Underworld: Evolution (2006) Movie Review

Underworld: Evolution is a 2006 action horror film directed by Len Wiseman and written by Danny McBride. It stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly, Steven Mackintosh, Derek Jacobi, and Bill Nighy. Evolution is the second film in the Underworld movie series and follows the events of the 2003 film. The film was a box office success and this opened the door for at least one more sequel, perpetuating the permanence of the Underworld series in the mainstream. Along with the first one, this second entry kept alive the gothic subculture and contributed to those types of aesthetics among the youth of the time.

This time, Selene (a vampiric Death Dealer) travels with a Lycan-Vampire hybrid named Markus in order to inquire and investigate the origins and hidden information regarding their ancestry and savage lineage involved in a seemingly endless war between the two factions.

Unlike the first movie, this one is more of a journey through several different environments with out protagonists meeting many enemies and foes along the way but it sort of loses a bit of the focus the first film had with its post-expressionistic maximalist setting, opting for slightly more generic places and locations that still look ravishing and highly stylized because of the great technical work by cinematographer Simon Duggan but things look more artificial and less extreme in the expressive department. Still, there are many good aspects in the film when it comes to its visual flair and camera work. 

The characters are sort of disappointing, just like in the first one, since most of them are one-dimensional and have very little in the way of charisma or effective comedic moments. They are all cold and trying to be badass all the time and it works well enough for the most part but it keeps the movie in a one-note wavelength it never really breaks. It would be one thing if the film had more to offer but there really isn't much else there. Speaking of badassery, Beckinsale as Selene looks wonderful and has some outstanding action sequences from time to time. She really elevates the film and makes it a worthwhile experience, again, like in the first film.

Aside from a cool-looking main character we are mostly stuck with monotonous period war scenes, exposition-heavy scenes of characters info-dumping on the audience a lot of lore that is quite easy to forget and there's also a lot of flashy editing that doesn't help when it comes to keeping things clear cut or focused. It's a film made only to be seen and disposed of afterward, you won't really find anything here but a time waster with certain gothic and horror elements that appeal to a certain audience but it does the job as a popcorn flick fairly well for the most part. 

While not breathtaking nor innovative in any meaningful way, this slick sequel is entertaining but flawed and not very memorable. Recommended for fans of the first film and for those who enjoy action and horror mixed with a leather-clad vampiress.

Underworld (2003) Review

Underworld was a project conceived by actor/writer/director Kevin Grevioux, his pitch was basically “Romeo and Juliet but with vampires and werewolves” and he decided to give a spin to the formula by making lycanthropy and vampirism viruses instead of supernatural curses, a product of his formation in microbiology.

Screen Gems and Lakeshore Entertainment ended up producing the film but not without some issues. You see, back in the nineties there was a popular tabletop franchise called World of Darkness and two of their games, Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse, had a lot of similarities with Underworld which led the company behind the games, White Wolf, Inc., and writer Nancy A. Collins to file a lawsuit against Sony Pictures. It eventually ended in a confidential settlement. 

At any rate, Underworld was released in 2003 and starred Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly, and Bill Nighy. The film received bad reviews but it did good numbers at the box office and became a subject of interest among audiences because the concept of mixing vampires and werewolves in a romantic fashion with an action female lead was too exciting and striking to ignore. Remember, this was way before Twilight, the idea was new for mainstream audiences.

Vampires and werewolves (here called Lycans) have been fighting since ancient times. The Lycans are no longer as active since the vampires have managed to best them, but a group of werewolf assassins known as the "Death Dealers" are still hunting them down, particularly one of the Dealers, Selene (Kate Beckinsale). She falls in love with a medical student named Michael (Scott Speedman), but things get complicated after he is turned into a Lycan. Now she finds herself struggling between her feelings for the human and her loyalty to her clan. 

The film is flawed to its core, there's no doubt that it's too reliant on exposition, it's derivative, it deviates from it's main storyline into irrelevant segways, the characters are dull, the word building is clunky and the film isn't tightly written nor carefully directed enough for any of that to not matter. Its premise had potential but it gets bogged down and loses itself in a sea of overwritten scenes that just clutter the film with exposition and weightless (but cool) action. Lacking any heavy narrative thread that can carry it, the film can't hold the viewers' investment for long. 

The biggest and most solid aspects of the movie are the somewhat engaging action sequences and the gothic look certainly works wonders. There's a lot of generally amusing Matrix-inspired slow motion choreographies and battle sequences shown here, but none of it can be called memorable, it's all disposable and fleeting at best. The director didn't do a bad job and it might have been a solid effort for the time but it's hardly a great spectacle. Len Wiseman's filmmaking results have been on a downward spiral ever since his first movie, creating uninspired and cliche messes like Die Hard 4 and the Total Recall remake, dreadful stuff. While this is his best picture it certainly wasn't anything special.

Nowadays, the film could be remembered as a curiosity of the time, when black leather pants and the whole gothic look were in vogue but it feels incredibly dated and old fashioned, not to mention lacking substance of any kind. It's a lot of overused tropes rolled into one production, a film that never attempts to elevate its material or even to inject it with refreshing or valuable ideas, it's a rethread of old stories and styles but not much else. Completely one dimensional and with a singular and overplayed note, it's not hard to see why it wasn't well liked. 

Although I have been a bit negative, I will say that there are some rather neat aspects introduced here. The material had a lot of potential as certain elements are redeemable such as Kate Beckinsale's performance and look, the film's moody aesthetic (great production design is key here) and the concept of a war between werewolves and vampires was something rather new in blockbusters. Ultimately, I think these were the reasons people showed up to the movie theater and supported further entries in the franchise. It's also very telling that those are the only things people seem to remember out of it.

Other than that, it's not a film I would recommend to most viewers. It's stale and not highly entertaining aside from some sections. I think most people will be put off by its dullness and the lack of characterization of its protagonists. Only for the hardcore 2000's movie fans and for those nostalgic for the goth fad.