EDGE on the Net

In Underworld Evolution, we are reunited with the leather corseted (and almost anorexic) vampire vixen, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and her trusty lover/vampire-werewolf hybrid, Michael (Scott Speedman.) When we last left them in Underworld, they were fighting off the evils of vampires and lycans (the deadliest and most unique breed of werewolf.) This time, they are fighting off the evils of vampires and lycans. Okay, it’s not a total Xerox copy of its predecessor, but they are fighting off bloody mobs of vampires and lycans. In particular, they come face-to-face with the most powerful vampire of them all - Marcus (Tony Curran). When he is awakened from imprisonment, he intends to release his brother, William as well. It just so happens that his brother is one of the most powerful lycans in history. By joining forces, the two blood hungry brothers represent a small problem for the safety of the world. Needless to say, there is one thing standing in the way of Marcus - and that is Selene and her hottie hybrid Michael.

Full of vampires, werewolves, twice the blood, twice the gore, twice the English accents, twice the violence and a really hot and heavy soft-core porn scene, there is really nothing bad to say about this sequel. It’s applauded forerunner was a likeable movie on the mythical horror creatures, but Underworld Evolution blows the first installment out of the water.

Sure, I was basically distracted by the movie’s cutting-edge effects, non-stop action and tight-fitting leather, but I was still interested in what was going on with Selene and Michael - which is always a good sign of thoughtful writing. Kate Beckinsale’s accent can make her excel in any role, while the other English accents around her provide a theatrical harmony to all the malicious violence surrounding the film. As for Scott Speedman, he is a pretty face to look at and when he turns into that bootleg Nightcrawler, it is a little frightening. He is supported by excellent talent, so he didn’t look as bad as he should have. Even so, I couldn’t help but think of his role as Ben Convington in "Felicity" throughout the entire movie - but that’s just a simple oversight.

I enjoyed the blood sucking, the dismembered body parts, the loud violence and most of all, the sleek, yet understated sci-fi nuances of the movie. Shot in a morbidly elegant icy shade, the entire movie is one hell of a ride and will leave you thirsty for more.

There are a lot of goodies for you on this DVD. Besides the basic audio commentaries, there are piles and piles of featurettes that cover, for the most part, the visual aspects of the movie.

"The Hybrid Theory" explores the intrinsic visual effects of the movie, while "The War Rages On" covers the complicated stunts that the stars did not have to partake in.

For the template making-of featurette, there’s "Bloodlines: From Script to Screen." On a more artistic front, we are also taken behind the scenes to discover some of the creature-building secrets and set design in the featurettes, "Making Monsters Roar" and "Building a Saga." There is also a great bit called "Music and Mayhem" which goes into detail about the sounds of the movie.

For some edgy rocker fun, the DVD is nice enough to include the Atreyu music video to "Her Portrait in Black."

All of the features are worth watching and they are not long at all. If you don’t want to watch these, you can just watch that soft-core porn scene between Scott Speedman and Kate Beckinsale over and over again. That should keep you entertained for a while.