Editing Blade II

{{short description|2002 film by Guillermo del Toro}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = November 2019}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Blade II
| image          = Blade II movie.jpg
| alt            = Blade standing opposite his opponent, wearing his traditional jet black special suit and sunglasses, wielding his Titanium made, acid edged sword, with a negative background image around him showing the face of an evil [[vampire]]. Near the bottom are the film's name, credits and billing details. Wesley Snipes' name is written on the bottom.
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Guillermo del Toro]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Peter Frankfurt
* [[Wesley Snipes]]
* Patrick Palmer
}}
| writer         = [[David S. Goyer]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|[[Blade (character)|Blade]]|[[Marv Wolfman]]|[[Gene Colan]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Wesley Snipes
* [[Kris Kristofferson]]
* [[Ron Perlman]]
* [[Leonor Varela]]
* [[Norman Reedus]]
* [[Luke Goss]]
}}
| music          = [[Marco Beltrami]]
| cinematography = [[Gabriel Beristain]]
| editing        = Peter Amundson
| studio = {{Plainlist|
* [[New Line Cinema]]
* [[Marvel Enterprises]]
* Amen Ra Films
}}
| distributor    = New Line Cinema
| released       = {{Film date|2002|03|22}}
| runtime        = 117 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 116:50--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/blade-ii-2002-2 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305181130/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/blade-ii-2002-2 | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | title=''BLADE II'' (18) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=March 19, 2002 | access-date=April 29, 2015}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $54 million<ref name="BOM" />
| gross          = $155 million<ref name="BOM" />
}}
'''''Blade II''''' is a 2002 American [[superhero film]] based on the [[Marvel Comics]] character [[Blade (character)|Blade]], directed by [[Guillermo del Toro]] and written by [[David S. Goyer]]. The sequel to ''[[Blade (1998 film)|Blade]]'' (1998), it is the second installment in the [[Blade (franchise)|''Blade'' franchise]]. The film follows the [[Dhampir|human-vampire hybrid]] [[Blade (New Line franchise character)|Blade]] in his continuing effort to [[Vampire hunter|protect humans from vampires]]. Blade must join forces with an elite group of vampires to fight against mutant vampires who plan a global genocide of both vampire and human races.

''Blade II'' was released in the United States on March 22, 2002, and was a box office success, grossing $155 million. It received mixed reviews from critics, earning praise for its performances, atmosphere, direction, and action sequences, although its script and lack of character development have been criticized. The film was followed by ''[[Blade: Trinity]]'' in 2004.

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. Please check the word count before making any additions. -->
In [[Prague]], [[Blade (New Line franchise character)|Blade]] searches for his mentor [[Abraham Whistler]], who was thought dead after being attacked by [[Deacon Frost]],{{Efn|name=Timeline|depicted in ''[[Blade (1998 film)]]''}} but was instead turned into a vampire and held prisoner by them for two years. After interrogating vampire Rush on Whistler's whereabouts, Blade rescues Whistler and cures him of his vampirism. Whistler meets Scud, Blade's young, gifted new technician.

A pandemic is turning vampires into "Reapers", primal, mutant creatures with a ravenous thirst for blood and a highly infectious bite that transforms both humans and vampires alike. The original carrier of the Reaper strain and cause of the pandemic is Jared Nomak, who bears hatred toward the vampire race. To combat the Reapers, vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos sends his trusted servant Asad and his daughter, Nyssa, to strike a truce with Blade. Knowing humans will be the Reapers’ next target after vampires, Blade reluctantly allies himself with them.

He teams up with the Bloodpack, an elite group of vampires originally assembled to kill him, consisting of Asad, Nyssa, Reinhardt, Chupa, Snowman, Priest, Verlaine, and her lover, Lighthammer. As Reinhardt openly challenges him to fight, Blade, in response, attaches an explosive to the back of his skull to keep him in line. They investigate a vampire nightclub where they encounter the Reapers and discover they are immune to most vampire weaknesses except for [[Ultraviolet|UV]] exposure. Nomak arrives and tries to recruit Blade to his cause, but the latter refuses. Blade fights Nomak but cannot kill him due to his immunity to his weapons before the sun rises and Nomak retreats. Lighthammer is bitten but conceals the bite from the group while Priest is bitten and in the process of turning before being mercy-killed through exposure to sunlight.

