Home :: DVD :: Horror :: Things That Go Bump  

Classic Horror & Monsters
Cult Classics
Frighteningly Funny
General
Series & Sequels
Slasher Flicks
Teen Terror
Television
Things That Go Bump

Blade II - New Line Platinum Series

Blade II - New Line Platinum Series

List Price: $26.99
Your Price: $21.59
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 4 .. 33 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: OFF THE HOOK!
Review: It is rare to see a movie that can it top its predecessor in both technical production design and an overall acceleration of movement throughout a would-be-let-down sequel. Blade 2 is one of those rare movies that just has "something" that the first one didn't have-HEART! I feel when I watch the original Blade (which I've seen too many times to mention) it seems as though the director wanted to simply introduce an idea-"the world isn't what you think it is." Blade 2 has a strong (and complex) story, it's introduced it's important characters from the first one so it doesn't need to back track on things. The exception is a few forced scenes I think they should've left out about Whisler and his history with Blade since most people already knew about that. Aside from that, the reapers were simply a epic marvel of great prosthetics and slick CGI. The action is faster, the gore is far more vivid and surreal and the overall look of the film is a showcase of constant improvements from the last film. Quite simply, this DVD and film is OFF THE HOOK! Can't wait for number 3!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of THE very best vampire movies I've ever seen ...
Review: And I've seen just about ALL of them! Highly entertaining, and with a new twist on the usual vampire theme, this movie was great! I was so excited when I learned there was going to be a Blade II. Just when you think that you can't stand to see another vampire movie for lack of a fresh approach, along comes Blade II. Move over Van Helsing, 'cause Blade (Wesley Snipes) is da man. The special effects were wonderful, and the new 'monsters', without giving it all away, were scary as hell. This is a must-have for your video collection.
I loved this movie! Scary fun indeed!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Cornball acting and lack of talant
Review: Wesley Snipes is not a bad actor, so I don't know why he was so terrible in this. The more I watched this movie the more aggravated I became, espescially when everyone around me thought this was the greatest movie they ever saw. Typical sheep who'll accept anything in front of them as entertainment. This was just a poor script, with a lot of hammy acting.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Techno-Gore Vampire Flick
Review: "Blade II" is unique. Consider first that it is based on an underappreciated and, up until the first movie, relatively unknown superhero outside of comic book stores. Then consider that it's a sequel. These are two things that just don't add up to success in the modern world. You can make a clunker of a movie like "Hulk" and still get big numbers in the opening week based on the character's name alone. You can also toss together a sequel(any of the "Batman" sequels)and gain solid numbers until word gets out that the movie is horrible. Somehow "Blade II" takes both of these seemingly impossible odds, puts them together with a good plotline, slick action and solid direction, and comes up with a good movie that's ten times better than any other action sequel out there(excepting "X-2").

Snipes is perfect as "Blade." He pulls it off with style, humor, and attitude. Every move he makes is done in a "superhero pose" type of way. He makes "Blade" both believable and impossible at the same time. He's just flat out cool. I know very little about this character except what I learned in the first movie. I don't know if they got everything correct about the character, but I don't care because Snipes owns this character in the films. Let the geeks iron out the inaccuracies.

"Whistler," played by Kris Kristofferson, is his same old tough-as-nails, cranky self. The "Nomak" character, by Luke Goss, is a perfect foil. You almost feel sad for the guy since his pop screwed with his genetics like that. His fight with "Blade" is one of the best brawls in modern comic-to-screen history. It's over-the-top, a little fake-looking at times, but fits the tone of this movie to a tee. The rest of the cast is superb as well, especially Ron Perlman, the perfectly annoying Scott Reedus and Danny John-Jules(of "Red Dwarf").

Don't let the naysayers fool you, this movie has a solid storyline to it. It may not be the romanticized version of a vampire most folks are used to these days, but it does give you a taste of the gory side of our bloodsucking brethren. If the plot isn't your cup of tea, don't worry, because this movie has also got gene manipulation, ninja-vampires, the token nightclub brawl, cool gadgets that would make "Batman" giddy as a schoolgirl and even a love interest, albeit a brief one.

