Post by slayrrr666 on Dec 31, 2006 11:56:28 GMT -5
"Underworld: Evolution" isn't all that bad and is a really decent movie.
**SPOILERS**
Going on the run from the vampires and werewolves, Selene, (Kate Beckinsale) and Michael Corvin, (Scott Speedman) who each want both dead, until Michael grows stronger from his change. Vampire master Marcus Corvinus, (Tony Curran) is awaken from his slumber and sets out on hunting Selene and Michael down. Going into hiding, they seek Andreas Tanis, (Steven Mackintosh) a reclusive vampire, and are able to learn the truth about the bloodlines of both species. Relying on his information as well as from their father, Alexander Corvinus, (Sir Derek Jacobi) they race to stop Marcus before he releases his brother William, (Brian Steele) and ushers in his plan to rule the world.
The Good News: This actually surprised me with some decent stuff. One of the best things is the upped gore content in the film. There's plenty of blood flow in here and is nicely covered by both sides. Even with the enormous amounts of gunfire in the film, which cuts up both pretty well, there's a lot of additional blood to be found. There's body parts being impaled with everything possible, including barbed wing tips, swords, knives and crossbows, decapitations with many of those same weapons, body parts sliced up with various gusto, a large amount of scratches and neck bites and more. With the addition of blood flow and splashes thrown in with them, it's a decent enough look for gore-hounds, who will find lots to love about this one. Aside from the gore, one of the best parts of the movie is the intense and hyper-accelerated action sequences, which makes it all the better. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the best might be the opening flashback on the village assault. A group of vampires wanders into a village of werewolves, they start to get attacked by the transforming victims and a large-scale fight occurs that is breathtaking in it's ambition and pace. Limbs fly everywhere, blood-splatters against anything in it's path, and weapons are utilized to great extent, with each side taking huge losses in the battle. With some great ideas and execution, it opens the film in great fashion and sets the tone it will follow afterward. The truck-chase also works well, thanks to a couple of clever little scenes inside that drive up the suspense for it and doesn't stop the fact that it's a great action sequence any less. The only scene that might top the beginning of the film in the action stakes is the ending, which is of the spectacle not normally seen in a horror film and features tons of stand-out moments in it that will linger for awhile. That some of those involve a helicopter sequence that's not to be missed is a great example and one that leaves a large mark. There's really no stop to them either, as they come flying one after another in a long series of sequences that serve as excuses to use them. There's very little down-time between everything, and it constantly throws a series of action scenes together is nicely appreciated. There is still a lot to like in the creature's make-up, especially the werewolves. They really look great in here, with the large powerful bodies and huge heads from the first one but a minor change in the facial rearranging done to make them more wolf-like. Another new feature is some additional body hair that comes up in new areas, and is another nice addition to making them more menacing. This also extends to the main villain, who has a great design and looks really good. The wing-tips look great and are a great plus, and with the demonic face, make for a great monster. Throw in some suspenseful stalking sequences and this is a much better sequel than it should've been.
The Bad News: There is really only a couple of things wrong with this one, and they're not that bad. The main one is that the film really makes no sense. By tying up all the story lines is a much needed affair, but it really leaves the film to hung up on it's talkier side between action sequences. The fact that all of them are supposedly tied up at the same point is another problem, since it requires knowledge of what happened before and from the first movie, and to keep track of three or four separate ones is a little taxing. For such a strong creature, it really never treats Michael all great, since all he really does is get knocked out and force the other characters to keep him alive. It doesn't inspire a great deal of threat and menace from him. The last big problem is the same one that hampered the first one, which is that the highly stylized look to the film doesn't do it much favor. It's glossy for the appeal to the viewer and not to help the story out much, and it gets tiresome having to constantly stare at it in that fashion. But otherwise, this wasn't all that bad.
The Final Verdict: There wasn't a whole lot to dislike in this one, and it's a better film than it's predecessor. While there aren't a lot of flaws, the ones that are there are noticeable and keep it from being a perfect film, but it's still a no-brainer for fans of the first one to check this out as soon as possible.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity, a sex scene and violence against animals
