'Blade 2' Spouts More Gore, Better Effects Than Original

Two Stars

The only thing worse than a vampire is a vampire who preys on other vampires. At least, that is what Wesley Snipes is convinced of in his most recent film, "Blade II."

Snipes plays Blade, a half-vampire and half-human who has the power and strength of a vampire without the weaknesses. Blade's mission is to systematically kill off all of the vampire nations in the world, city by city.

His strength makes him a badass, but no badass in the world could save this film. The plot of "Blade II" and the acting in it are awful and are only worth a chance to be featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000."

One exception to the bad acting is the return of Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), Blade's loyal sidekick. Though Whistler supposedly "died" in "Blade," its sequel reveals that vampires saved him/brought him back to life in order to have someone to beat up on. The film opens with Blade saving Whistler from a vampire safe house.

After that, the story goes rapidly downhill. One of the vampire nations contacts Blade to tell him that it wants to unite to fight a "new" enemy, one that feeds on vampires as well as humans. A large portion of the movie is spent with Blade in "alliance" with the vampires he was at one point trying to kill, though he never really trusts them.

There is also a vague attempt at a love story, which does not work for the movie at all. The twist is that Blade falls for the vampire leader's daughter, Nyssa. It makes little sense and is out of place.

Despite bad writing, "Blade II" attempts to throw a few additional plot twists into the mix. If you don't see them coming, you really aren't paying attention at all.

The movie is somewhat entertaining, and if you saw the film's precursor, you should go see this one as well. If for no other reason, go see it for the special effects -- they are vastly improved from the original.

Although the special effects are good, they are used to create incredible scenes of gore. The graphic violence in "Blade II" is overwhelming and not fit to be seen by all. The "Blade" franchise is based upon a comic book series, but this does not mean that children should see this film.

Despite all of its flaws, "Blade II" is still, at times, a fun film to view. Sadly, the fight sequences are a lot more entertaining than the story sequences, but that does make for at least a semi-fun experience. You will find yourself rooting for Blade despite the absurdity of his actions.

Ultimately, "Blade II" is just calorie-free eye candy --