Whistler returns to the group after locating the Reaper nest beneath the sewers. Nyssa dissects a dead Reaper and learns that their hearts are encased in durable bone. Scud and Whistler issue new UV weapons for the team and a UV-emitting bomb to take out the entire nest.

Entering the Reaper nest at dawn, Lighthammer transforms into a Reaper and kills Snowman. Verlaine sacrifices herself to kill Lighthammer by exposing them both to sunlight. Chupa turns on Whistler in retaliation for Priest's death, but Whistler secretly releases a cartridge of Reaper [[pheromones]] into the air, luring a horde that kills and devours Chupa. Asad and Nyssa are ambushed, and Asad is killed. Blade saves Nyssa and detonates the UV bomb, killing all the Reapers except Nomak. Nyssa and Reinhardt manage to evade the blast, but Nyssa is seriously injured until Blade allows her to drink his blood to survive.

Damaskinos' forces arrive and capture Blade, Whistler, and Scud. Damaskinos revealed that the Reapers exist due to his efforts to engineer a stronger breed of vampires devoid of their natural weaknesses. Nomak, the first Reaper, is his own son, whom Damaskinos considers a failure. Scud reveals himself to be one of Damaskinos's [[familiars]], but Blade, who already suspected this, kills him with the explosive he planted on Reinhardt earlier, which Scud originally thought was a dud until Blade secretly swapped it with a real explosive.

Damaskinos plans to harvest Blade's blood to develop an immunity to sunlight and create a new, invincible breed of vampires. Whistler frees himself, escapes from Reinhardt, and rescues a weakened Blade. Reinhardt shoots at the two, but Blade falls into Damaskinos' blood pool, restoring his strength. He fights his way through Damaskinos' henchmen and kills Reinhardt.

Nomak enters Damaskinos's stronghold, seeking revenge on his father. Nyssa, seeing how her father holds no regard for his own offspring, betrays Damaskinos by sealing off their escape route, and Nomak kills Damaskinos after failing to negotiate with him. Nomak then bites Nyssa, infecting her with the Reaper virus. Blade and Nomak engage in battle, and he manages to stab Nomak through his encased heart. Wanting to end his suffering, Nomak kills himself with Blade's sword. Fulfilling Nyssa's dying wish, Blade takes her outside and embraces her as her body disintegrates from the sunrise. Sometime later in [[London]], Blade tracks down Rush to a strip club booth and kills him.

==Cast==
* [[Wesley Snipes]] as [[Blade (New Line franchise character)|Eric Brooks / Blade]]: A half-vampire "daywalker" (a [[Dhampir]]) who hunts vampires. Wesley Snipes stated that while such a character is not going to have much emotional depth, he also said that "there's some acting involved in creating the character and making him believable and palatable".<ref>{{cite news |date= April 1, 2002 |author= Bill Higgins |title= A party with a bite |url= https://variety.com/2002/scene/vpage/a-party-with-a-bite-1117864777/ |work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date= 2020-04-04}}</ref>
* [[Kris Kristofferson]] as [[Abraham Whistler]]: Blade's human mentor and weaponsmith.
* [[Norman Reedus]] as [[Scud]]: Blade's  weaponsmith in the absence of Whistler. 
* [[Ron Perlman]] as Dieter Reinhardt: A member of the Bloodpack who bears a particular grudge against Blade
* [[Leonor Varela]] as Nyssa Damaskinos: An unapologetic-but-honourable, natural-born vampire and daughter to Damaskinos.
* [[Thomas Kretschmann]] as Eli Damaskinos: An ancient vampire who is obsessed with creating a superior race of vampires as his legacy.
* [[Luke Goss]] as Jared Nomak: [[Index case (medicine)|Patient zero]] and [[Asymptomatic carrier|carrier]] of the Reaper virus. He bears a grudge against his father, Eli Damaskinos, for creating him.
* [[Matt Schulze]] as "Chupa": A pugnacious member of the Bloodpack who bears a particular grudge against Whistler
* [[Danny John-Jules]] as Asad: A well-mannered member of the Bloodpack
* [[Donnie Yen]] as "Snowman": A mute swordsman and member of the Bloodpack
* [[Karel Roden]] as Karel Kounen: A familiar, Damaskinos's human agent and lawyer.
* [[Marit Velle Kile]] as Verlaine: A red-haired member of the Bloodpack and the lover of Lighthammer. The script originally said that she was the twin sister of Racquel from the first movie.
* Daz Crawford as "Lighthammer": A hulking, hammer-wielding member of the Bloodpack with facial tattoos
* [[Tony Curran]] as "Priest": An Irish-accented member of the Bloodpack
* [[Santiago Segura]] as "Rush": A vampire flunky in Prague.

