Stuart:
The good news is that it’s much, much better than its predecessor… which of course means that this film is merely ‘bad’ rather than ‘atrocious’. Like the original Underworld, Evolution is supremely stupid, with a decidedly lacklustre script, but this time around it at least has some kick arse action. There is less of a reliance on automatic firepower, and thankfully this time Selena gets to use her vampiric skills to impressive effect (it never made sense in the original – everyone had super powers yet only ever ran around firing guns… badly).
It says a lot that I am so excited to have discovered that Underworld: Evolution is a 2.5 star movie, rather than a 0 star movie. Don’t let my exuberance mislead you: this isn’t a top-notch piece of cinema. After a fantastic opening scene, the film falls into the laborious pattern of action/exposition/action/exposition, much like the first, except with a bit of soft-core porn thrown in. The special effects are very good – neither awe-inspiring nor distractingly fake, and there are some particularly awesome werewolf action moments.
In terms of the cast, the worst offenders have been turfed for this sequel, which is a blessing, although heaven only knows why Derek Jacobi agreed to appear in this film (maybe it had something to do with the cool coat he was wearing). He survives Underworld: Evolution unscathed, I’m sure, but all the same his talents are wasted. Beckinsale (Van Helsing) and Speedman (xXx²: The Next Level (xXx: State of the Union)) are fine in the lead roles, although the latter has very little to say, more often than not preferring to bite people. Meanwhile Beckinsale is quickly becoming one of the many anonymous black leather clad heroines filling our screens these days.
The three positive aspects of the first film – the set design, cinematography and costuming – are great yet again, and it’s a pity that this film looks classier than Blade II, yet isn’t even half as enjoyable.
Believe it or not the audience applauded during the closing credits, so there are a lot of die hard Underworld fans out there. It’s a pity that such a high concept franchise (vampires versus werewolves) writes itself into such a small space almost from the word go, instead just trying to find an excuse to move things along to the next fight scene.
It could have been worse. Which is more than I can say for the original.
Rating:
From the first until the last, all of the fight scenes are near-unwatchable – the combination of the genre restraints (no daylight to allow us to see anything, black leather as clothing of choice), and stylistic decisions (rapid-fire editing to match the weaponry), mean that it is genuinely a strain to try to watch. Lycans and vampires fly across the screen, barely glimpsed, with guns blazing and water splashing, and much of it makes no sense at all.
