonor Varela Palma is a Chilean actress, and model. She played the character Cleopatra in the 1999 film Cleopatra...
) to find and strike an uneasy truce with Blade. Upon meeting Eli Damaskinos and his familiar Karl Kounen (
Karel RodenKarel Roden is a Czech actor, known for his roles in Hellboy and The Bourne Supremacy.Roden's father and grandfather were also actors. After studying theatrical art in Prague he has played many roles in theatres and movies. First, he graduated school of ceramic, then he was admitted to the Academy...
), Blade learns of the vampire community's plight. They concede to him that the Reapers are the greater evil and once they finish the vampire population, they will descend on humankind.
To this end, Blade teams up with the Bloodpack, a group of vampire warriors and assassins who were originally assembled to kill him. The group consists of Rheinhardt (
Ron PerlmanRonald N. "Ron" Perlman is an American television, film and voice over actor. He is known for having played Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast , a Deathstroke figure known as Slade in the animated series Teen Titans, Clarence "Clay" Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, the comic book character...
), Chupa (
Matt SchulzeMatthew Steven "Matt" Schulze is an American actor and musician.-Early life:Schulze was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. At age 16, he moved to Atlanta, where he studied guitar at the Atlanta Institute of Music. He moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to be a studio musician, but ended up doing...
), Snowman (
Donnie YenDonnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
), Verlaine (
Marit Velle KileMarit Velle Kile is a Norwegian actress appearing in film and television. Kile's most recent appearance was on the TV series Blue Murder playing the role of Marta. Kile last appeared in the movie The Best Man in 2006 playing Silje.-Filmography:-External links:*...
), Lighthammer (Daz Crawford) and Priest (
Tony CurranAnthony "Tony" Curran is a Scottish actor.Curran was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He is an alumnus of Holyrood Secondary School and is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama....
). The group starts at a vampire nightclub which goes wrong after one of the Bloodpack members is bitten by a reaper.
After a battle against numerous Reapers in their hive within the sewers that cost the lives of some of the Bloodpack, Blade is apprehended by Damaskinos' forces, along with Whistler and Scud. It is revealed that, in his efforts to create a new race of vampires (immune to sunlight and silver), Damaskinos (using his own son) turned Nomak into the first reaper. Scud is also revealed to be one of Damaskinos' "familiars". Blade however, is aware of Scud's status and kills him with a bomb (that Scud had assumed was a dud). With the reapers gone, Damaskinos planned to dissect Blade to create more daywalkers. However, Whistler escapes and rescues Blade. Blade fights his way through Damaskinos' henchmen, which ends with Rheinhardt being killed.
Meanwhile, Nomak has entered Damaskinos' stronghold seeking revenge on his father. Just before he can escape to his helicopter, Damaskinos is betrayed by Nyssa (who has become disillusioned with her father's extreme methods) and is killed by Nomak after trying to negotiate with him. Nomak bites Nyssa (In order to "complete the circle"), and then attempts to leave. He is then confronted by Blade. After a brutal fight, Blade finds the weak spot in Nomak's physical defenses and jams his sword beneath his arm, bypassing the bone shield around his heart. Nomak then pushes it through, killing himself. With Nomak dead, Blade then carries Nyssa (who is mortally wounded) outside for the sunrise to honor her last wish to see the sunlight, and die as a vampire; Shortly after she disintegrates in his arms.
In the film's last scene, Blade disposes of Rush in a strip club booth, stating "Now you didn't think I'd forget about you" and stabbing him in the head through the glass.
Cast
- Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks / Blade
Blade is a fictional character, a superhero/vampire hunter in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and penciller Gene Colan, his first appearance was in the comic book The Tomb of Dracula #10 as a supporting character.The character went on to alternatively star and co-star...
: A half-vampire "daywalker" who hunts vampires. Wesley Snipes stated that while such a character is not going to have much emotional depth, he then stated: "there's some acting involved in creating the character and making him believable and palatable."
- Kris Kristofferson as Abraham Whistler
Abraham Whistler is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. He is a vampire hunter and mentor to Blade. Screenwriter David S. Goyer created him for the 1998 film Blade , but he first appeared on screen in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and was voiced by Malcolm McDowell and later by...
: Blade's human mentor and weaponsmith.
- Ron Perlman
Ronald N. "Ron" Perlman is an American television, film and voice over actor. He is known for having played Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast , a Deathstroke figure known as Slade in the animated series Teen Titans, Clarence "Clay" Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, the comic book character...
as Reinhardt, a member of the Bloodpack, who bears a particular grudge against Blade.
- Leonor Varela
Leonor Varela Palma is a Chilean actress, and model. She played the character Cleopatra in the 1999 film Cleopatra...
as Nyssa Damaskinos: An unapologetic, natural-born vampire and daughter to Damaskinos.
- Norman Reedus
Norman Mark Reedus is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal as Murphy MacManus in the 1999 film The Boondock Saints as well as its 2009 sequel The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day and for the character of Daryl Dixon in the AMC television series The Walking Dead...
as Josh / Scud: A young, chain smoking weaponsmith who aids Blade in Whistler's absence.
- Thomas Kretschmann as Eli Damaskinos: An ancient vampire who is obsessed with creating a superior race of vampires as his legacy.
- Luke Goss
Luke Damon Goss is an English singer and actor. Since 1994, he has been married to backing singer Shirley Lewis, , and has one stepdaughter, Carli. In January 2007, he and wife Shirley moved permanently to Los Angeles, but still maintain a residence in London...
as Jared Nomak: Patient zeroThe index case or primary case is the initial patient in the population of an epidemiological investigation. The index case may indicate the source of the disease, the possible spread, and which reservoir holds the disease in between outbreaks. The index case is the first patient that indicates...
and carrierAn asymptomatic carrier is a person or other organism that has contracted an infectious disease, but who displays no symptoms. Although unaffected by the disease themselves, carriers can transmit it to others...
of the Reaper virus. He bears a grudge against his father, Eli Damaskinos for creating him.