Director Guillermo Del Toro manages to make the "Blade" franchise his own with this sequel. He keeps the dark, techno-music tone of the first flick intact, but puts his own mark on this flick as well via gore and stylized action. Folks knock the sometimes-obvious CGI effects and "Wrestlemania" type fight sequences found throughout this movie, but that's what makes this movie so fun. It's not too serious, it's fun and it's so stylish that you'll want to forgive the CGI miscues and over-the-top fight scenes. This is an action movie folks, not "Pride and Prejudice!"

In closing, watch this slick flick for the fun, action-packed romp that it is. "Lestat" he ain't, but "Blade" could take that punk out anytime, anywhere.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Guillermo del Toro's Blade II
Review: Wesley Snipes returns in this really gross and really exciting sequel to the original hit.

Blade (Wesley Snipes) is still out killing vampires, this time armed with better special effects. He is tracking down his mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson, the most grizzled man on the planet), who was taken by the vampires and held hostage. In the meantime, Blade has picked up a new weapons master, Scud (Norman Reedus, who looks a lot like Henry Thomas). Whistler is rescued, and he and Scud immediately do not get along.

The vampires Blade is always trying to kill want a truce. It seems there is a new race of vampires, called Reapers, led by the very ugly Nomak (Luke Goss). The Reapers are killing ordinary vampires, and once that supply is gone, they will turn to humanity for their prey. Blade is saddled with a group of mercenaries called the Blood Pact, who were originally trained to kill him. It features angry Reinhardt (the always excellent Ron Perlman) and the sexy Nyssa (Leonor Varela), daughter of the vampire leader Damaskinos (Thomas Kretschmann).

The plot really becomes secondary as Blade and the group infiltrate an underground hangout for vampires, and do bloody battle with the Reapers. This leads to a very long battle in the sewers where the Reapers congregate, and finally to the vampire headquarters, where double crosses and switched allegiances are ultimately uncovered.

This sequel can be described in one word: gross. I have not seen this much bodily fluid on display since my lactose intolerant toddler feasted on an ice cream cone. I am not talking a lot of fake blood, I am talking a lot of fake everything shown in graphic detail. The film is wall to wall violent, an almost two hour action sequence broken up into three or four main components.

Do you know what? The whole thing works. The special effects are strong, save for a couple of obvious computer animated fight sequences. The gore is excellent, from the Reapers' frightening mouths to the gallons of gore to the grossest autopsy of the last ten years. The film makers wisely just do not remake the first film, they expand on it. All the actors are good, making an impression despite the plethora of eye candy going on around them. Even the actors who are completely unrecognizable under the makeup (Goss, Kretschmann) still score some good scenes.

Del Toro is the perfect director for the sequel, he shoots it like he has been practicing for this for years. The film certainly never bores, moving faster than anything George Lucas has been able to come up with since "Return of the Jedi."

The couple of weak computer effects hurt. So does yet another villain who confesses everything before being killed in a very creative way. I won't give away any of the double crosses, but you do see them coming from a mile away.

