Cinepals - BLADE II Reaction & Review!

Episode Date: August 23, 2024

Kristen & Michael continue the Blade series with the sequel, which follows Blade as he reluctantly teams up with a group of elite vampires to battle a new breed of super vampires that threatens both species. This film is directed by, Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth & The Shape of Water) & it stars: Wesley Snipes (Blade series & Demolition Man), Kris Kristofferson (A Star is Born & Payback), Ron Perlman (Hellboy & Sons of Anarchy), Leonor Varela (Cleopatra & The Man in the Iron Mask), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead & The Boondock Saints), and Thomas Kretschmann (King Kong & Avengers: Age of Ultron). SOCIAL MEDIA: ~CINEPALS~ YouTube: @CinePals Insta: https://instagram.com/TheCinePals Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCinePals   ~KRISTEN STEPHENSONPINO~ Instagram: @Kris10Kesp   ~MICHAEL~ Insta: @booseisloose 

Senna. Pal! What's up guys? It's Kristen Savasimino, joined by Michael Boost. Hello, hello. Today we're back with Blade number two. Let's go. That wasn't...

Yeah. Okay, I'm not going to lie. I feel sorry for that man, but at the same time, I love that that's what we ended it on. That was so good. The ending of that one was pretty spectacular. I'm glad they cleaned up that loose head. I mean, I had no doubt that they were going to clean it up. I forgot about that guy.

But that was so funny. You didn't think I forgot about you, did you? I just, I really enjoy the way Wesley Snipes plays Blade. Because, like, for the most part, he's just, like, stone cold, like, almost Terminator-esque, no feeling, no emotion. Yeah. Super intense. And then you get these like brief moments, these little tiny moments of Wesley Snipes' charisma just coming through. And it happened a little bit more in this one.

But you get like a little bit of personality and you're just like, oh, it's so refreshing. It feels so delightful. It really does. It really like, they're so brief, but they hit so hard because the rest of the movie, he is just so stonefold. But to the same point, he still makes him really emotive and still makes him like a character that you can project yourself on. like get feelings from it's not like he's just deadpan like wet fish acting he actually like brings a lot of character depth and like life to blade even though blade is just one note like 90% of the movie it's true it's very true but I like that he is

because even though he's like that he's kind of like that those guys they're like kind of hard to read and you're kind of like like I don't know it's so funny because they try to act like so tough but then you're also like I see right through your BS like yeah you're just putting up a front right you know but this film was so nasty I know like like like I'm like part of me's like did we actually one up the nastiness from the first one I feel like there were points we're like okay we've really like up the end on how weird and creepy vampires can be. I think the first one was gross,

but at the same time, it was more like seductive gross, like where you're just like, oh, you're so dirty. Like, but it's almost like, it's almost like, exactly. It's almost like bedroom dirty where you're like, oh, you're so dirty.

This one was like, that's just nasty. Straight up nasty. There was no sex appeal to any of it. It was just straight up like, foo, we're getting really, really, really gross. here and like let's make your stomach toss and turn and make you want to vomit i love that we teamed up with the vampires yeah and i do i actually really liked that i thought when the moment

that happened i was like oh this is going to be so exciting exciting and i'm so sorry again whistler like i just i'm i'm struggling i thought he i thought they were going to use him against us so i was like prepping myself mentally because i'm like i didn't want to be so disappointed but boy was i They really, like, set it up heavily that he was going to be the traitor or was going to betray at some point. And so, like, I totally understand how you got, like, roped into that. I think my little disappointment is that they didn't play with it more because they did have these kind of moments where it's like, you know, somebody doesn't escape the thirst that

easy. And then another time where he ditched his post and everybody was like, what are you doing, old man and Blade's character having that moment where it's like, I'm watching you, essentially. Yeah. But then it didn't really play out. Like, they felt like really isolated moments. It didn't feel like it had an effect on the broader character interactions with anybody else. Yeah.

Like, it would have been nice. And again, I'm saying this from a standpoint of, like, the movie was enjoyable. And overall, I really liked the story. I think it could have been helped that if they played Whistler and Scud, against each other a little bit more? Yeah, that would have been nice. I really enjoyed the villains in this, though. The villains in this were really quality.

