Underworld: Evolution

Three years after the enjoyable Underworld that mixed vampires and werewolves, with more than a few similarities to The Matrix, came the sequel Underworld: Evolution. I found the first film to still hold up today with some fun action sequences and enough lore for the vampiric actors to sink their teeth into but would there be enough here to keep that momentum? The first film had the benefit of setting the scene for the characters but now the sequel would have the challenge of delivering an equally entertaining experience while justifying its reason exist. Was there more blood to be sucked out of this or had the corpse run dry? 

Picking up right after the events of the last film, Kraven and his goons return to the family mansion following the death of Viktor by Selene only to find a vengeful Markus has been awakened. Selene, aware she had been lied to all this time, now seeks to keep the vampire/lycan hybrid Michael alive and prevent Markus from unleashing his powerful twin brother. The location of the imprisoned beast lies somewhere in Selene's past and if this is sounding like the film is tripping over its own complicated plot, then you are certainly on the right trail.

One of the selling points of the first film was how it built its universe and backstory that explored the various characters and their motivations, which came together neatly for an enjoyable experience. It didn't hurt Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen were on hand to deliver this with plenty of dramatic, thespian flare. This film however is overladen with flashbacks and backstory while not knowing how deliver a wealth of convoluted exposition into a succinct story which at first had me struggling to follow as names and places are thrown out and by the end not really caring. 

It is a shame as we do get some enjoyably overly dramatic performances from Tony Curran and Derek Jacobi this time around, and the practical effects along with the general visuals are all very good. Kate Beckinsale makes for a solid lead once again but this was a script no one could really salvage as it seems director Len Wiseman was more interested in the backstory than the events going on at the present time making it all feel so forgettable by the end. 

Underworld: Evolution might be fun for any fans of the franchise who know the timeline of events and have seen it all many times over but for general viewers this is sadly quite a let down. The action sequences are suitably bloody and can help remedy some of nauseous amounts of exposition but that still can't quite justify me saying this is worth 106 minutes of your time.