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 t's
understandable why Len Wiseman's "Underworld:
Evolution", the sequel to his 2003 sleeper
hit "Underworld",
didn't perform well with mainstream critics, even
though it did make a tidy profit with the general
public. The film is, simply put, uninteresting
material for those who wallow in New York Times
editorials and New Yorker art pieces, but is a
fantastic piece of genre filmmaking for those
seeking the answer to the age-old question:
"What kind of wonderful creatures and action
set pieces can $50 million buy"? With
"Evolution", Wiseman has replied,
"It can buy lots of really cool looking
creature effects, action scenes, and Kate
Beckinsale looking hotter than ever in tight black
leather." Oh my.
Picking up right after the
events of "Underworld",
"Evolution" continues with vampire death
dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) fleeing into the
countryside with Michael (Scott Speedman), the
werewolf hybrid she was supposed to kill in the
first film, but has since become smitten with, and
vice versa. Now something of a couple, the
mismatched duo is being hunted by the vampire clan
that Selene betrayed, but those bloodsuckers have
other problems on their hands. Namely Marcus (Tony
Curran), the very first vampire, who has wakened
and now wants to know where his brother, William,
is being imprisoned.
Quick spoiler: William is not
just a werewolf, but the first werewolf, and back
in the day, he and Marcus were tearing it up
something awful. And oh yeah, Marcus has developed
a God complex, and there's a shadowy commando
group looking to put him down for good. Or are
they? And who is the old guy running them?
Quite simply, if you came
into "Evolution" looking for coherent
storytelling or plausible story arcs, you won't
find them here. "Evolution" is pure 90
minutes of really cool action sequences jam packed
with werewolf on vampire battles, vampire on
vampire ass kicking, and just to spice things up,
werewolf on werewolf mayhem. Oh sure, there are
some semblance of a story, but it's all background
noise in service of watching Kate Beckinsale
continue to wow with her womanly body, curves and
all; and for the women in the audience, Scott
Speedman's buff bod is constantly shedding its
shirts.
"Underworld:
Evolution" is a feast for the eyes, and what
makes it work is the unmistakable vibe that it
really has no further ambition other than to be
one entertaining piece of genre filmmaking.
Co-written and directed by Len Wiseman (aka Mr.
Kate Beckinsale), the sequel is a vast improvement
over the original, which was oftentimes encumbered
by poor pacing, a languid middle, and a bloated
running time that made the film seem unbearably
long. Clocking in at a breezy and action-packed 90
minutes, "Evolution" makes for a perfect
conclusion to the story, even though the end would
seem to indicate room not only for more
"Underworld" black leather goodness, but
perhaps a TV series or two. Certainly the world
created in the series is worth exploring further,
especially in light of the two main character's
surprising evolutions (hence the title, one
supposes).
But it's the action set
pieces that are the thing, and
"Evolution" certainly delivers that
entire $50 million dollar budget it was given. The
special effects don't always work as well as they
should, and early on the werewolf attacks are a
tad too obviously CGI, but that might be the fault
of gravity, as it seems impossible for a stuntman
dressed in a werewolf outfit to go leaping around
the screen. The vampire effects work much better,
providing some seamless CGI-enhanced battles
between a winged Marcus and Selene, as well as a
winged Marcus versus just about everyone else in
the movie. Marcus may have been kept asleep for
many centuries against his wishes and certainly
has a good case for griping, but really, the guy
needs to lighten up a bit.
Perhaps a direct casualty of
"Evolution's" short running time is the
almost complete lack of character arc for
Speedman's Michael. Granted, the series has always
been sold on the sex appeal of leading actress
Kate Beckinsale, but it's nevertheless shameful
how little attention the Michael character gets.
For the most part poor Speedman is relegated to
playing background boyfriend, transforming into an
über werewolf and whupping ass in service of his
vampire girlfriend whenever the need arises (which
it does often). But maybe Speedman didn't make
such a big ado about all that absent character
stuff because he gets to engage in a rather
visually enticing sex scene with Beckinsale, a
sequence made all the more curious because
Beckinsale's husband is the one behind the camera.
Methinks Mr. Beckinsale likes to watch…
"Evolution" was
obviously made for loyal fans of the original, as
well as aficionados of the genre. Wiseman proves
to have a very good eye for what works when it
comes to creature action, and the film's practical
effects, including some brilliant creature
make-up, will definitely be appearing on someone's
highlight reel. To be sure, the story isn't much
to crow about, even though we learn the origins of
the vampires and werewolves. When all is said and
done, your opinion of the film will be based on
your opinion of the genre. If you like this stuff,
you'll get a major kick out of
"Evolution", which is so obviously the
product of a lot of millions and a director's
enthusiasm for his subject matter. And if you're
not so into this stuff, then it's your fault for
watching it in the first place, and ignorance is
no excuse.
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