==Production==
Following the success of the original film, [[New Line Cinema]] and [[Marvel Enterprises]] made plans for a sequel in 1999. Goyer had planned to use [[Morbius]] but Marvel wanted to keep the character for a franchise of his own.<ref>{{cite web |author=Jason Myers |title=David Goyer: Stripped to the Bone : Interview |url=http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.php?id=1082 |website=RevolutionSF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100222080655/http://www.revolutionsf.com/article.php?id=1082 |archive-date=2010-02-22 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Goyer compared the story to ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]''.<ref name="Cinefantastique">[https://archive.org/details/CinefantastiqueVol34No2Apr2002 Cinefantastique Vol 34 No 2 (Apr 2002)]</ref> [[Guillermo del Toro]] was hired to direct ''Blade II'' by New Line Cinema production president [[Michael De Luca]]<ref>{{cite news |date= March 25, 2002 |author= Michael Fleming |title= Helmer scales mountains |url= https://variety.com/2002/voices/columns/helmer-scales-mountains-1117864489/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date= 2018-12-24}}</ref> after [[Stephen Norrington]] turned down the offer to direct the sequel.{{Citation needed|reason=No proof Norrington was offerred or turned down the sequel|date=December 2020}} Goyer and Frankfurt both admired director Guillermo del Toro and believed his dark sensibilities to be ideal for ''Blade II''. Frankfurt first met del Toro when Frankfurt's design company, Imaginary Forces, did the title sequences for ''[[Mimic (film)|Mimic]]'': "I admired ''Mimic'' and got to know Guillermo through that film. Both David Goyer and I have been fans of his since ''[[Cronos (film)|Cronos]]'' and were enthusiastic about him coming on board. Guillermo is such a visual director and has a very strong sense of how he wants a movie to look. When you sign on with someone like Guillermo you're not going to tell him what the movie should look like, you're going to let him run with it". Like Goyer, del Toro has a passion for comic books, in Goyer's comment: "Guillermo was weaned on comic books, as was I. I was a huge comic book collector, my brother and I had about twelve thousand comic books that we assembled when we were kids, so I know my background". [[Tippett Studio]] provided computer-generated visual effects, including digital doubles of some of the characters, while [[Steve Johnson (special effects artist)|Steve Johnson]] and his company XFX were hired to create the prosthetic makeup and animatronic effects.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 21, 2002 |author= Ellen Wolff |title= Artists flaunt character development at confab |url= https://variety.com/2002/digital/features/artists-flaunt-character-development-at-confab-1117870028/ |work= [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date= 2018-12-24}}</ref>

Del Toro was tired of the romantic concept of "vampires being tortured Victorian heroes" and wanted vampires to be scary again.<ref name="Cinefantastique" /> 
Del Toro chose not to alter the script too much from the ideas created by Goyer and Snipes. According to del Toro: "I wanted the movie to have a feeling of both a comic book and [[Anime|Japanese animation]]. I resurrected those sources and viewed them again. I dissected most of the dailies from the first movie; I literally grabbed about four boxes of tapes and one by one saw every single tape from beginning to end until I perfectly understood where the language of the first film came from. I studied the style of the first one and I think Norrington used a tremendous narrative style. His work is very elegant".

