Blade II is a 2002 American vampire action film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the first sequel to the film Blade, making it the second in the Blade film-series. It continues the essence and story of the first film, but introduces a new event and numerous new characters. Unlike the first film, it is directed by Guillermo del Toro, but the same writers persisted and also Wesley Snipes returned for the lead role and again as a producer.
Plot
The movie begins at a blood bank. A homeless man walks into the clinic and sits by another homeless man Luke Goss with a scar running down his chin. He sees that the scarred man looks nervous and tries to relax him by telling him that they pay well there. The other man still looks uneasy as the nurse takes him into the clinic. They walk down a very dark and deserted hallway until they reach a room with several people waiting. The man starts to panic and is forced into the medical chair in the center of the room. One of the people starts a blood draining device and is about to suck out the homeless man's blood when the man's whimpering turns into derisive laughter. He grabs one of the guards and drains her blood. He fights back with super strength as he kills everyone in the room. He looks at the surveillance camera and speaks in the vampire language, "Vampires, I hate vampires."
Two years have passed since the ending of the first film, and Blade has been keeping himself busy in the hunt for Whistler. He has been sweeping across Russia and eastern Europe searching for his old friend and mentor, enlisting the aid of a young man named Scud to design him a new line of gadgetry and weaponry. In the first scene of the film, Blade fights his way through a large gang of vampires, leaving one of their number alive yet telling him he'll be back for him. Finding Whistler locked in a tank of blood by a cruel gang of vampires who were keeping the old man alive for purposes of torture. Blade rescues him and brings him to Prague.
Meanwhile, a crisis has arisen in the vampire community. What seems to be a more developed strain of vampirism (dubbed the "Reaper virus") is sweeping through their ranks, giving its carriers fearsome new characteristics. The original carrier of the strain seems to be Jared Nomak, a one-time vampire who appears to have mutated. Far stronger than common vampires, the Reapers have three-way jaws, leech-like suckers and un-stakable hearts encased in a thick layer of bone, making them invulnerable to any weapon barring sunlight. In order to combat the virus, the vampire elder/overlord Eli Damaskinos and his lawyer Karel Counan send their minions Asad and Nyssa (who is Damaskinos' daughter) to find and strike an uneasy treaty with Blade, proving to him that the Reapers are the greater evil and once they finish the vampire population, they will doubtlessly descend on humankind. Whilst Blade may hate vampires, the Reapers are far more dangerous and neither side can attack them without uniting first.
File:Lighthammer and Verlaine.jpg
Lighthammer and Verlaine of the Bloodpack
To this end, Blade teams up with the The Bloodpack, a group of vampire warriors and assassins who were originally assembled to kill Blade. In order to obtain some measure of control over the group, Blade singles out Reinhardt (played by Ron Perlman), one of the group's more primary members, and installs a remotely-activated explosive device in the back of his head. Setting their mutual hatred aside, Blade leads the Bloodpack in the fight against the Reapers and the investigation into their origins. During this time, Blade forms something of an intimate relationship with Nyssa, the daughter of Damaskinos and member of the Bloodpack.
After a climactic battle against numerous Reapers in their hive in the sewers, Blade is apprehended by Damaskinos' forces, along with Whistler and Scud. As it turns out, the Reaper strain is not a virus at all, but rather a genetic experiment gone wrong. In his efforts to create a day-walking vampire race, Damaskinos had numerous experiments performed on Nomak, who is in fact his estranged son. He remarks that Nomak was the first carrier of the strain but ultimately flawed, seeing as he was vulnerable to daylight, as were all the other carriers whom he'd infected. Damaskinos then reveals another horrible truth—he has been creating many more Reapers, all of them incubated in the form of a fetus. All they require now is Blade's biological make-up and in order to extract this, Damaskinos plans to have Blade killed and dissected.
During his captivity, Blade attempts to activate the pre-placed explosive in Reinhardt's skull, at which point Scud reveals the bomb (which he himself had crafted) was never designed to go off. He himself is in fact one of Damaskinos' human servants (i.e. a familiar) and planned to side with the vampires rather than fighting against them. However, Blade has a trump card - he has always known of Scud's servitude to Damaskinos, and his backhanded double dealing. Activating a second switch on his remote, Blade kills the unfortunate Scud, who unluckily happened to be holding the bomb at the time. Blade fights his way through Damaskinos' henchmen, and heads towards the lead vampire himself.
