DVD REVIEW

Blade 2

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson
Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Rating: R

Review Posted: 8.24.02

By John Teves

A rare mutation has occurred within the vampire community. The Reaper, a vampire so consumed with an insatiable bloodlust that they prey on vampires as well as humans, is transforming victims who are unlucky enough to survive into Reapers themselves. Now their quickly expanding population threatens the existence of vampires, and soon there won't be enough humans in the world to satisfy their bloodlust. Blade (Wesley Snipes) and his mentor Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) must join forces with The Bloodpack, an elite team of vampires trained in all modes of combat to defeat the Reaper threat. Blade and the Bloodpack are the only line of defense that can prevent the Reaper population from wiping out the vampire and human populations.

BLADE II is an extraordinary film to watch. Morose and climatic with astonishing special effects, including first-rate action sequences, BLADE II offers too much of a treat. Director Guillermo del Toro is the reason this movie is such an encounter. He drew great performances out of his cast, and maintained an atmosphere of menace and blackness.

BLADE II is the rare sequel that improves upon its original, offering a stronger sense of grotesque style, a bang-up performance from Wesley Snipes, and choice action choreography that adds new circumstances to the vampire epic. Nonetheless, I think there’s more here to like than to dislike. In its entirety, BLADE II doesn’t feel like anything new or especially creative, yet it does what it sets out to execute presenting a enjoyable film.

BLADE II appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD. The widescreen image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. BLADE II didn’t disappoint me; the image looked absolutely breathtaking. Sharpness was immaculate. The image always remained crisp and defined. I saw no signs of softness or fuzziness. No jagged edges or edge enhancement was detected. Print flaws appeared rather absent, with not a speckle or defect in sight.

BLADE II provided a brilliant palette. Colors looked bright and intense throughout the film. Black levels appeared thick and solid, and shadow detail appeared appropriately heavy. All in all BLADE II looked marvelous.

BLADE II is presented in both Dolby Digital EX 5.1 and DTS ES 6.1. The surround effects were impressive; soundfield used all five channels to a super degree, as the film presented almost no periods in which the entire spectrum wasn’t exercised. I thought bass was also very concise.

Audio quality was also terrific; no signs of edginess. Effects were accurate and clear, without any distortion. In comparing the two tracks I noticed the DTS version seemed slightly greater.

Disc One:
· Commentary with Director Guillermo Del Toro and Writer David Goyer
· Commentary with Producer Peter Frankfurt and Wesley Snipes
· Isolated Score
· Animated Menus

Disc Two:
· Production workshop
· Original Theatrical Press Kit
· Deleted/Alternate Scenes
· Theatrical Trailers
· Production workshop
· DVD-ROM Content: Script-to-screen, Original Website
· BLADE II Video game Survival Guide

· Music Video: Cypress Hill and Roni Size with "Child of the Wild West"

Overall, I was pleased with BLADE II. The movie was a clever extent of the first film. I thought the original was stylish and unique, yet the sequel did well in its own distinctive right. The DVD looked and sounded absolutely terrific, and the extras were excellent. Fans of the film and or Snipes will be eager to check out this 2-disc package. Highly recommended.