Movie Review: Underowrld Evolution - DOwn Below COnflict

Enter the Underworld and Evolve
Len Wiseman, director and co-writer (with Kevin Grevioux); Screen Gems;

Jason Marazan, filmthreat [at] post.com

Underworld Evolution is dimensions ahead of Aeon Flux and the Blade series. The first film in director Wiseman’s series, Underworld, introduced an intriguing vampire- and lycan-laden universe, and Evolution drives moviegoers deeper into that universe. The twists and revelations are inventive and entertaining. McBride's script does a job of putting the audience in Selene's shoes as she sorts out the clues, evades assorted creatures and dodges every imaginable kind of projectile. Complementing the storytelling, Wiseman doesn't rely on cheap-way-out editing or nonstop visual effects to amp up the action. Instead, scenes unfold in what feels like real time, with wide shots. When things go boom, the flames look real. When lycans attack, there's no sensation that you're watching the work of an animator (even though, in some instances, particularly the transformation sequences, you are, but for the most part it's extras or stuntmen in pretty convincing werewolf costumes).


The vampires are more Anne Rice than David Goyer. It’s more classical and more tragic than Blade – and yet still hip too. Kate Beckinsale, as Selene the Death Dealer turned rebel vampire, can act the hell out of just about anything, and it certainly doesn't hurt that she's trading dialogue with the respected likes of Jacobi (who's terrific in a role he easily could have phoned in) and Nighy (who makes his presence felt in a couple of flashback cameos). Even better, there's authentic chemistry between Beckinsale and Speedman, as Michael the lycan-vampire hybrid, that adds resonance to their relationship. The plot is dense, and some people might lose track of character names and details of the convoluted vampire-lycan history. But that only makes you want to see it again… and again.

The story of the second film jumps back into the Dark Ages, and we get to see the initial war between vampires and werewolves, and what the characters were like in their youth. A third film is also planned.

“When we were developing that, there was so much detail in the history of it all that we realized that there was a much bigger story in there, and that it wouldn’t fit into just one movie,” Wiseman explains. “So we decided we were just gonna go ahead and map out an entire really long story, so we could dive in and it would make sense to us. We felt we should go ahead and develop a trilogy, and decide where every movie fit in.”

Underword Evolution has about twice the budget of the first movie. The car chase in the MATRIX RELOADED alone had twice the budget of the first film. While many major monster films these days rely solely on digital FX to create their creatures, the UNDERWORLD creative team developed a new FX concept to make things both easier on themselves and fresher for viewers. It combined CGI and traditional makeup effects in a very creative way. It was still 80 percent practical, using CGI in such a way that it’s very disguised and hidden. CGI is used more in the sequel, but as a tool, not to create a full CG creatures.

It’s like INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE with insane action added to the mix.



Columbia TriStar has released an Unrated Extended Cut of Underworld, containing 23 minutes of previously unseen and alternate footage, on a two-DVD set. In addition to the features from the previous disc release, the package will include a new commentary by Wiseman and stars Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, several fresh featurettes about the making of the film and more. As a bonus, each DVD set will come packaged with a collectible production sketch notebook and a 48-page UNDERWORLD mini-comic.