If I were to ever make a movie set in Hell, Guillermo del Toro is the man I want directing it. Just give me him paired up with Alex Proyas, and give me Proyas and David S. Goyer on the script. I would then be a happy man. Del Toro is a man who knows how to create an atmosphere of decay possibly greater than any other director at work, even moreso than the much-lauded David Fincher. This is the man who gave us Cronos and Mimic, both superb exercises in fear, so we know the man has a fetish for insects and underground sprawls. And boy, does he show it.

Blade II (no snappy subtitle) is del Toro's latest, a gore-splattered vampire/action flick that only lets up for brief exposition before tossing us back into gore-splattered, yes, vampire action. Where the first Blade, directed by Stephen Norrington, oozed slick opulence centered on action, Blade II wallows in corrupt decadence, where everything is cracked and faded, even the graffiti. As a result the first film centered primarily on virtuoso action sequences that The Matrix later borrowed from heavily, and the sequel leans more toward horror. Which is better? It's really a matter of personal preference, but for my dollar, I go to comic book movies for the action. I preferred the first film to this one. More on that later.

Seeing the first movie isn't really critical to understanding Blade II, but a bit of backstory anyway: Blade (Wesley Snipes, natch) is a Daywalker, a man born half-vampire, possessing all of a vampire's strengths but nearly none of their weaknesses. At first Blade was an orphan, but an old vampire hunter by the name of Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson, damn good tough-guy comic relief) took him in and trained him to be a one-man army against the secret legions of the undead. Blade as a character isn't just a walking action-orgy, though; he has his bloodthirst to control, and goes about his job with a sort of cool detachment, the same kind of cool detachment people probably have to take to stomach their jobs. Blade is a superstrong, superfast badass, but he is also a detective, and an unrelenting soldier in a quest he seems to get no real joy from. Just don't pity him to his face.

Seems that though we were led to believe that Whistler died after a vampire attack in the first film, he was actually carted off around the world to basically act as a living bloodbag for the Vampire Nation. Uh huh. Well, that's what you get with comic book movies. Smile and move on.

Blade acquires himself a new tech boy and goes off on a worldwide hunt to find Whistler and, lo and behold, brings him back to fight the good fight. Early on we're led to believe that Whistler is a possible security leak, a man who kicked vampirism but may at any time revert and sell Blade out.

It's another "uh huh." The moment we're told there's a leak in Blade's security, it's pretty damn obvious who it is. Hint: it isn't Whistler. Whistler gives the impression that he'd sooner be raped by rabid elephants than work for the bloodsuckers, so I ain't spoiling anything.

Interesting things happen. The Vampire Nation extends a hand to Blade, asking him to help wipe out a new race of vampires, ones more vicious and bloodthirsty than the original model. Seems these guys, Reapers they call 'em, like to feed on humans and on vampires. Every time a Reaper feeds, the victim becomes a Reaper. Cue Body Snatchers-style paranoia. Blade takes the offer with understandable skepticism, but his judgment is clouded a bit. The Vampire Lord's daughter Nyssa (Leonor Varela, a hottie slightly less capable at acting than a bag of doorknobs) is a looker, and a supreme asskicker. How couldn't Blade get turned on?

Enough of the plot, though. It unfolds in the usual ways and provides a few nice twists to keep things refreshing and somewhat original. What I really want to talk about now is style and, of course, the Reapers.

The Reapers are a natural progression in the Blade storyline. Blade already whooped supreme vampire ass in the first movie, so what's next to conquer that could be refreshing? A bigger, badder vampire! It's classic comic book style. Bigger, better, badder. And these Reapers are some Bad Mother Fuckers, it's printed right there on their wallets. They have to feed nightly, they're resistant to silver and garlic, and have a heart encased in bone, making them pretty much stakeproof. They also have certain dental hygiene... problems. I'll just leave it at that.

Del Toro makes some excellent stylistic choices. Whereas in the first film the vampires were glamorous and sexy (when they weren't ripping people's necks open) to be compatible with the mood of action and gloss, the Reapers of Blade II owe more to the original vampire film, F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu. Large bald heads, long fingers, pointy ears and rodent-like sharp front teeth in place of the traditional fangs. It's fitting, really. Blade II's mood is all about shabby decadence, and the Reapers, in their sewer dwellings and rag clothing, provide the perfect undertone of corruption to the ritiziness of the vampires living above. It is a fitting design choice, well in synch with the tone of the film. I applaud the art department on this one.

But...

There's always a "but", isn't there? As I stated before, Blade II is, at its heart, a comic book movie, and thus should act more like one. You can almost feel del Toro trying to steer the movie into the realm of thriller, but with such a basis in action, jumps and scares really aren't appropriate. There are times when we feel like del Toro wanted to make another movie altogether, with vampires as monsters to be feared rather than powerful opponents to whack. I like that idea. It's a good one. It's just no good for a Blade film.

Don't get me wrong, there are worse ways to spend a couple hours of your time. To see settings and creatures pulled straight from the realm of nightmare, I highly recommend watching Blade II, if for no other reason than to soak in the setting and the costuming. The action is pretty darn fun, but frankly not as exhilirating as the action sequences in the first. And Kristofferson is always fun. If you like to see a big buff (but likable) guy kick some ass, if you like to get creeped out by freaky vampires, if you don't mind a graphic lesson in Reaper anatomy, then I recommend Blade II. It's certainly superior to almost anything else out in the theatres.