Underworld: Evolution (15)

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The ViewLondon Review

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Review byMatthew Turner20/01/2006

Two out of Five stars
Running time: 100 mins

Undeniably silly and ridiculously complicated, this remains watchable thanks to the seemingly non-stop action sequences. And, of course, the leather catsuit.

What’s it all about?
Underworld: Evolution picks up from where 2003’s Underworld left off, with leather-clad, ass-kicking vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and vampire-werewolf hybrid Michael (Scott Speedman) fleeing various enemies and searching for vampire king Marcus (Tony Curran) in the hope of bargaining for their lives.

The Good
The good news is that Underworld director Len Wiseman has returned for the sequel, so there’s a certain amount of visual continuity between the two films. In addition, the action sequences are extremely well done – two sequences in particular are jaw-droppingly good.

The acting’s not bad, either. Beckinsale looks drop-dead gorgeous in her ass-kicking leather ensemble and Scott Speedman spends a lot of time with his shirt off, as befits his werewolf-vampire hybrid status.

The Bad
The script is needlessly complicated for such a trashy genre flick and the multiple levels of betrayal get a little tiresome after a while. It’s also ridiculously stupid in places with some of the characters' actions making no sense at all.

An amusingly pointless sex scene promises much and delivers little and is liable to provoke unintentional laughs.

Worth seeing?
Basically, if you enjoyed Underworld then you’ll probably enjoy this too as it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a sequel – it’s silly and it’s not as good as the first film but at least it has plenty of action in it to keep the Friday night crowd happy.

Film Trailer

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Content updated: 28/05/2012 18:37

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