Time: 106 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Violence, offensive language and sex scenes
Cast:
Kate Beckinsale as Selene
Scott Speedman as Michael Corvin
Tony Curran as Markus Corvinus
Derek Jacobi as Alexander Corvinus/Lorenz Macaro
Steven Mackintosh as Andreas Tanis
Shane Brolly as Kraven
Bill Nighy as Viktor
Director: Len Wiseman

The first Underworld was an enjoyable action horror, very much a film of the 2000s with the moody atmosphere and the Matrix style action, but also giving a different take on vampires and werewolves (most notably by having them fight with guns this time). I was surprised to learn that its sequel Evolution was liked a lot less than the first movie, I thought it was quite a good follow up.

Like with the first movie, the plot is just okay and not the strongest suit of the film. However, Evolution is definitely more streamlined and is paced better, partially because it’s largely about the lead characters being on the run, but also they don’t have to establish the world this time. The world and lore are some of my favourite parts of these movies, and Evolution definitely has more worldbuilding following the first movie, and builds and expands on what has been established already. Mainly, it explores the mythology and backstory of the war between Lycans and vampires. Like with the last movie it operates with the right tone, taking itself seriously while being incredibly over the top and silly. It definitely feels like a larger scale movie and it’s mostly for the best. It goes big on the finale, which might be enough to elevate it just above the first movie.

Kate Beckinsale reprises her role of Selene and is even better here, with her character having a bit more agency. Beckinsale sells the action again, but also gets the chance to express a lot more emotion. Scott Speedman was the weakest link in the last movie and while that is the same case here, at the very least she has more to actually do, with his character dealing with being a vampire and Lycan hybrid and being alongside Selene for much of the movie. The romance between these two characters still isn’t believable but with the added screentime and slightly improved chemistry, it works a little better. The other actors do a good job, including Tony Curran as the main antagonist.

Len Wiseman returns as director and again delivers some good work. The style is a bit different from the first movie, it isn’t as into the moody atmosphere. The cinematography is blue tinted as usual, but the locations are more rustic and medieval compared to the gothic cityscapes of the first film. The action is gory, over the top and entertaining, and it goes even larger with the action sequences. Once again it has a good mix of practical effects (creature designs and makeup especially) and CGI, and the sets are quite good too. Marco Beltrami’s score fits the vibe of the movie pretty well.

Underworld: Evolution is enjoyable with entertaining action and good visuals, and in some ways is a little better than the previous movie. Worth checking out if you liked the first Underworld.