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There
is a shot in Underworld:Evolution
where we look up and see a silhouette
of a bat-like creature flying overhead
against a foreboding night sky. It was
at that point that I knew I would like
this film better than the first.
With
the first film, it was disappointing in
the fact that the vampires did not seem
to have all the types of characteristics
that the vampires of legend have, like
turning into bats, werewolves, mist, etc.
It did not ruin the film, as the traditional
vampire lore is not something that storytellers
must abide to. But it makes it
less interesting, to me anyway, when vampires
become more human than supernatural. Isn't
it just cooler when a vampire does not
cast a reflection in a mirror, or has
to be killed by a wooden stake to the
heart? What ever became of the legendary
traits that made vampires so interesting
in past films?
This film makes an interesting attempt
(however subtle it may be) to explain
it. The "truth," it seems, is
that the legends do have some
basis in reality, but that they have been
misinterpreted. I can accept that. Perhaps
I can even like it. It is still
not as good as it could be, but it is
better than what it appeared
to be in the first film. Actually, much
better, and it makes the first film more
likable as well.
One example
of a misinterpretation of vampire history
is that bats are involved in
some way in the Underworld universe,
as the original vampire of the 13th century,
Marcus (the other vampire elder who was
about to come to life at the end of the
first film), can actually turn
into a bat-like creature. It is just that
the bat trait was never handed down from
generation to generation because Marcus
was immortal from the start (because of
his father, Corvinus), and was the only
one who became a vampire straight from
a bat bite (Gees, I’m talking as
if this is real!). This is just one of
a few examples that the creators of these
movies use to acknowledge the history,
but make it their own. It is just done
better this time around.
Speaking
of vampire history, this film actually
starts out in the 13th century, and some
of the characters come back in flashback
- particularly Viktor, once again played
by Bill Nighy (Hitchhiker‘s
Guide to the Galaxy) and Lucian (Michael
Sheen). It shows the beginning of the
quarrel between vampires and werewolves
(or Lycans), focusing on the story of
Marcus (Tony Curran) and his brother William
(Brian Steele, who has a history of playing
monsters in films like The Cave,
The Relic, and even the Harry
and the Hendersons TV series). William
was also immortal like his brother, but
was bitten by a wolf instead, turning
him into a werewolf. William caused a
ton of trouble that shed a lot of blood
back in the day (after becoming a werewolf)
that caused Viktor to put him away in
a secret prison to stay for all time.
The
film then takes a leap forward to present
day (in fact, it starts immediately where
the first movie left off), with Marcus
coming back and trying to find his brother's
secret location where he is still kept
alive and well. He may be a vampire, and
William a werewolf - but hey, he still
loves his brother. On the other side of
things, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and vampire/werewolf
hybrid Michael (Scott Speedman) are trying
to stop Marcus before all hell breaks
loose, as William has no control over
becoming a werewolf and will kill anyone
who stands in his way.
The film
has a few surprises and tricks up its
sleeve that are sure to please fans of
the first movie. Questions that were raised
in the first film are answered here. They
will no longer wonder why Viktor killed
Selene’s family, or what the whole
story behind the immortal Alexander Corvinus
and his kids is about. A new character
that Selene runs into, Lorenz Macaro (played
by Derek Jacobi, who seems to bring the
best acting to the table here), sheds
light on the latter of the two questions,
and plays a very important role in the
entire battle between Vampires and Lycans.
Nothing more should be said, except that
fans should be pleased with the answers
to both questions.
The first
film felt like it took elements right
out of Blade and The Matrix,
which was the focus of many of its criticisms.
This movie, however, seems to get away
from that and become its own entity. Selene
still has the “Trinity” costume,
and the vampires still feel like the vampires
from Blade, but the filming style
just feels more original than before,
with unique locations and different ways
of shooting action scenes.
However,
while the plot is interesting, it is a
tad bit convoluted and the narrative seems
a bit jumbled. It becomes harder and harder
to keep track of all the names of the
characters and their genealogies as the
movie progresses. As far as the narrative
goes, at one point in the film it all
of a sudden shows that they are in a foreign
country, which it did not seem like that
at all throughout the first film or anywhere
up to that point in the second film. They
all spoke English up until Michael enters
a pub to try and eat human food and everyone
is speaking something different. We also
have the back-story being told both in
text and flashback at the beginning.
Wouldn’t it suffice if the back-story
was all in flashback?
But as a
whole, the film is quite entertaining.
Despite being confusing at times, ultimately
the story is much better this
time around, and even makes the first
film seem less humanizing to vampires.
Because of this movie, I can at least
accept that they deviated from the original
traits vampires used to have in movies
- although I still think the traditional
supernatural vampires are cooler and have
more possibilities for storytelling. Also,
the special effects have improved with
the werewolves (I did not think their
transformations looked real enough before),
and the film feels more epic and original,
with its broader landscapes, massive explosions
and nice helicopter “fly-over”
shots. This film reminds me of what the
second Resident Evil movie was
to the first: Bigger, louder, and ultimately
more entertaining. Director Len Wiseman
seems to have grown as a director here.
The film
ends with Selene narrating, saying that
the next chapter in her life is unknown,
since things are evolving (I won't say
who or what is evolving,
as this is one of the surprises of the
film). It almost sounds like the writers
really don’t have a clue what the
next chapter is about either, but still
want to make a third one. We shall see...
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(out
of four)
