In all, it's hard to think I would ever watch this film again, but it's entertaining enough for me to give it a positive review. At the same time, this film suffers from the same problems as most vampire flicks do, the untouchable nature of vampires contributes to a less visceral experience if you know they will ultimately survive whenever they die. Selene and Michael spend the entire film on the run and in search of a mystical artifact linked to the past of their species. Sure, it doesn't take place in the wild west, but the way the story is set up is very much similar to that of typical westerns. Part of the appeal of this particular Underworld entry is that it's in many ways, a fantasy-horror-western. While the main villains are set up nicely through flashbacks in the opening scene, they end up having little differences to Bill Nighy's first film villain. Kate Beckinsale and some cool vampire-werewolf action are the primary reason these movies make money. Len Wiseman isn't the most talented director in Hollywood, or the smartest (considering he wants to make a Die Hard prequel), but I think he knows what people want out of these movies. Plus, wasn't it nice getting Kraven out of the way early on in the film? Horrible character. I've already spent a couple hours with Selene & company, so I was prepared with the lore and character history. When there are exposition-heavy scenes, they add to the story, instead of making things more confusing.
Evolution is about 30 minutes shorter and much less convoluted than the first entry. But with the three years in between the first and the second, something must have clicked within the writer's room. The dialogue is horrible, the performances are over the top, and the visual effects are dated.
Let's just be honest, the first Underworld is garbage. It doesn't take itself too seriously, there are some well-directed action sequences, and the characters are far more realized than they were the first time around. Looking at Underworld Evolution as a mindless action adventure, it's not all that bad.
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