After the success of the first Blade movie, this is actually my favorite of the trilogy. It begins with Luke Goss portraying a de-evolved, "reaper-infected" vampire, and he eliminates about 80% of what Blade would be facing if this were someone else's version of the same story. The film is directed by Guillermo del Toro and is actually one of my favorites. Wesley Snipes is fine as Blade, but behind the scenes, he wasn't so great. Making a film is difficult enough (currently learning this first hand), and with so many other aspects of production needing attention, having the main star act like a child shouldn't be one of the challenges. Anyway, what I enjoyed most was the world-building, the style in which the film is shot and edited, and the martial arts-style action, which, although not the best, is still an improvement over the first movie—as are the special effects. I prefer superhero movies that feel more like comic books rather than just standard action films with lots of noise and a slapped-on ending. This one tries to create lore, a vampire hierarchy, a rich history, and enough characters with presence to make the story engaging and fun. What’s the reward for the viewer in part 3? Nothing, as almost all of this is discarded in the next film, Trinity (2004). The standouts in Blade II are Leonor Varela as the royal vampire Nyssa, Luke Goss as Jared Nomak and of course, Ron Perlman as the wisecracking Reinhardt. Norman Reedus also appears as Scud, a lesser counterpart to Abraham Whistler (played by Kris Kristofferson). One negative that has always bothered me- Whistler is missing for a large portion of the film, and wished he had more to do in the story's outcome.
