Underworld: Evolution

Good Start up to the new saga of movies. If you are a fan of horror and the underworld series themselves then it's worth a watch, action packed from pretty much start to finish and delivers a good story that moves on for the first lot. Kate is great as always and brings along others to perform a good hour and forty minutes of vampire/werewolf mayhem!

I recently saw Underworld: Blood Wars in the theater and it inspired me to review the entire franchise. Two days ago I re-watched Underworld (2003) and today I watched Underworld: Evolution.

Well shame on me. I skipped right over Underworld: Evolution and didn't even realize or know. With that, I still was able to enjoy the three that followed this one (Rise of the Lycans, Awakening, and the recently released Blood Wars).

I didn't quite like Evolution as much as I did Underworld (2003) but it still held its own. This installment was about uncovering Vampire/Lycan history. More information and more secrets were revealed about both species. Again there were many bullets shot (so many rounds of ammo and so many guns) and again Selene (Kate Beckinsale) had to fight some ferocious beasts (both Vampire and Lycan).

A sound follow up and link to Underworlds to follow.

Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman reprise their roles as leather-clad, ass-kicking vampire warrior Selene and vampire / werewolf hybrid Michael in this decent sequel. The story picks up where the original movie ended; now Selene and Michael are on the lam and determined to obtain exposition regarding the centuries-old war between blood suckers and bloodthirsty canines. Relentlessly pursuing them is thoroughly evil bad guy vampire Marcus (Tony Curran); Selene and Michael attempt to get some help from the legendary Alexander Corvinus (Sir Derek Jacobi), the man who got the ball rolling on this conflict so many years ago.

"Underworld: Evolution" is okay as far as this kind of entertainment goes. It depicts a bleak, stylized environment that refrains from many primary colours, going for the gusto in terms of action and gore, and trying to deliver a poignant moment here and there. The CGI can be ropey at times - as we all come to expect from this sort of thing - but there is fortunately some practical work as well (like Brian Steele in costume as the fearsome werewolf William, who's been imprisoned for centuries).

It really helps to have a largely British cast with such a tale; they lend gravitas where it might not have been delivered otherwise, and the actors all give it their best effort. Curran is a vivid villain, and it's a real treat to have Jacobi in a pivotal role in a modern genre crossover of a movie. Steven Mackintosh is a hoot as a seedy beast who's been the historian for the two clans, but was forced into exile. Some cast members from the original film, like Bill Nighy as Viktor, Shane Brolly as Kraven, and Michael Sheen as Lucian, appear briefly.

Director and co-writer Len Wiseman keeps the story moving forward adequately, spices it up with a bit of sex, and gives us a finale where Selene and Michael are fighting their adversaries side by side.

Not bad overall, but if one is NOT a fan of the first "Underworld", this sequel probably won't get them to change their minds about this series.

Filmed in Vancouver.

Six out of 10.

More gory and more enjoyable, this opus is much more action oriented than the first one. Obviously, the scenario is less interesting although quite correct. The special effects are better than the first, the actors play well and the action scenes are much more watchable. On the other hand, the film is a little short but it's still a very good continuation of a good saga.

Let's face it. If you're going to see this movie, you probably enjoyed the original and are looking for more. You want high doses of fight scenes, vampire and lycan lore, blood, violence, and Kate Beckinsale wearing leather or less. In short, this movie delivers all of the above in great excess, so if you liked Underworld, you're going to like Underworld: Evolution as much or more.

On the other hand, if you don't like blood, violence, action, mythology, or using a sword in a world full of guns, this movie is not for you, and it's NOT MEANT to be for you, so don't complain about it.

This movie surpasses the original as far as story development. We learn a good bit about each character's past, which helps justify all the extreme violence they engage themselves in. We're also introduced to some new characters and plot lines that add interest and new twists, rather than just rehashing all the familiar faces from Underworld.

This movie fails to get a 10 rating from me for the following reasons:

1) Not quite enough "stuff" to fill the time. Too many shots of Kate Beckinsale "looking intense". The movie could have been 10 minutes shorter if the number of these shots had been reduced from seemingly infinite down to 10 or so. Minor problem.

2) A few glaring continuity errors.

3) Too many flashback/explanation shots from the original Underworld. I suppose this is necessary so as not to alienate viewers who didn't see the original or who forgot it. However, this movie is obviously targeted to people who liked the original and want more, so give us a quick refresher and then hit us with new stuff. No need to keep providing Cliff's notes throughout the movie. Make us think a little!

4) There wasn't a standout power move comparable to the spinning/shooting through the floor in the original Underworld. Let's face it, half the people that went to that movie did so because that shot was in the trailer. This movie had lots of power moves, but none that stood out as the winner.