Underworld: Evolution (2006) Review

Underworld: Evolution (2006) Review

 

Before the first Underworld even came out in theaters the studio had already greenlit two more movies, making it a franchise right out of the gate, and I get why. The first movie is dense with back story and front story, and the concept was full of potential. Underworld: Evolution begins with an opening paragraph recap that seems to replace the Kate Beckinsale narration from before, but then after a prologue in ancient times (a pretty cool-looking little sequence) she gives us a bit of narration, recapping even more, before the opening title. There’s a blurred effect used for flashback footage that is very annoying, and it is used repeatedly, because there are many flashbacks throughout.

Let me begin with recapping something I didn’t comment on from the first movie because I didn’t want to spoil it: the hybrid of lycan and vampire that Michael becomes in the finale before battling Viktor (who, sadly, had his head sliced in half by Selene—I say sadly because he was an interesting character). I don’t know how to feel about the Michael hybrid…it’s definitely a great idea, but he’s a bit odd, visually-speaking, with restrained lycan features and black human-like skin lacking the dense hair of a pure lycan. His final fight with Viktor is weird and a little silly, but as unfortunate as it is to lose Bill Nighy for the sequel, the first movie does have a cool conclusion, and the sequel is set up well, with another ancient individual, Markus, awakening. That’s where we pick up for Evolution, with Selene and Michael on the run and the monstrous Markus in hot pursuit, as well as a team of mercenaries commanded by a mysterious leader trying to intercept.  

Underworld: Evolution is a well-designed movie, and a satisfying sequel. The effects are pretty good and it's well shot, although there’s a weird blue tone to everything. I can’t recall it being as distracting in the first movie, but here, nearly every scene has the same look of garish, blue-lit darkness. Given that the same creative team as the first movie made this second one, it’s not surprising that it still has many of the same problems as before. The dialogue is still bad and expository, and the characters still lack dimension, but it’s an improvement in the way that it delivers more of what viewers expect to see. More of the lore is explored and shown; we get to see the first-ever vampire and first-ever werewolf, and both look great. The effects are actually better than before, and we see the creatures sooner and more clearly, which is a plus.

The character of Markus was hyped up at the end of Underworld, and he lives up to the hype. He’s less a traditional human-looking vampire and more often takes on a monstrous appearance, with wings that he can wield like spears. It’s a really cool design, the makeup effects are great, and the actor (Tony Curran) is pretty good, making me not miss Bill Nighy’s Viktor as much. There’s a great action scene with Markus attacking Selene and Michael in a truck, and that’s another improvement: the action scenes are better, and the action happens earlier on. Whenever it feels like too much time is being spent talking, the characters move on to the next skirmish.

Compared to the first movie, Underworld: Evolution is quicker paced, more action-packed, gorier, and sexier, but also more gratuitous, which works for me, because they don’t lose that focus on the intriguing world building. One creative aspect to that world building is how vampires can suck the blood of a human or vampire or lycan and gain memories and information from them. They use that plot device well in this movie, and speaking of focused, this movie overall feels more focused than the first. Underworld had too many characters and felt like a lot of setup, and while there are still many characters in this one, we already know the main players, and the new additions don’t overstay their welcome or get too annoying. Last time the most interesting character, to me, was human, but this time there are no human main characters. As I said before, the characters are not great, but we’re really here for the monsters, and they deliver. The werewolves this time look like the ones from Dog Soldiers or The Howling, but the cgi is still pretty questionable. The third act takes place in a flooded castle, which makes for a great setting, and the fights between the two species are more entertaining than anything from the first movie.

I hadn’t seen the first three Underworld movies in almost a decade, and remembered little from them before watching them again for these reviews, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the second movie was far more entertaining than my memory served. It’s still not anything special, but if you liked the first, you should definitely give this one a watch. The ending voice over totally rips off Sarah Conner’s from Terminator 2, and while it does leave it open to a follow-up, the next movie in the franchise would end up going back to the origins of all that vampire-lycan lore with a full-length prequel.