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Blade II (R, 2002)

common sense media says

Icky, bloody vampire sequel.

parents & educators say
  • 67% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say there are positive messages
See all 5 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie has intense gore, which falls just on this side of a slasher film. All kinds of decapitations, bloodletting, tracheotomies, etc., are inflicted on various human-like beings. Although the vampires combust in a cloud of sparks when killed, it comes too late to avoid seeing brains, hearts and tendons, and oceans of blood. Blade, at one point, gets strapped to an impalement table, which shoots spikes through various limbs and organs. There is also a scene of horrible vampire self-mutilation. Even by action-movie standards, it is very graphic. Characters use strong language and there are sexual situations. Interestingly, in the original Blade, the vampires were a rainbow nation of evil with many different ethnic groups represented, but in Blade II, there are two ethnic vampires on Blade's hit-squad, but none in the crowd scenes, or as antagonists.

Violence: Intense peril and violence Intense peril
Sex: Sexual references and situations
Language: Very strong language
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Drug use
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More on Blade II

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the movie's themes of betrayal and loyalty. For what it's worth, Blade is a black superhero. He calls the shots, is never condescended to, and shows loyalty, courage and integrity. Parents may want to discuss the nature of wish-fulfillment, and the way violence and problem-solving are conflated in the movies versus the way they interact in real life.

What's the story?

What's the story?
Half-vampire Blade (Wesley Snipes) is back in this sequel about the Marvel Comics superhero. When last we left our hero, his mentor and gunsmith Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) has been vampirized, abducted by the undead, and held suspended in a blood-support tank to endure eternal torture. With the help of his new idea-man, Blade breaks Whistler out, and cures him of the vampire virus with an injection and a 24 hour dry-out program. Meanwhile, a mutant super-vampire sneaks into a corrupt Czech blood bank, and eats the vampire-phlebotomists with his daringly different super-vampire bloodsucking anatomy. The waxy emperor is forced to offer a truce to Blade, in order to fight their mutual enemy. But it is immediately clear that the truce can only be temporary.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
An ordinary sequel to the first Wesley Snipes vehicle, this bloody punch-fest lacks the charming antagonists that livened the original movie. Snipes is occasionally funny, though not as often as he should be. Most of the rest of the cast is not funny, except Ron Perlman, re-doing his lovable thug routine (Cronos, Alien Resurrection) as an evil vampire hitman.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: New Line
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Cast: Kris Kristofferson, Ron Perlman, Wesley Snipes
Genre: Fantasy
Run time: 117 minutes
Theatrical release: March 2, 2002
DVD release: August 30, 2002
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: violence, sex, drug use, and language
This review was written by Nell Minow
 
 

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What parents & educators say

16
Based on 3 parent & educator reviews:
  • 67% say violence is an issue
  • 33% say there are positive messages
  • 33% say language is an issue
Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

ganstaboy30
parent of 15 year old
15
 
Good for kids that like blood and vampire
It's very violent with a guys face getting burnt but there a lot of "F" words so i think people under 15 just cause of the bad language
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BestPicture1996
teen, 16 years old
16
 
I watched the sequel before the original!
But what was I to do? My friend said it was better and it gave some backround on the original so I shouldn't sweat it. Extremely bloody and violent, it was like, "OK, let's rush the dialouge scenes so we can get right to Blade tearing vampires up!" The language was strong and the characters smoked frequently. But it was very entertaining, so I may dig my teeth into the 1st and 3rd parts of the series.
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Chris LP
adult
16
 
A massive gross-out horror/action fest!!
Must-see for all MARVEL fans!!
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4Spice
adult
16
 
good movie
pretty good movie lots of violence 16 and over
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mr subjective ...
teen, 17 years old
14
 
15+but only for kids with a genial yet unsensitive disposition
hi i really enjoyed this film. Only in a few parts are the blood overwhelming. A bit scary at times. Children will love it. Id say watchable for mature 15 year olds.But a big no no for kids who have a bad history at school or violence.
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