Date of release: March 22, 2002
Rotten Tomatoes: 59%
Metacritic: 52/100
Why it's underrated: While it may have fared marginally better (both critically and commercially) than the two entries bookending it, Guillermo del Toro's take on the Marvel Comics vampire hunter still doesn't get the credit it deserves. Easily the best film in the series, "Blade II" film benefits tremendously from the pure audacity of Del Toro's cinematic vision, and the way he so deftly translates the look and feel of actual comic books. Spectacularly seamless and imaginative special effects, Donnie Yen's adrenaline-pumping fight choreography and terrific turns from Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson add up to make this one of the rare sequels that actually surpasses the original.

- Chris Eggertsen