I thought this was really great. It was full, like, 100% like solid quality of villains. But I also like the whole idea of like nobody's safe and everybody's an enemy. Right. It was bizarre. I hate that new strain of vampireism. Like, that was just messed up, man. Like, there was so much messed up about that.

I did not like the way we killed Ron off The vampire Oh you weren't you weren't a fan of Ron Perlman A Ryan Hart's death Not at all I'm not I think you guys like got lazy on that one personally I was not my nipple head should have had like a solid fight with some solid commentary of like a F you

Okay well let's see okay I mean I like the way it happened Okay all right I thought that was cool Cure me out I thought was like damn but I wish we had a little bit more between them versus all the pawns in the fight scene I wish it was them and then the

sah because then I would be like yeah like I wanted to like ugh like this guy was so hateable and he was such a dick and I could not stand him that I wanted to root for blade in that fight and I wanted to cheer

almost like in a boxing match and be like let's go like you know I wanted to feel like I needed a flex on it and I didn't get the flex it was like it was like a that was it was it I you know like my my little cockatoo fellow and then it went away real quick and I didn't I wanted to be like sa that's what I wanted I understand where you're coming from so I felt like that was kind of like

I think his death was fitting for who his character was because he was supposed to be like I'm the big man in charge and like it's always a pissing contest between the two of us, right? And then when it came down to it, he died in such a pitiful way because he was all bark and no bite. He still could have been pitiful, though, but like with a little something. Like Blade could have just been like screwed with him like, ta-ta, like in the beginning.

I loved when he was like, oh, ta-ta, oh, ta-ta. You know, like, I love that. It's like, let me humble this man. Right, but he was humbled in that moment where he tried going for him with the sword and Blade was able to, like, straight up catch it. And, like, I am the stronger of the two of us, and then flick and just ended him in one. Okay.

So, I think, like, I see what you're saying. I see what you're saying. I can take that. A big spectacle fight. But also, I think in the film, they were saving the big spectacle fight for Novak at the end. I didn't have to be super, super big. I just wanted him to get bitch slapped a little more. Yeah, that's all.

Like, I just wanted it to be, but I wanted it to be so, it didn't have to be so intense. it could have been so, like, so pitiful to the point where it's like, yo, I'm just shaming you right now. Slap, slap, slap, slap, not worth my time. I mean, but I guess he was, like, a F you, you're not worth my time, but I don't know. I just think he was such a good villain that, like, and he pissed me off so much.

I felt like I wanted him to suffer a little bit. You really wanted that, like, you wanted your own personal cathartis for what that character put you through. Yeah, I was just being an asshole in my own, my own way. And I'm like, you know, whatever. the other villain like he didn't piss me off as much as that guy right he ultimately wasn't quite as present because he was the sort of overarching villain rather than the like in-close antagonist I guess also I think that our little mole that was solid mold yeah I never suspected scud for a second all I was a really really well

done he was a solid solid solid little like the fuck I know it came out of nowhere I like that They kept mentioning that, like, someone on the inside was, was giving them information, but I hadn't even considered that it might be someone in Blade's inner circle. I just figured it was like Ron Perlman or, like, somebody else in the blood bag. But I was, I was suspecting Whistler. I didn't suspect Whistler for a second. That maybe they would have tweaked him or I don't know. I was, like, suspecting him for some reason.

I feel bad again. Sorry, Whistler. I'm so sorry. I just, you know, you don't know what these vampires, you know? And you're gone for a few years. That was kind of what I was saying is I would have liked if they played up a little bit more of the distrust with Whistler and played Whistler and Scud against each other rather than having them be like, you're all right, kid. And you're like, you're all right, old man, you know, and making the grenades together and stuff. I would have liked it if like, you know, Whistler was off his game or Whistler kept doing suspicious things and then Scud had to come in and fix the problem.

And so then you've got this sort of play against that blade has to deal with. And then that would have made, like, while the reveal of Scud being the traitor was great, and I think still really served the story, it would have been like a more like gut punch reveal if the person were like, ah, man, they're really like turning Whistler against, or turning Blade against Whistler, and then suddenly, oh, he's a villain too. Like, that would have been really, really perfect. So I would have liked to see that. But again, I don't know how much room they would have had with all of the other character development and other character events they had in the film. So it's still worked out, and Scud's betrayal was still a surprise. I just think that if we're building that distrust of Whistler into the film, we can have a bigger payoff with it and a more meaningful moment between Blade and Whistler when we move past that.