Stepping back into Blade's shoes was a challenge Wesley Snipes relished: "I love playing this role. It's fun as an actor to test your skills at doing a sequel, to see if you can recreate something that you did". Peter Frankfurt added that "Wesley is Blade; so much of the character was invented by Wesley and his instincts are so spot on. He takes his fighting, his weapons and attitude very seriously. He's incredibly focused, but he's also very cool and fun".

Del Toro said that "Wesley knows Blade better than David Goyer, better than me, better than anyone else involved in the franchise. He instinctively knows what the character would and wouldn't do, and every time he twists something around, something better would come out".

[[Principal photography|Filming]] took place in the [[Czech Republic]], at [[Prague Studios]]<ref>{{cite web |date=10 July 2001 |last=Meils |first=Cathy |title=Prague Studios gets $1 million upgrade |url=https://variety.com/2001/film/news/prague-studios-gets-1-million-upgrade-1117802712/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=18 June 2012 |author=Steve Head |title=Prague Studios to House $55 Million Blade 2 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/24/prague-studios-to-house-55-million-blade-2 |website=[[IGN]] }}</ref> and [[Barrandov Studios]], as well as London from March 12, 2001, and concluded on July 2 the same year.

==Music==
{{main|Blade II (soundtrack)}}
A soundtrack to the film was released on March 19, 2002, through [[Immortal Records]] and [[Virgin Records]], and which featured collaborations between hip hop artists and electronic artists. This soundtrack appeared on four different [[Billboard charts|''Billboard'' charts]], reaching number 26 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="hitsmisses">{{cite news
| title       = The Hits and Misses of Marvel Comics Movie Soundtracks
| first       = Lilian
| last        = Min
| url         = http://pitchfork.com/thepitch/867-the-hits-and-misses-of-marvel-comics-movie-soundtracks/
| newspaper   = [[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]
| date        = August 13, 2015
| access-date = 2016-11-01}}</ref> It spawned two [[Single (music)|single]]s: "Child of the Wild West" and "Mind What You Say".<ref name="judgementnight">{{cite news
| title       = The Judgment Night soundtrack foretold the rap-rock apocalypse
| first       = Sean
| last        = O'Neal
| url         = http://www.avclub.com/article/judgment-night-soundtrack-foretold-rap-rock-apocal-241185
| newspaper   = [[The A.V. Club]]
| date        = August 24, 2016
| access-date = 2016-11-01}}</ref>

==Release==
===Home media===
The New Line Platinum Series [[DVD]] contains several [[deleted scene]]s, including a flashback sequence showing Blade's first meeting with Whistler, and a music video for "Child of the Wild West", performed by [[West Coast hip-hop]] group [[Cypress Hill]] and featuring [[drum and bass]] performer [[Roni Size]] in the DVD special features on disc 2, [[VHS]] Capture, and the theatrical trailer.

