Blade 2 (2002)

The second outing for Wesley Snipes as Daywalker, Blade. This time sees Blade have to rescue Whistler again played by Kris Kirstofferson and while in this he is approached by the very people he hunts, to help them as there is a new predator. This sees Blade working with vampires including Leonor Varela, Danny John Jules and Ron Pearlman as a wise cracking violent member of the Bloodpack.


While trying to continue from the original and there are a few references to what has happened in this film it tries to also move the world on and take the story in a new direction. It also explores the Blade world of vampires and the divisions within them. It actually put me a lot in mind of the Underworld Vampires and the set up within that franchise. Snipes is violent and an awesome as Blade and he can handle the violence and the wise cracking.


Overall this is an okay film, it is not brilliant and will certainly not win any awards but overall it is enjoyable fayre with enough fights, cool deaths and enjoyment to see you thought the running time. This film falls in the middle the production values take it above average so 7 out of 10.

Mr Deeds (2002)

Adam Sandler playing Longfellow Deeds in a comedy about a nice guy inheriting the controlling interest in a Media conglomerate and starts doing business his way. This is a remake of the 1936 film Mr Deeds goes to Town. You have the crook played by Peter Gallagher tries to convince him to sign it all over to him. With support from Winona Ryder and John Toturro. Adam Sandler films are hit or miss for me, some of the early stuff like Billy Maddison and Happy Gilmore have some funny parts in them but overall I am not that big a fan of his.

Here the problems with the film lie in the fact that Longfellow Deeds is to good, he does everything right and everybody loves him. It just felt so false for me and was not that taken with him on any level. A couple of the jokes are funny including his black foot but is a bit overplayed and got old quite quickly.

I am sure if you are a fan of Adam Sandler then you will have enjoyed this film and enjoyed the jokes and it will have been right for you. However for me it missed the mark and I can only give it 4 out of 10 and say that if not already an Adam Sandler fan then avoid this.

Men in Black 2 (2002)

The 2002 sequel to the 1997 film Men in Black sees K and J back together as they have to try and find the light of Zartha and save the world from Serleena played by Lara Flynn Boyle who is supported by two headed Johnny Knoxville, of Jackass fame. This film is very much in the same vain as the original ad brings back many of the characters including a bigger role for Frank the dog, voiced by Tim Blaney and Z played Rip Torn. The love interest for J this film is Rosario Dawson playing LAura Vasquez

As with any sequel it takes the basic concept of the original and replays it in many ways with the same characters and the same jokes coming up again. There are some new jokes and what sets this up as quite a good sequel is there a lot of expansion of the universe it is set in and some development of the lesser characters, there is a lot more comedic characters this time with Johnny Knoxville, Frank the Dog and the Worms all playing it for laughs.

If you enjoyed the original then you will appreciate and enjoy this film and it really makes a good compliment for it and I always find that I cannot watch the first without wanting to see the sequel and when I see them both I enjoy them, overall another 3 star film.

The Bourne Identity (2002)

The first in the Bourne Trilogy that showed everybody that Matt Damon can play the action hero. You follow him as he is pulled from the water with two bullets in him and you follow him as he tries to remember who he is and what he does. This is also the first in the series of  films that now number 4. It is an above average spy thriller that lead to things like it being named the New Bond and Jason Bourne being a new hero for all of us to look up to.

I have to say that the first time I watched this film I did not actually appreciate how good a film or a series it was or was going to be. On this second watch I really appreciated the nuances of what the story was and the under lying story with Conklin played by Chris Cooper and how he is trying to protect himself and what he has done.



This is a strong 3 star recommend I appreciate that it is not for everybody and it is a film that is made better by seeing the rest of the series so it is a long commitment to make.

Ballistic: Ecks Vs Sever (2002)

Starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Lui as agents tasked with hunting each other and some other stories, it really is a bit messy. Antonio has lost his family and the story get’s all confused from there. It actually plays like the film which is the third or fourth in a series or that it is the end of a TV series as there seems to be a lot of unsaid story that appears like it should be obvious.

Both the main actors while not being terrible seem to be just doing it all for the money and both of them appear to phone it in. To be honest it is not that memorable a film and I think if it was a sequel then it might have worked. Half way through I had zoned out so this may sum up some of my feelings towards the film.

I cannot recommend anything good about this film and would actually say that you should stay away from it. So 1 star from me, if I am wrong please feel free to let me know, always happy to hear other opinions.

Reign of Fire (2002)

Film of 2012 #53

I have now seen this film several times, it is a Dragon fantasy brought into the real world and really it is a post apocalyptic world. Where Christian Bale and Gerard Butler are trying to keep a group of survivors alive after Dragons are released into the world and they have taken over. It is set about 15 years after the destruction of the world and is part of the struggle to survive and does some interesting things with the young children. The action kicks off when an American GI comes in played by a shaven headed bearded Matthew McConaughy playing what is essentially the bad guy of the piece.

This is by no means a classic film and has many flaws but I have to say that I really enjoy it and it is a film that I will go back to watch again, it possibly comes under the guilty pleasure category. The story is like a classic story brought in to a modern setting, Christian Bale's character is only looking to survive and outlive the Dragons, and Matthew McConnaghey is your Dragon Slayer, he is hard and brutal but in the end it is only because to survive he needs to be, the hip flask is a great example of this. The fact that Christian Bale's character is there at the start and sees the first Dragon and he does not want to be the leader but he is there and needed so he does it.

This film I think is trying to do something more than the material and the people involved can achieve and I think as a book it would work really well. They needed to focus either more on the dilemma and the difficulty of the Christian Bale character or they needed to go all out action, they get caught in the middle and it just does not work like they want it to. I can watch this and enjoy it and will revisit it again in the future I know this as it is a film I like to go back to, it is a strong 3 star recommend but you have to know it has flaws when you go into it.