Underworld: Evolution (2006)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Len Wiseman

Writers (WGA):

Danny McBride (screenplay)
Len Wiseman (story) ...

Release Date:

20 January 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Underworld: Evolution continues the saga of war between the vampires and the Lycans. The film goes back...

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Death | Hybrid | Forbidden Love | Evolution

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Kate Beckinsale	...	Selene
Scott Speedman	...	Michael
Tony Curran	...	Marcus
Derek Jacobi	...	Corvinus (as Sir Derek Jacobi)
Bill Nighy	...	Viktor
Steven Mackintosh	...	Tanis
Shane Brolly	...	Kraven
Brian Steele	...	William
Zita Görög	...	Amelia (as Zita Gorog)
Scott McElroy	...	Soren
John Mann	...	Samuel
Michael Sheen	...	Lucian
Sophia Myles	...	Erika (as Sophia Miles)
Richard Cetrone	...	Pierce (as Rich Cetrone)
Mike Mukatis	...	Taylor

Also Known As:

Underworld 2 (USA) (working title)
Untitled Underworld Sequel (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and gore, some sexuality/nudity and language.

Runtime:

106 min | Philippines:102 min (cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

Hungarian | French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | Ireland:15A | UK:18 | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Malaysia:18SG | Norway:15 | Hong Kong:IIB | France:-12 | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:16 (nf) | Brazil:16 | Argentina:16 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Hungary:18 | Finland:K-15 | Italy:T | Italy:VM14 | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | South Korea:18 | Japan:R-15 | South Africa:16LV | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18+ (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Britannia Beach, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Screen Gems

Trivia:

Actress Kate Beckinsale wanted to use movies like Aliens (1986) and The Terminator (1984) as the basis for her role as an action heroine, but when they first talked about the movie, director/husband Len Wiseman suggested that she check out Russell Crowe in L.A. Confidential (1997) instead.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: (At 22:10) The coordinates shown for the "safe house" (Location 254, Long 32 12 23, Lat 60 21 44) link to a location in Iran (near to the Afghanistan border) while the movie takes place in Hungary (recognizable from signs as the one saying "Hazorzo kutya" when entering Tanis' hiding place).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Marcus: My God. Brother, what have you done?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kingdom of the Vampire (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Eternity and a Day

This movie will satisfy its target audience, guaranteed

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.