File:Blade vs. Nomak.jpg
Blade vs. Nomak
Meanwhile, a vengeful Nomak has entered Damaskinos' stronghold, seeking revenge on the father who mutilated him and turned him into the first Reaper. Just before he can escape, Damaskinos is betrayed by Nyssa (who became disillusioned with her father's extreme methods) and killed by Nomak. In order to "complete the circle", Nomak also bites Nyssa and then makes to leave, whereupon he is confronted by Blade. After a very physical fight scene, Blade finds the weak spot in Nomak's physical defenses and jams his sword beneath his arm, bypassing the bone shield of his heart. With Nomak dead, Blade then carries a weak, soon-to-be-Reaper Nyssa outside for the sunrise, where she disintegrates in his arms.
In the film's somewhat comical final scene, the vampire Rush (left to live in the opening scene) is in a London, preparing to make use of one of the booths. However, as soon as the curtains open, he is shocked to find Blade on the other side of the glass, who casually remarks "You didn't think I'd forget about you, did you?", and rams his sword into his skull.
Cast
- Wesley Snipes as Blade, a half-vampire "daywalker" who hunts vampires. Wesley Snipes accepts that whilst such a character isn't going to have much emotional depth, he did feel that "there's some acting involved in creating the character and making him believable and palatable.[1]
- Kris Kristofferson as Abraham Whistler, Blade's human mentor and weaponsmith.
- Ron Perlman as Reinhardt, a member of the Bloodpack, who bears a particular grudge against Blade.
- Leonor Varela as Nyssa Damaskinos, an unapologetic, natural-born vampire and daughter to Damaskinos, Nyssa develops an unusual connection with Blade.
- Norman Reedus as Scud, a young, chain smoking weaponsmith who aids Blade in Whistler's absence. He is also a vampire familiar and double-agent.
- Thomas Kretschmann as Eli Damaskinos, an ancient vampire who is obsessed with creating a superior race of vampires as his legacy.
- Luke Goss as Jared Nomak, Patient zero and carrier of the Reaper virus. He bears a grudge against his father, Eli Damaskinos for forsaking him.
- Matt Schulze as Chupa, a pugnacious member of the Bloodpack who bears a particular grudge against Whistler.
- Danny John-Jules as Asad, a well-mannered member of the Bloodpack who helps deliver Damaskinos's message to Blade.
- Donnie Yen as Snowman, a mute swordsman and member of the Bloodpack. Yen also choreographed three of the fight scenes for the film.
- Karel Roden as Karl Kounen, a "familiar", Damaskinos's human agent and lawyer.
- Marit Velle Kile as Verlaine, a red-haired member of the Bloodpack and the lover of Lighthammer.
- Daz Crawford as Lighthammer, a hulking, hammer-wielding member of the Bloodpack with Maori facial tattoos.
- Tony Curran as Priest, an Irish-accented member of the Bloodpack, and the first member to be infected by the Reaper virus.
- Santiago Segura as Rush, a vampire flunky in Prague who temporarily escapes Blade's wrath.
- Chris Hay as Reaper, a vampire in Prague who gets infected with the Reaper virus.
Production
Guillermo del Toro was hired to direct Blade II by New Line production prexy Michael De Luca.[2] Tippet Studios were taken on to digitally recreate people.[3]
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 sequels to be released.[4] Despite this, the film became the most successful of the Blade films, 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[5] 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 strong pull of NCAA basketball Final Four games Saturday.[6] The film debuted in the United Kingdom at number one, making $3.6 million from 355 theatres[7] and held the spot for the following week, where it had earned $7.9 million despite a 47% decline. The film also bowed in at number one in Singapore, taking $214,000 from 30 theatres.[8]
Deleted Scenes
The New Line Platinum Series DVD contains several deleted scenes, 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 scene that was meant for Michael Jackson. 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 tells of the fate of his human heart. An extended scene of the lawyer's torture of Blade A "dirty" version of the final scene, in which semen is streaked on the windows that was digitally removed in the final cut of the film because test audiences complained.
