he war between the vampires and the lycans, or werewolves, is growing more intense and brutal by the day. And it's about to get even worse. Selene (Beckinsale), a vampire despised by her own kind for killing Viktor (Nighy), a vampire overlord she took down with his own sword, has just learned a disturbing secret: She's forever hated lycans for murdering her family when, in fact, vampires and other members of her own family were behind the deeds.
Meanwhile, Marcus (Curran), the king of vampires, has become increasingly power-hungry—and powerful. He's actually now a hybrid, a nearly unstoppable combination of vampire and lycan. It's Marcus' plan to rule the world. All he needs to do is bring together the pieces of the puzzle.
There's his father, Alexander (Jacobi), the first true Immortal, who possesses a crucial device. There's William, Marcus' twin, a lycan who's been imprisoned for endless centuries. Then there's Selene. She, it seems, unwittingly holds secrets to the past, secrets that Marcus must tap into—or literally drain from Selene—if his plan is to succeed.
And so Selene races to stay one step ahead of Marcus. Her only ally? Michael (Speedman), Selene's lover and also a vampire-lycan hybrid who's only just discovering the extent of his powers.
More bite than the original
Let's be clear about this: Screen Gems erred egregiously by not screening Underworld: Evolution for critics. Sure, the film won't be for everyone, but not screening something translates into audience doubt. Moviegoers assume such films are being dumped, that the studio lacks any confidence whatsoever in them, that they're hoping for a decent opening weekend before bad word of mouth spells further doom. Just look at the tempest Paramount stirred when it released Aeon Flux sans screenings. And, truth be told, Evolution is vastly superior to both Aeon Flux and the original Underworld.
Underworld introduced an intriguing vampire- and lycan-laden universe, and Evolution drives moviegoers deeper into that universe rather than just rehashing the same story. The twists, turns and revelations are inventive and entertaining, and McBride's script does a nice job of putting the audience in Selene's shoes as she sorts out the clues, evades assorted creatures and dodges every imaginable kind of projectile. Complementing the storytelling, Wiseman doesn't rely on cheap-way-out editing or nonstop visual effects to amp up the action. Instead, scenes unfold in what feels like real time, with wide shots. When things go boom, the flames look real. And when lycans attack, there's no sensation that you're watching the work of an animator (even though, in some instances, particularly the transformation sequences, you are, but for the most part it's extras and/or stuntmen in pretty convincing werewolf costumes).
Wiseman, wise man that he is, also rarely lets the camera stray too far from Beckinsale's ravishing face or body, the latter of which is once again poured into a form-fitting black leather outfit that comes off only for a sensual sex scene. Plus, Beckinsale can act the hell out of just about anything, and it certainly doesn't hurt that she's trading dialogue with the respected likes of Jacobi (who's terrific in a role he easily could have phoned in) and Nighy (who makes his presence felt in a couple of flashback cameos). Even better, there's authentic chemistry between Beckinsale and Speedman that adds resonance to the ongoing Selene-Michael relationship.
Are there flaws? Absolutely. The plot is dense, and some people might lose track of character names and details of the convoluted vampire-lycan history. There's plenty of blood, guts and dismemberment, not to mention action, but few scares. And an effect here or there isn't all that convincing. Yet, in the end, Wiseman stretched his modest $48 million budget brilliantly, and every penny is up there on the screen.
