A far superior effort to the insipid, identity crisis-laden Blade, this time with everything genuine - the frights, the fear, the horror, the action and the spirit.

Blade (Snipes) returns after going about his business ridding the world of vampires. With the help of a new sidekick, he learns that he can rescue and rehabilitate his partner Switch (Kristofferson). Soon after, the Vampire Nation come to him - a new species has emerged that kills both vampires and humans and threatens life on Earth.

An uneasy alliance ensues between Blade's team and some tough hombre vampire killers trained to hunt him. The plot sets the tone and scene for some incredible sights. Blade 2 is all horror, all action, and all cool. The battle and action scenes are other-worldly, from the incredible kung fu fighting to the battery of cool weapons.

The horror is more solid with some genuinely terrifying villains (led inexplicably by Luke 'Bros' Goss), complete with alien-like split chins that reveal a cavernous mouth of munchers. Blood and gore spray the walls at times, but even with so many genres thrown into the blender, it knows what it is - a big, loud cartoon.

Hits the right spot for fans of all kinds where the first one missed. Kristofferson is his smart-mouthed best, the vampire goons are well drawn and individual (particularly the ever cool, all-things-to-all-film-makers Ron Perlman).