Reception
Reaction to Blade II among critics has been mixed, with the film earning a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9] Roger Ebert gave the film 3½ stars out of 4, writing: "Blade II is a really rather brilliant vomitorium of viscera, a comic book with dreams of becoming a textbook for mad surgeons."[10] Conversely, James Berardinelli gave the film 2½ stars out of 4, writing: "Blade II is for those undiscriminating movie-goers who want nothing more from a trip to the multiplex than loud, raucous, mindless entertainment."[11]
Soundtrack
| Blade II |
 |
| Soundtrack by Various artists |
| Released |
March 19, 2002 |
| Recorded |
2001-2002 |
| Genre |
Hip hop, Techno, Electronic |
| Label |
Virgin |
| Producer |
BT, The Crystal Method, Dan the Automator, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Dub Pistols, Gorillaz, Groove Armada, Kid Koala, Moby, DJ Muggs, Mocean Worker, Paul Oakenfold, Steve Osborne, Roni Size |
| Professional reviews |
|
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| Blade soundtracks chronology |
|
|
Blade II: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the film, Blade II. It was released on March 19, 2002 through Virgin Records and featured collaborations between hip hop artists and electronic artists. This soundtrack managed to make it to 4 different Billboard charts, peaking at #26 on the Billboard 200, #23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, #2 on the Top Soundtracks and #1 on the Top Electronic Albums. A soundtrack containing hip hop music and techno music was released on March 19, 2002 by Virgin Records. It peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200 and #23 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Track listing
- "Blade Theme" 3:02 (Danny Saber & Marco Beltrami)
- "Cowboy"- 5:31 (Eve & Fatboy Slim)
- "I Against I"- 5:40 (Mos Def & Massive Attack)
- "Right Here, Right Now"- 4:10 (Ice Cube & Paul Oakenfold)
- "Tao of the Machine"- 3:17 (The Roots & BT)
- "Child of the Wild West"- 4:14 (Cypress Hill & Roni Size)
- "The One"- 3:44 (Busta Rhymes, Silkk the Shocker & Dub Pistols)
- "We Be Like This"- 5:45 (Fabolous, Jadakiss & Danny Saber)
- "Gorillaz on My Mind"- 4:30 (Redman & Gorillaz)
- "Gangsta Queens"- 3:54 (Trina, Rah Digga & Groove Armada)
- "Phdream"- 3:52 (Bubba Sparxxx & The Crystal Method)
- "Raised in the Hood"- 3:26 (Volume 10 & Roni Size)
- "Gettin' Aggressive"- 3:39 (Mystikal & Moby)
- "Mind What You Say"- 3:58 (Buppy)
Notes
- Blade's quote "Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer" is from Sun Tzu's The Art of War.
- Originally, Blade & Nyssa were to have a sex scene, both Wesley Snipes & David Goyer state this on the DVD's commentary.
- Blade: Trinity's opening chase sequence was originally planned for Blade II, but was scrapped because of budget concerns.
- Controversy arose when Dracula (also known as Drake) in Blade: Trinity was featured to have an opening jaw, just like the reapers, thus leading to the belief that Drake was "part vampire, part reaper". Though it may be the case that the reapers simply had something in common with Drake, and were the result of a particular dormant vampire gene becoming active. Most likely it was because of the studio making more decisions in 'Trinity' that lead to this "error".
- Wesley Snipes was known to have used a few wrestling maneuvers during the scene where he fights the vampire guards after regaining his strength. Interestingly, two years later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstar Triple H was cast into Blade: Trinity for the role of Jarko Grimwood.
- In the film, the character Scud's t-shirt bears the logo of the B.P.R.D., the fictional organization from the Hellboy comic book series and film. Guillermo del Toro directed the film adaptation of Hellboy, with Ron Perlman (who plays Reinhardt in Blade II) as the title character. Also, Mike Mignola (the artist, writer and creator of the Hellboy comics) also worked on some of the conceptual art of Blade II. Karel Roden, the Czech actor who played Rasputin in Hellboy, is one of the villain's henchmen in this film.
- Spawned a video game, that was released on XBOX and Playstation 2.
- Originally, the villain of the film was rumored to have been Morbius the Living Vampire, one of the characters frequently featured in the Spider-Man comics, both as a friend (sometimes) and as a foe, but Marvel flat out told Goyer that he couldn't use the character. This was because Marvel were considering making a Morbius movie separate from the Blade franchise.
References
External links
