It’s hard to deny that Len Wiseman’s Underworld had a great premise that focused on the eternal secret war between vampires and werewolves, and while it may have fallen shy of its ambitions, the sequel Underworld: Evolution seems to be much grander in scope (Nick visited the set earlier in the year and came away with similar impressions).
The movie again stars the ever-lovely Kate Beckinsale as a leather-sheathed bloodsucker babe leading the charge against the pack of barbaric shapeshifting hounds called Lycans. Handsome log Scott Speedman is again at her side, and they continue to shoot vast amounts of ammunition, punch people across great distances, and look staggeringly cool while doing it. And though she was as cold as the film itself the first time around, Beckinsale’s vamp now looks to be a little more playful (as much as someone called a Death Dealer can be, I suppose).
The first movie obviously did well enough for Sony to invest a few more bucks in the follow-up, which is apparent in the action and CG and practical effects glimpsed in the clip (that big winged vampire looks particularly neat, though a couple of the werewolf shots gave me horrific Van Helsing flashbacks).