Underworld: Evolution (DVD)

Underworld: Evolution (2006) picks up the action shortly after the conclusion of Underworld (2003). Leather-clad Death Dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) has just escaped with her lover, Michael (Scott Speedman), a powerful Lycan Hybrid, saving them both from the deadly fangs of her blood relatives. Now the two are on the run, forced to protect themselves from annihilation.

The movie actually begins with a bit of backstory, set in the 1200s long before Selene and Michael, where two supernatural brothers, vampire Marcus Corvinus (Tony Curran), and lycan William Corvinus (Brian Steele), are cursed for all eternity to sire generations of sworn enemies. The movie starts off with plenty of production value (looking even better than the first film), not to mention violence, blood and gore.

Throughout the centuries, the war between vampires and lycans has raged. But when the two bloodlines become one in Michael, the old races are severely threatened and they will all stop at nothing to kill him.

I saw this movie on the big screen, and I must say that it doesn't play as well the second time around. Read my original review here. The inherent problems — taking itself too seriously; the use of multiple flashbacks; and too many fight scenes — become less tolerable.

Still, it's a solid rental and of course a must-have for fans of the Underworld world.

The DVD has a filmmaker's commentary featuring director Len Wiseman, production and creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos, second unit director Brad Martin, and film editor Nicolas De Toth. This commentary is indeed informative and spirited (and it's reasonably easy to tell the mens' voices apart). I was surprised to learn how many of the shots were joined using long-gone sets and locations from the first movie meshed together with superimposed actors from the new movie. It's very well done, as are most of the CGI, models, makeup, and so on… but this commentary is strictly for techies who are interested in how the movie was made. There's not much about what it felt like, which is why the presence of an actor or two would have been welcome.

Featurettes totaling about an hour include Bloodlines: From Script to Screen (development); The Hybrid Theory (a look at the digital and practical effects); Making Monsters Roar (creature effects); The War Rages On (stunts); Building a Saga (production design and locations); and Music and Mayhem (sound design and music). While the featurettes are well-produced and look nice, they don't offer much in the way of new revelations.

A music video by Atreyu called Her Portrait in Black is included, and it's mainly a mish-mash of the band performing to intercut scenes from the film. The group sounds like a cross between Static X and Slipknot… and not in a good way. It's too bad they didn't (or couldn't) use a video from Nine Inch Nails (Bite the Hand That Feeds was the signature song for Underworld: Evolution when the TV commercials were running for its theatrical release).

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson