DVD Reviews

Underworld: Evolution

• Rating:
• Director: Len Wiseman
• Starring: Bill Nighy
• Details: US, 105mins, 15s.

Continuing the saga of war between the Death Dealers (vampires) and the Lycans (werewolves), Underworld: Evolution is a follow up to the somewhat successful Underworld released two years ago. Tracing its origins back to the beginnings of the ancient feud of the two tribes, Selene (Beckinsale), the beautiful vampire heroine, and Michael (Speedman), the Lycan hybrid, work together and try to discover the secrets of their bloodlines - although the alliance may lead to disaster as they hurtle towards an inevitable battle to end all battles, as the immortals must finally face their retribution.
Fans of the original may get a feeling of deja vu as Underworld: Evolution is a carbon copy of, rather than a sequel to, Underworld. The only difference is Derek Jacobi, who brings a certain gravitas to the role of Corvinus - the father of the two brothers who started the war over 800 years previously. Mind you, it is a non-stop rollercoaster ride as action scene is piled upon action scene, with increasingly grotesque and graphic fights. Written by the same team that brought you Evolution, it is a lot tighter than its predecessor - even if it's sometimes over-complicated. As the man says, if you like this kind of thing, you'll like this kind of thing.

Review by Gavin Burke