Yeah. That's kind of my thought. What I do also really like about this film is I love that Blade actually technically saves two vampires. He does. Which is very out of character for him. And it just shows, it plays more to his human side and his, the empathy as a human, the human in him. Yeah. Which was kind of like cool to see.

I love, I really love that. And I love that our girl, a girl brought him up saying, no, the difference between you and I is I've made terms with who I am. Yeah. I've accepted who I am. And I think that hit hard. And I really love that. But I will say this. I'm missing my home girl from the first one.

Where's her hematologist? And it's like, okay, maybe they took her out so he could have that moment with our she vampire. But I did miss her in this. I thought she was so damn good in the first one. Yeah, she was great. I did miss her in this. And I felt like maybe she was going to, I mean, maybe she'll come in like other ones because I thought because of all the work she has done with like the blood and everything. I thought maybe we were going to have some more blood like information or.

or whatever cures. Well, she clearly made, like, a stronger syrup theoretically that he's working with because it looks different. It's a blue consistency. It doesn't affect him quite the same when he shoots it up. So I'm wondering if, like, these are latent clues that she helped out for a while. Well, I'm wondering if, like, she's going to come in later on and it's like, oh, hey, welcome back, whatever. And she was just not a part of, maybe she was just not part of, like, you know, she wasn't part of the fight. I think there's still a possibility that she still is.

in the loop and she's still working with us. Right. And so, yeah, I don't know. I did miss her. So at first I didn't like my little skin mark. But, and then I liked him. Then he liked him. And then he betrayed me.

But it was funny because I feel like we're the same with Whistler, right? Ristler hated this guy. Like, we hated him. And then right when Whistler started liking him. We started liking him too. We're like, you're right. So I like that they put us on Whistler's side so much. much that his opinion means something to us.

True. You know what I mean? And like how he feels like, and I thought it was funny after he died. He goes, oh man, I was just starting to like that kid because they had like their little bond.

So I thought that was great. That was, that was a delightful moment. Anyways, I love this. I like this is great. I think this was an amazing sequel. I will say to the missing hematologist,

it's kind of like the early mission impossible films. No female lead makes it past one film. It's kind of a kind of a, A kind of a sign of the era, you know? Shots getting fired. But that's okay. That's okay. Maybe one day.

Ouch. Damn, Michael, you like burn then and lit it up and like. What can I say? You torched it. I, I have some pretty strong opinions. But overall, I loved Blade 2. Blade 2 is great. It was very fun.

I thought the fights were phenomenal. They must have listened through time and were like, ah, Michael's going to be disappointed with the sword fights. So we got to have better sword fights in the next one. They were better. They really brought it back. And you could tell that a lot more extra work was put into the choreo. So I continue to be impressed by the fights. The practical effects on the jaw pieces were really cool.

That was really. They did the art department on this. Did a phenomenal job, honestly, as well as set design. Yeah. I think they outdid themselves on this one. And that's hard to do because I felt like the last one was pretty good. Not so much like, I mean, the special effects on the first one

was a little funky. I think this one definitely went up and at some points like when he was fighting them and they started disappeared. I did feel like there were fireworks at one point and I'm like wow fireworks are going out and I forgot what was happening for the split second

so that's my only like thing is I briefly checked out only because I did see fireworks so I would so maybe like I don't know for me and don't make them so pretty flashy because I was like Oh, so pretty. And then he started killing people.

We're like, oh, sorry, my bad. Wait a minute, hang on. Oh, my God. I feel like the girl, like the shiny girl inside of me was just like, oh, sparkles. Oh, my God. So pretty. And then I was like, oh, somebody died. Oh.

Curs it. Yikes. Why are you happy about this? But it's not that beautiful. But at least they did it in a pretty way. I'm like, it's not beautiful. Somebody died. I know the bad guys, but, uh, damn.

This is brutal. This film was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. I did enjoy it. I look forward to, I look forward to more. And I hope you all are enjoying this reaction and this film as much as we did. If you haven't done so already, please hit that subscribe button, bell icons, all notifications about this video. Thank you so much for all your love and support.

I'm Kristen Stapisipino. I'm Michael Boos. And we will see you next time.