All in all, "Blade II" is really neat. The action is nonstop, a forced romance is merely hinted at, and Snipes can kick bootay with the best of them. If a third movie is in the making, I'm ready. This is the film that give sequels a good name.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A bloody good time
Review: As if to prove the old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it," "Blade 2" continues in essentially the exact same vein as its predecessor. In other words, it's another combination of the old-fashioned vampire movie with the butt-kicking martial-arts extravaganza. So if you liked the first one, you should have no problem getting into the sequel. Of course, since "Blade 2" IS an action sequel, everything from the original has to get turned up a notch (or ten). As a result, the fight scenes are more frenetic, the violence more graphic, the enemies more dangerous, and the special effects more extravagant. The first "Blade" was very impressive visually, but this one makes it look like the original "Dracula." That said, the unremittingly bleak look and feel of the original is very well preserved in the sequel. Since the vampire-hunting plot of "Blade" wouldn't have been as impressive in a sequel, this movie finds Blade hunting an even more fearsome foe: genetically engineered SUPER vampires! That's right, Blade (reunited with Whistler and teamed with an elite crew of "regular" vampires) now has to take on a gang of "reapers" who are even stronger and more bloodthirsty than regular vampires, not to mention immune to silver and garlic. Pretty scary. Naturally, the plot stops for a killer fight scene every ten minutes or so, and the choreography and cinematography are enough to rival that of "The Matrix." It's all pretty far-fetched, but it does make for escapist entertainment at its finest. And since "Blade 2" was gangbusters at the box office, hopefully they'll be getting a third installment out there soon. Wesley Snipes has been all but typecast as an action hero by now anyway, so he might as well go with it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pulse-Pounding!!!!
Review: When the world is threatned by a new and deadlier breed of super vampire the legendary Blade and his mentor Whistler must join forces with the Bloodpack, an elite team of vampire warriors made up of his sworn enemies. In order to stop the carnage these ravenous fiends must be destroyed at all costs. In this high-voltage adventure, exploding with spectular effects and martial arts action. The electrifying Snipes reprises his role from the original cult classic Blade. I thought this was a hell of alot better than the original. I thought the sequel had a better plot, great acting, excellent fight scenes, and nonstop action. If you liked the original, you'll love the sequel. I loved the sequel, alot more than I liked the original. ENJOY!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: No signs of the "Sequel Syndrome" detected, Doctor.
Review: What could have easily been, well, a mess, instead became as intriguing as the original. Sometimes, Hollywood needs to relax on the laurel of the success of the first movie and leave it alone. However, I am glad that they threw that advice out of the window with BLADE II. My worry would be that the sequel would not be as action-oriented or smartly written as the first; the common thread found in many "part two" flicks. What I got was more action than required and a storyline that involved a group of monsters called the Reapers, a vampiric bunch that destroyed humans and vampires alike. The best part of the movie, outside of the fight scenes, was when Blade and the vampire task force had to join forces to destroy the Reapers. How can a team work together when distrust almost becomes stronger than the common enemy? That interesting aspect, along with the betrayal of a cast member and the mystery of the lost and found Whisperer, made this one of the hottest movies around!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Blade II"...more fun than the original "Blade"!!
Review: When "Blade II" came out to the big screen last month, I automatically found out that it was going to be much better than the first one! In other words, if you enjoyed the first "Blade", then "Blade II" will be no exception! Wesley Snipes ("Blade", "U.S. Marshals") not only did an great job, but a brilliant job on all the fight scenes, his physical abilities, and his choreography as well! I also liked the fact that they brought back Kris Kristofferson("Blade", "Fire Down Below") for the role of Whistler, Blade's partner and mentor. "Blade II" takes place in Prague, where the first film left off, and Blade (Snipes), or "Daywalker" to the other vampires, is searching for his old friend Whistler (Kristofferson)... And the film goes on from there, and so does the pulse-pounding action and special effects! The director of "Blade II", Guillermo Del Toro ("Mimic") did an outstanding job with lots of sheer intensity as well!.. With a top-notch cast, explosive action, and mind-bending special effects, "Blade II" will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish! Great DVD addition to the first film!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Blade I Retains M. Wolfman Touch....
Review: ....Blade II does not.

What's the Marv Wolfman Touch you may ask. Wolfman and Gene Colan of course was the original Marvel comics team which created Blade from a subplot in their most popular horror comic Tomb of Dracula in the 1970s. Those dudes pretty much knew they were creating comic books stories and never, never took themselves 100% too seriously.

Blade II loses the light touch--as much as fables of vampirous goings on could indeed have a light touch--and goes for the jugular, pun intended. I found myself wishing for one of those campy, talky Vincent Price death scenes since most of the creatures here explode in a special effects blast into dust and immediately into oblivion type of thing when killed. The crew of offending vampires creepily open the flesh on their cheek, jaws and upper neck to--bite yer neck and suck yer blaad! Yeesh! And Snipes smiles sadistiaclly thru-out the entire thing. It was a chore to look at it 'cuz it is busy, so many of those vamp things disintergate and no one is having that much fun. I'll watch a video featuring Sesame Street's Count any day insteada this mess.


<< 1 2 3 4 .. 33 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates