Snipes returns... and even improves

Blade 2 - R\nStarring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson\nDirected by: Guillermo del Toro\nShowing: Showplace East 11\nOne thing clearly makes the second installment in the "Blade" series infinitely more appealing than the original... it actually has a plot! But don't worry, it still retains an abundance of fight scenes (some of which drag on gratuitously, almost to the point of slowing down the pace of the story) and ample opportunities Wesley Snipes to showcase his weapons and martial arts savvy. Hey, what else does the core audience expect? And not that the first "Blade" was terrible, it just lacked the personality that the sequel offers. \nBased on the Marvel comic book character, Blade returns as the half man/half vampire obsessed with ridding the world of blood suckers once and for all. This time around he is forced to team up with a group of vampires called the Bloodpack in an effort to wipe out the Reapers, a new breed of undead that threatens to take out both humans and vampires -- a comic book premise if ever there was one. It's interesting to watch Blade interact with his new "team" of vampires, who has up until the recent dilemma, actually trained specifically to kill the hero himself. \nThe first 20 or so minutes of the film are devoted to recapping Blade's origin and the rescue of his confidante and weapons guru Whistler, played by Kris Kristofferson ("Payback"). The remainder of the film contains a few flashbacks to the first one, but none that those who missed it will have trouble understanding. \nDirector Guillermo del Toro and the production staff offer biting visuals (pun intended) and do a fine job of recreating Blade's comic universe without being overindulgent. However, the use of "Matrix"-like computer generated imagery for many of the action sequences at times comes off as silly and "cartoony." \nWith the exception of Nyssa, a member of the Bloodpack and Blade's semi-love interest played clumsily by Leonor Varela ("The Man in the Iron Mask"), the actors do a decent job. Some comic relief is offered by Scud, the young pot-smoking slacker who becomes Blade's interim mechanic after Whistler's disappearance. Even Blade himself has a few more quips than last time. After all, what blockbuster action movie could survive these days without at least a few silly one-liner attempts? \nIt's a movie worth seeing for Snipes' solo fight sequences alone; he has definitely kept up on his chops since last time, if not improved. Same goes for "Blade 2" as a whole -- check it out.\n

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