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 Marcus 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.

Bubblegum Crisis (1987-1991) OVA Review and Retrospective - Episode 5: Moonlight Rambler

Moonlight Rambler is the fifth episode of the original Bubblegum Crisis series. It's directed by Katsuhito Akiyama, Hiroaki Gôda, Hiroki Hayashi, Masami Ôbari and Fumihiko Takayama; and written by Toshimichi Suzuki, Katsuhito Akiyama, Shinji Aramaki, Emu Arii, Hideki Kakinuma and Ken'ichi Matsuzaki; with the voices of Yoshiko Sakakibara, Kinuko Ômori, Michie Tomizawa and Akiko Hiramatsu.

In the futuristic 2033 A.D. setting, two women (Sylvie and Anri), escape from the artificial space island named Genaros above Mega Tokyo. With their partners dead, the girls flee in a ship but are attacked by a boomer designed for space combat known as Doberman. In Mega Tokyo, victims of the Doberman are found with their blood drained out of their bodies, the AD Police investigates these seemingly vampiric murders. GENOM's head and Largo are behind an operation that involves building high-tech weapons they plan to sell, using the space island to this means. Priss and the Knight Sabers team meet with Sylvie as she is a friend of hers and they get to like her a lot. However, Sylvie hides a deadly secret that is revealed as the conspiracy unfolds.

A strong episode confident in it's prominence of action and explosive mechanical combat and shootouts. Starting with a bang, the story develops with it's reveals and the investigation work done by the characters. Priss gets sidelined a bit as a lot of the runtime is devoted to the GENOM bad guys hatching their scheme and having important meetings. Special focus is also primarily put on Sylvie as she escapes and hides alongside Anri. However, she has a few sweet moments with Priss that help to set the stakes and to present their relationship through casual interactions.

As usual, the animation is splendid and outstandingly executed. Presentation-wise this is among the most flashy and impressive when it comes to action set-pieces, especially with the very good first impression the opening delivers. I can't really find much fault except for a few odd frames here and there, but I will say that its disappointing that so far into the show the main characters aren't the sole focus, to the point where there are incidental characters in this episode that have more lines of dialogue than some of the main girls.

The ending is quite affecting and moving as a sacrifice has to be made in order for others to be protected but at a very high cost. The magic of a series with such economic characterizations and plots is that they do pull off effective dramatic and sentimental points without devoting much time to the characters involved, only the amount of time and actions that are needed, and they also let us infer the outcome and their reactions by not showing the aftermath.

Highly enjoyable episode but it could have used more of the leading team.