- Matt Schulze
Matthew Steven "Matt" Schulze is an American actor and musician.-Early life:Schulze was born and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. At age 16, he moved to Atlanta, where he studied guitar at the Atlanta Institute of Music. He moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to be a studio musician, but ended up doing...
as Chupa: A pugnacious member of the Bloodpack who bears a particular grudge against Whistler.
- Danny John-Jules
Daniel "Danny" John-Jules is a British actor, singer and dancer. John-Jules attended Rutherford Comprehensive School, Penfold Street, Marylebone, from 1972 to 1977. He is best known for portraying Cat in the television programme Red Dwarf.-Dance and song:John-Jules is a baritone...
as Asad: A "well-mannered" member of the Bloodpack.
- Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
as Snowman: A mute swordsman and member of the Bloodpack.
- Karel Roden
Karel Roden is a Czech actor, known for his roles in Hellboy and The Bourne Supremacy.Roden's father and grandfather were also actors. After studying theatrical art in Prague he has played many roles in theatres and movies. First, he graduated school of ceramic, then he was admitted to the Academy...
as Karel Kounen: A "familiar", Damaskinos's human agent and lawyer.
- Marit Velle Kile
Marit Velle Kile is a Norwegian actress appearing in film and television. Kile's most recent appearance was on the TV series Blue Murder playing the role of Marta. Kile last appeared in the movie The Best Man in 2006 playing Silje.-Filmography:-External links:*...
as Verlaine: A red-haired member of the Bloodpack and the lover of Lighthammer. The script originally said that she was the twin sister of Racquel from the first Movie. Traci LordsTraci Lords , also known as Traci Elizabeth Lords and Tracy Lords, is an American film actress, producer, film director, writer and singer...
was interested in playing the role before it was changed.
- Daz Crawford as Lighthammer: A hulking, hammer-wielding member of the Bloodpack with Maori facial tattoos.
- Tony Curran
Anthony "Tony" Curran is a Scottish actor.Curran was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He is an alumnus of Holyrood Secondary School and is a graduate of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama....
as Priest: A Scottish-accented member of the Bloodpack.
- Santiago Segura
Santiago Segura Silva is a Spanish film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.Santiago was born in the Carabanchel neighbourhood in Madrid. After studying Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid, he decided to pursue a career as a film-maker and in 1989 he directed the short Relatos de...
as Rush: A vampire flunky in Prague.
Production
Guillermo del ToroGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. He is mostly known for his acclaimed films, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy film franchise. He is a frequent collaborator with Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi and Doug Jones...
was hired to direct
Blade II by
New LineNew Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
production president Michael De Luca.
Tippett StudioTippett Studio is a visual effects company specializing in computer-generated imagery for movies and television commercials. Phil Tippett founded the studio in 1984, which employs effects artists who work with his partners Jules Roman and Craig Hayes....
provided Computer Graphic visual effects, including digital doubles of some of the characters.
Release
Blade II was released on March 22, 2002. This was during a period of the year (months March and April) considered to be a bad time for
sequelA sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
s to be released. Despite this, the film became the most successful film of the
Blade series, making $80 million in the United States and $150 million worldwide. In its opening weekend, the film earned $32,528,016 from 2,707 theaters but dropped 59% of its earnings in its second week, which brought in $13.2 million. The intake is believed to be affected (in part) by the pull of NCAA basketball Final Four games. The film debuted in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at number one, making $3.6 million from 355 theatres and held the spot for the following week, where it had earned $7.9 million, despite a 47% decline. The film was also number one in
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, making $214,000 from 30 theatres.
Deleted scenes
On the New Line Platinum Series DVD, it contains several
deleted sceneIn Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
s, including:
- An extended opening scene establishing Prague.
- A flashback sequence showing Blade's first encounter with Whistler, part of which can be seen in the film's title credits.
- An extended version of the ninja fight in the warehouse, with Blade using some fencing tactics to keep Asad at bay.
- A scene of Whistler shying away from the growing daylight outside.
- An alternate take of Blade's first meeting with Damaskinos, with Damaskinos wearing, according to Guillermo del Toro, a "Michael Bolton wig".
- A scene in which Damaskinos explains the effects vampirism has had on him.
- A much longer version of the House of Pain sequence, including a scene with Nyssa finding a room upstairs with a man unpacking human entrails from a box.
- A line by Whistler about "the power of the pussy".
- A Bloodpack "meeting" of sorts, with Chupa attempting to urge the others to kill Blade and go after the Reapers on their own.
- A scene in a bathroom after the "House of Pain" sequence of Lighthammer discovering how far his infection (with the Reaper strain) has gone.
- An extended scene of Damaskinos' dinner and blood bath, in which he talks about the fate of his human heart.
- An extended scene of the lawyer's torture from Blade.
Reception
Reaction to
Blade II among critics has been mixed. The film earned a 59% rating on
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film 3½ stars out of 4, stating: "
Blade II is a really rather brilliant vomitorium of viscera, a comic book with dreams of becoming a textbook for mad surgeons." Conversely,
James BerardinelliJames Berardinelli is an American online film critic.-Personal life:Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey. At the age of nine years, he relocated to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey...
gave the film 2½ stars out of 4, stating: "
Blade II is for those undiscriminating movie-goers who want nothing more from a trip to the multiplex than loud, raucous, mindless entertainment."
External links