Blade II

Visually, this video-game-like vampire-action sequel is slick, dark and cool, with its momentarily-wow-but-instantly-forgettable shootouts, sword fights and quick-cut, CGI-aided super-kung-fu face-offs. But strip away its tongue-in-cheek humor and expensively hip sheen, and what's left is a sloppy plot and lifeless characters (no pun intended). Wesley Snipes reprises his role as Blade, a vampire hunter who is half vampire himself (though the nightwalkers here are so ridiculously easy to kill that you have to wonder why he's needed). Clunky expository dialogue about mythology and evil plans drag out this bloodless (narrative-wise) tale of Blade's joining forces with the vampires in order to hunt down a new breed of super-vampires. Riddled with clichés and bad performances, Blade II is kinetic, handsome and audience-indulgent, but that's not enough to recommend it. Very optional. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set include audio commentaries by director Guillermo Del Toro and producer Peter Frankfurt, and by writer David Goyer and Wesley Snipes; an "isolated score" option; a "Production Workshop" (which includes "The Blood Pact"--83-minutes worth of interactive documentaries on topics such as characters, costumes and choreography, sequence breakdowns on six action segments, visual effects featurettes, director's and script supervisor's notebooks, sequence concepts, set and characters design); 16 deleted and alternate scenes ("mostly crap" says Del Toro); promo materials (including a Blade II video game "survival guide"); and music video "Child of the Wild West" by Cypress Hill and Roni Size. Bottom line: a great extras package for a somewhat disappointing film.] (R. Blackwelder)