Underworld: Evolution (2006)

OK sequel to UNDERWORLD will appeal to its core audience and few others. Too many flashbacks to the first movie do little to explain what is going on in the sequel -- that is, to the uninitiated and people like myself who hasn't seen the original in awhile. The plot is thin, although the action is fast and furious as vampire/warrior Kate Beckinsale is again on the track of those who threaten to destroy the world. Good-looking nonactor Scott Speedman is back as her love interest, himself a combination of vampire and werewolf who is virtually indestructible. And knowing this takes away some of the fun toward the end when the big fight is on and the chips are really down. But enough said about that. Beckinsale looks great in skin-tight black leather, and has a quasi-nude love scene with Speedman. The gore quotient is fully realized, thankfully. The monsters are great-looking, and the atmospheric photography and sets are first rate. Nevertheless, recommended only for fans of the first.

Fmovies: From beginning to end, my eyes didn't stray from the screen. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie in the theater that I was so transfixed by.

A number of great performances from polished actors complimented some truly spectacular action scenes and plot developments and twists.

The title alone says exactly what the film accomplishes, as the story 'evolves' seemingly by the minute, and it never becomes stale or overtly contrived.

I found myself able to predict certain parts of the film, and even still in those instances, the events that unfolded shortly thereafter kept me from feeling disappointed in the very fact that I was almost certain of what was coming.

If the standard notion amongst avid movie buffs is that sequels rarely, if ever best their predecessor, 'Underworld: Evolution' defies that notion through and through. Much like 'Terminator 2: Judgement Day' was able to take a solid foundation from its predecessor and take it to a level where it became the standard for sci-fi/action films at the time of its release, U:E should become the blue-print for all werewolf and/or vampire action/dramas to come, or creature-related action/dramas in general, for that matter.

The pacing was very good, the dialogue was at times great, overall very fitting (and never poor), all questions a viewer could have possibly coming into the film are addressed and sufficiently answered, and some of the subtleties of the film, such as the appropriate use of brief flashbacks, kept the film from ever becoming confusing or difficult to follow, which I felt happened on occasion in the first film the first time I saw it.

Kate Beckinsale delivers a performance that shows she is a very versatile actress who just so happens to be strikingly beautiful, and Scott Speedman was more than just a little eye-candy for the ladies, delivering a performance that made me believe he was the perfect Michael Corvin far more than the first film. And the supporting cast around the two main stars were all equally up to the task, with many turning in performances that are likely to be career defining.

Hats off to Len Wiseman for living up to a last name that couldn't be more fitting. He never compromises his vision, and more importantly the story by trying to woo the crowd with over-the-top (Matrix-y) action scenes or gratuitous sexual imagery, as many directors do to try to win over their audiences, and yet the movie has some of the best action scenes the genre has seen in years, and a sexual chemistry between Selene and Michael that is very believable, and yet not over-done. Even in one very intimate scene between them, it is never excessive or tasteless.

I will likely go see this film in theaters again before it is out, and the only film I've ever seen in theaters twice was 'Batman' when I was 10 years old and the second viewing was for a birthday of a friend of mine at the time. I will also certainly be buying the DVD when it is released in an effort to support film-making at its finest. For anyone who liked the first film, you will most likely love this one as I did (do), and for anyone on the fence, you will likely find yourself joining us fans in rejoicing over this highly anticipated sequel. As for doubters of the first film, just give it a chance and you'll likely find that whatever your gripe was with the 'Underworld', 'Underworld: Evolution' does not suffer from the kinds of flaws you may have found the original to have had.<

To start off, let me say that I'm a very big fan of the original. I think it did everything right; having a nice Gothic overtone, great characters, an original, intriguing and in-depth plot, fun action and an overall script that never once felt dull. Oh, and of course...it had Kate Beckinsale in tight leather, hehehe. Now does this sequel contain all these qualities that made the original so good? Personally, I'd have to say no, I don't think it did. Was the movie necessarily bad? Also no. It was highly entertaining but not that good of a movie overall.

STORYLINE: The story in this film was no where near as good or developed as the original. As it starts off with a war scene in the past, I found myself really enjoying it. We find out a little about the Corvinus family and the origins or Marcus, who was the very first vampire, and his brother, who was the very first Lycan. But after we witness these scenes and learn these few minor plot details, the story development pretty much comes to a dead stop. Honestly, nothing really happens in this movie. It's all just action and really nothing more.

CHARACTERS: The lead characters were good. Selene and Michael didn't exactly have any development but that's okay because they were developed enough in the first film. But what was slightly developed was their romance, which the first film seemed to be lacking. We really got to feel the connection between them and how much they really cared for each other. And it was great to see Michael show off his new hybrid abilities and kick some booty along the way. He was a lot cooler in this film than in the original. The new vampire leader, Marcus, was also pretty damn cool. He had a very sinister appearance, especially with the devil-like wings, and didn't seem to have any sympathy at all as he brutally disposed of anyone who got in his way. In the original, we had Lucian, who was a well developed bad-guy character and I actually found myself caring for him. Marcus, on the other hand, didn't strike a cord with me at all. He looked cool, sure, but besides that, he had absolutely nothing going for him and I really didn't care what happened to him. All the other characters in this film were also very undeveloped as well. We really knew nothing of them and as a result, felt unsure whether we should like them or hate them. So that's a major issue.