A [[Blu-ray]] version was released in 2012.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=8468 |title=Blade II Blu-ray (Updated) |access-date=2025-02-25 |via=www.blu-ray.com}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Blade II'' was released on March 22, 2002. This was during a period of the year (months March and April) considered to be a bad time for sequels to be released.<ref>{{cite news |date=March 22, 2002 |author=Variety staff |title=Weekend Box Office Preview (March 22, 2002) |url= https://variety.com/2002/film/box-office/weekend-box-office-preview-br-march-22-2002-1117864344/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date= 2020-01-01}}</ref> Despite this, the film became the highest-grossing film of the [[Blade (franchise)|''Blade'' series]], making $80 million in the United States and $150 million worldwide. In its opening weekend, the film earned $32,528,016 from 2,707 theaters,<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=blade2.htm |title=''Blade II'' |access-date=2008-12-13  |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> but dropped 59% of its earnings in its second week, which brought in $13.2 million. The intake is believed to be affected (in part) by the pull of NCAA basketball Final Four games.<ref>{{cite news|author=Dave McNary |title=Col's "Room" at the top |url=https://variety.com/2002/film/box-office/col-s-room-at-the-top-1117864637/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=March 31, 2002 |access-date=2008-12-13}}</ref> The film debuted in the [[United Kingdom]] at number one, making $3.6 million from 355 theaters<ref>{{cite news|author=Don Groves |title="Ice" the rage o'seas |url=https://variety.com/2002/film/box-office/ice-the-rage-o-seas-1117864735/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=April 1, 2002 |access-date=2020-12-03}}</ref> and held the spot for the following week, where it had earned $7.9 million, despite a 47% decline. The film was also number one in [[Singapore]], making $214,000 from 30 theaters.<ref>{{cite news|author=Don Groves |title="Ice" ages well overseas |url= https://variety.com/2002/film/box-office/ice-ages-well-overseas-1117865094/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=April 8, 2002 |access-date= 2008-12-13}}</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has an approval rating of 57% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The site's consensus reads: "Though ''Blade II'' offers more of what worked in the original, its plot and character development appear to have been left on the cutting room floor."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blade_ii |title=Blade II |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] |access-date={{RT data|access date|df=iso}} }}{{RT data|edit}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100 based on reviews from 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/blade-ii | title=Blade II (2002) | work= [[Metacritic]] | access-date= December 24, 2020 }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= CinemaScore |access-date= December 25, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180722041238/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= July 22, 2018 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film three and a half out of four stars, stating: "''Blade II'' is a really rather brilliant vomitorium of viscera, a comic book with dreams of becoming a textbook for mad surgeons".<ref>{{cite news |author= Roger Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blade-ii-2002 |title= Blade II |publisher= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date= March 22, 2002 |access-date= 2011-01-06}}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]] gave the film two and a half out of four stars: "''Blade II'' is for those undiscriminating movie-goers who want nothing more from a trip to the multiplex than loud, raucous, mindless entertainment".<ref>{{cite web |date=2002-03-22 |first=James |last=Berardinelli |author-link=James Berardinelli |title=Blade II - Reelviews Movie Reviews |publisher=Reelviews.net |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/b/blade2.html |access-date=2020-01-01}}</ref>

===Accolades===
Like its predecessor, the film was nominated for both [[Saturn Award for Best Horror Film|Best Horror Film]] and [[Saturn Award for Best Make-up|Best Make-up]] at the [[Saturn Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saturnawards.org/saturn_rings/saturn_rings_04.pdf |title=''Minority Report'' & ''Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' Win Big At The 29th Annual Saturn Awards |access-date=May 4, 2020 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402174643/http://www.saturnawards.org/saturn_rings/saturn_rings_04.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2012}}</ref>

==Video game==
A video game ''[[Blade II (video game)|Blade II]]'' was released for the [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] on September 3, 2002. Reviews were generally negative.<ref name="MCPS2">{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/blade-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2 | title=Blade II for PlayStation 2 Reviews | website=[[Metacritic]] | access-date=September 11, 2021 }}</ref><ref name="MCXB">{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/blade-ii/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox | title=Blade II for Xbox Reviews | website=Metacritic | access-date=September 11, 2021 }}</ref>

==Sequel==
{{main|Blade: Trinity}}
A sequel, ''Blade: Trinity'', was released in 2004.

==See also==
{{Portal|Film}}
* [[Vampire film]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{AFI film}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{IMDb title|0187738}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* [https://archive.today/20121208180720/http://marvel.com/movies/Blade.Blade_II ''Blade II''] at [[Marvel Entertainment, Inc.|Marvel.com]]
* [http://www.horrorlair.com/scripts/blade2.html ''Blade II'' script] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210030134/http://www.horrorlair.com/scripts/blade2.html |date=February 10, 2010 }}

{{Blade}}
{{Marvel comics films}}
{{Guillermo del Toro}}
{{David S. Goyer}}
{{Authority control}}

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