 |
Better action, a bit of sex, and gorier R-rated violence make Underworld: Evolution a reasonably satisfying sequel to 2003's surprise hit Underworld. Looking stunning as ever in her black leather battle gear, Kate Beckinsale is every goth guy's fantasy as Selene, the vampire "death dealer" who's now fighting to stop the release of the original "Lycan" werewolf, William (Brian Steele) from the prison that's held him for centuries. As we learn from the film's action-packed prologue, William and his brother Marcus (Tony Curran) began the bloodline of vampires and werewolves, and after witnessing centuries of warfare between them, their immortal father Corvinus (Derek Jacobi) now seeks Selene and the human vampire/lycan hybrid Michael (Scott Speedman) to put an end to the war perpetuated by Victor (Bill Nighy), the vampire warrior whose betrayal of Selene turns Underworld: Evolution into an epic tale of familial revenge. This ambitious attempt at Shakespearean horror is compromised by a script (by Danny McBride and returning director Len Wiseman, Beckinsale's real-life husband) that's more confusing than it needs to be, with too many characters and not enough storytelling detail to flesh them all out. Aspiring to greatness and falling well short of that goal, Underworld: Evolution succeeds instead as a full-throttle action/horror thriller, with enough swordplay, gunplay, and CGI monsters to justify the continuation of the Underworld franchise. If you're an established fan, this is a must-see movie; if not, well... at least it's better than Van Helsing!Read full review
To start off, let me say that I'm a very big fan of the original. I think it did everything right; having a nice Gothic overtone, great characters, an original, intriguing and in-depth plot, fun action and an overall script that never once felt dull. Oh, and of course...it had Kate Beckinsale in tight leather, hehehe. Now does this sequel contain all these qualities that made the original so good? Personally, I'd have to say no, I don't think it did. Was the movie necessarily bad? Also no. It was highly entertaining but not that good of a movie overall. STORYLINE: The story in this film was no where near as good or developed as the original. As it starts off with a war scene in the past, I found myself really enjoying it. We find out a little about the Corvinus family and the origins or Marcus, who was the very first vampire, and his brother, who was the very first Lycan. But after we witness these scenes and learn these few minor plot details, the story development pretty much comes to a dead stop. Honestly, nothing really happens in this movie. It's all just action and really nothing more. CHARACTERS: The lead characters were good. Selene and Michael didn't exactly have any development but that's okay because they were developed enough in the first film. But what was slightly developed was their romance, which the first film seemed to be lacking. We really got to feel the connection between them and how much they really cared for each other. And it was great to see Michael show off his new hybrid abilities and kick some booty along the way. He was a lot cooler in this film than in the original. The new vampire leader, Marcus, was also pretty damn cool. He had a very sinister appearance, especially with the devil-like wings, and didn't seem to have any sympathy at all as he brutally disposed of anyone who got in his way. In the original, we had Lucian, who was a well developed bad-guy character and I actually found myself caring for him. Marcus, on the other hand, didn't strike a cord with me at all. He looked cool, sure, but besides that, he had absolutely nothing going for him and I really didn't care what happened to him. All the other characters in this film were also very undeveloped as well. We really knew nothing of them and as a result, felt unsure whether we should like them or hate them. So that's a major issue. ACTION: The action, most the time, was very enjoyable. And I stress MOST of the time, not ALL of the time. There was some really fun action and fight sequences and a nice amount of blood and gore thrown into the mix. So it definitely does manage to entertain the action buffs. But then, at times, the action began to feel annoying as it got extremely repetitive. It was like they just kept replaying the same action scene over and over and just tweaked it a little in order to pass it off as a different scene. This was a problem because the whole movie seemed to base itself on action, rather than story, and the action wasn't even all that good. ATMOSPHERE: Another good thing about this movie would have to be the scenery. Yeah, I know that's not really important in the movie, but it really did help with the overall experience. There were beautiful mountain landscapes, snowy woods, old style castles in ruins and gorgeous red colored twilight skies. So I think it actually helped a lot in setting the atmosphere and gets points for great eye candy.Read full review
Everybody knows part 2 usually sucks but I must say lately it seems part 2's at least in horror have been kicking it (Gingersnaps Back for example is better then the first gingersnaps, werewolf movie). Underworld Evolution will not be a disappointment; great special effects and a story line that doesn't rehash everything you've already learned in part one make it very interesting to watch. I think the effects are better in part 2 then the original which wasn't bad itself. I love that the original actors came back to play their roles again. It's also cool to see a female lead be a the strong dark hero in a horror movie. Hope to see a part 3 made, although I don't know how much more story their is to tell.
Underworld Evolution is a movie you gotta have. The story is more detailed than the first. The Widescreen Version of this movie also contains a Comic Version of the movie. It was a limited promotion, but a good one. The Comic is the short version of the movie. It's not necessary to read it as the movie is more entertaining, but it's good to have. One of best parts of the movie is the special effects: They are quite impressive without being over the top and blend well with the movie. The action in the movie is fast-paced, and once it gets going, it does not lose it's momentum. All in all, this a well-balanced movie: Right amount of action, special effects, and the story is well written. Plus the DVD format is a good alternative to the more pricey Blu-Ray Format. I Strongly suggest getting this movie ! You won't regret it for one second.Read full review
I love super action thrillers especially Sci-fi's; Underworld: Evolution is among the best production in this genre. The supurp underworld action is 90% non-stop and stupendously unform. The film acting is not for the aficionados in search of a Shakes-perience however, the acting and performances hold their own well. With Kate Beckinsale as the leading and lovely Vampiress & Diva, whats not to like in this action packed phenonmenon. UW II is by far developed at a higher level of super creative action animated thrills and vision, when compared to Underworld I. Action although consistently violent is by far filmed in my opinion "par excellence" and so a caveat for adults who are adverse or with weak nerves and the little ones of course, the production was not develolped for the faint of heart and needless to say the family film oriented. In closing, lets say I am one of those characters who was described as being all thumbs and further was asked to rate this epic phenonmenal action thriller well without question each and every thumb would be facing in the positive direction!Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on DVDs & Blu-ray Discs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