ACTION: The action, most the time, was very enjoyable. And I stress MOST of the time, not ALL of the time. There was some really fun action and fight sequences and a nice amount of blood and gore thrown into the mix. So it definitely does manage to entertain the action buffs. But then, at times, the action began to feel annoying as it got extremely repetitive. It was like they just kept replaying the same action scene over and over and just tweaked it a little in order to pass it off as a different scene. This was a problem because the whole movie seemed to base itself on action, rather than story, and the action wasn't even all that good.

ATMOSPHERE: Another good thing about this movie would have to be the scenery. Yeah, I know that's not really important in the movie, but it really did help with the overall experience. There were beautiful mountain landscapes, snowy woods, old style castles in ruins and gorgeous red colored twilight skies. So I think it actually helped a lot in setting the atmosphere and gets points for great eye candy.

OVERALL: The first film was an action-horror movie with a great original storyline. Thi

Underworld: Evolution fmovies. Let's face it. If you're going to see this movie, you probably enjoyed the original and are looking for more. You want high doses of fight scenes, vampire and lycan lore, blood, violence, and Kate Beckinsale wearing leather or less. In short, this movie delivers all of the above in great excess, so if you liked Underworld, you're going to like Underworld: Evolution as much or more.

On the other hand, if you don't like blood, violence, action, mythology, or using a sword in a world full of guns, this movie is not for you, and it's NOT MEANT to be for you, so don't complain about it.

This movie surpasses the original as far as story development. We learn a good bit about each character's past, which helps justify all the extreme violence they engage themselves in. We're also introduced to some new characters and plot lines that add interest and new twists, rather than just rehashing all the familiar faces from Underworld.

This movie fails to get a 10 rating from me for the following reasons:

1) Not quite enough "stuff" to fill the time. Too many shots of Kate Beckinsale "looking intense". The movie could have been 10 minutes shorter if the number of these shots had been reduced from seemingly infinite down to 10 or so. Minor problem.

2) A few glaring continuity errors.

3) Too many flashback/explanation shots from the original Underworld. I suppose this is necessary so as not to alienate viewers who didn't see the original or who forgot it. However, this movie is obviously targeted to people who liked the original and want more, so give us a quick refresher and then hit us with new stuff. No need to keep providing Cliff's notes throughout the movie. Make us think a little!

4) There wasn't a standout power move comparable to the spinning/shooting through the floor in the original Underworld. Let's face it, half the people that went to that movie did so because that shot was in the trailer. This movie had lots of power moves, but none that stood out as the winner.

Just got back from watching it tonight, let me tell you, the first big surprise was how how many people turned out for it, for a Thursday night the place was packed as if Harry Potter had just come out, it's been a while since my local theatre was like that.

Now to the movie itself. I liked the first one but this one was an improvement. Mostly because of Scott Speedman's character Michael. The last movie only gave us a glimpse into what he has become, and here we get to see him kick butt alongside Selene as what is pretty much an equal. Watching him fight and take-down werewolves was great.

The action scenes were bigger, with great direction and camera-work. the special effects are also great, especially the scene with their winged-nemesis pursuing their truck. Make-up is amazingly well done. It was refreshing to see that the werewolves were still practical make-up creations rather than CG.

There was also the added bonus of sex scenes. one where a guy is having fun with a couple chick vampires, and one between the two leads. we get to see most of Beckinsale's lovely figure (MILF is an understatement) but no direct frontal shots. ladies will enjoy much shirtless Speedman action.

The opening segment makes it worth a look, i definitely recommend it to anyone who liked the first or thought it had promise.

Selene (Kate Beckinsale) wishes to expose the truth about the death of Viktor to the first true vampire Marcus (Tony Curran) that is hibernating. However, Marcus has already awakened and wants to release his savage Lycan brother William (Brian Steele), who has been imprisoned for centuries. When Marcus tries to get the medal possessed by Lucian from the hybrid Michael (Scott Speedman), Selene decides to visit Andreas Tanis (Steven Mackintosh), the exiled official historian of the covens, to understand his interest. When Selene and Michael meet Tanis, they disclose the truth about their bloodlines, and later with the support of Alexander Corvinus (Sir Derek Jacobi), Selene faces the powerful and evil Marcus as the last hope left for the mankind.

It is very difficult to see good sequels, but "Underworld – Evolution" gave me the sensation that together with "Underworld", they are one good movie split in two parts. The viewers like me that enjoyed "Underworld" will certainly like this sequel very much. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Anjos da Noite – A Evolução" ("Angels of the Night - The Evolution")

Note; On 28 January 2017, I saw this film again.