Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009)(Minor Spoilers)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Lucian (Michael Sheen), the first-ever Lycan, and the first werewolf born in human form, plans to lead a rebellion against the vampires and Viktor’s (Bill Nighy) coven. Lucian fiercely fights to free his fellow enslaved Lycans from Viktor’s clutches, and Viktor runs into an unexpected problem, when his daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra) gets involved. 

Sonja and Lucian’s secret and strictly forbidden relationship unravels, when a suspicious Viktor questions Sonja’s loyalty. Viktor sets a trap, but a resilient Lucian refuses to quit. Supported by Raze (Kevin Grevioux), the Lycan slaves, and other werewolves carrying William’s strain of the infection, Lucian eventually joins the all-out assault on Viktor’s coven.

My Thoughts- Rise Of The Lycans is cleverly constructed for first-timers, and fans of the Underworld series. If you’re new to Underworld, you can still get into it, without knowing everything about the original Underworld or Evolution, because it’s vampires vs werewolves! The Lycan slaves, rising up to fight back against their vampire overlords and oppressors, and Viktor, the mad tyrant, is a story that writes itself.

For fans of the Underworld films? You’ll get to see more fleshed-out versions of Lucian and Viktor’s characters, how the bond between Lucian and Raze started, and you’ll also know Viktor was never misunderstood, because Viktor, the vampire ruler, was always a maniacal asshole and a devious manipulator. Andreas Tanis (Steven Mackintosh)? I guess you could say you’ll see a more dignified and noble version of him, before he was exiled by Selene under Viktor’s orders. But a lot of the familiar character traits for Tanis are still there. You’ll see how the seeds were planted for Tanis’ partnership with Lucian, why Tanis prioritizes “survival,” and Tanis’ is serious about protecting his “precious scrolls.” 

They touched on the dangers of William’s infectious strain of werewolves, and his rampages. Werewolves with William’s strain of the infection are “mindless beasts,” who can’t revert back to their human forms, but it’s just enough to the point, where you know what’s going on, without feeling lost, or having the need to go back and watch Evolution. You can say the same thing about Lucian’s backstory and the explanation for being the first Lycan. It’s all here. Simple, informative, and just enough bits and pieces of information, easily tying everything together.

Sonja? She’s fierce, rebellious, and Sonja will defy Viktor, if her moral compass points her in that direction. Sonja clearly has no interest in Viktor’s vision for her future, because Sonja, in a variety of ways, constantly rejects the path Viktor puts in front of her. And Sonja falls in love with a Lycan! Sound familiar? It’s easy to see and pick up on the parallels between Selene and Sonja. You can also see why Selene reminded Viktor of Sonja, and why Viktor possibly believed he had a second chance at a good father/daughter relationship, because Selene and Sonja are basically carbon copies of each other. 

A lot of mixed feelings for the love story between Sonja and Lucian. The forbidden love storyline is packed with cliches. Sonja is vampire royalty, and the daughter of a powerful and overbearing father. She falls for Lucian, the lowly blacksmith, and of course, Viktor vehemently rejects their relationship. He’s disgusted at the thought of his precious daughter poisoning the bloodline with a filthy Lycan slave. Oh, and of course, Sonja wants to run away from the coven, abandoning a life of royalty, because she’s chasing the happily ever after ending with Lucian. 

But I’ll say this, Michael Sheen and Rhona Mitra share believable and good chemistry together. Sonja and Lucian are genuinely willing to take big risks to protect each other. Hell, they’re willing to die, if it comes to that. Lucian doesn’t have to be tough and scrappy around Sonja, he can be vulnerable. Sonja can just be her normal self, when she’s with Lucian, taking a break from being a hardened warrior, or living up to her father’s high standards, and the pressures that comes with the lifestyle of a future vampire elder. 

Rise Of The Lycans works as a solid and entertaining prequel. The movie still looks and feels like an Underworld movie, and they did a really good job of capturing the medieval era, with the set pieces, the dialogue, the wardrobes for the vampires, the Lycans, and the humans. 

As far as the acting goes, Michael Sheen’s fiery (“ARE YOU WITH ME!”) and emotional performance as Lucian is superb, and Sheen puts a lot of passion into Lucian’s rah-rah speeches. Bill Nighy doesn’t hold back as Viktor, a strong and dedicated performance, as the powerful vampire ruler. The scene, where the council votes on Sonja’s fate is a good one. Viktor has this conflicted wide-eyed expression on his face before he makes his decision. On one hand, you can sense a loving father, who still cares about his daughter, but Viktor’s ego and his pride wouldn’t allow him to do the right thing. Good scene.

Rhona Mitra holds her own well as Sonja, playing the privileged daughter, who’s torn between being loyal to her father and not wanting to abandon the love of her life. And hats off to Larry Rew for his performance. Kosta (Rew) is a sadistic bully, but Lucian makes sure he gets his comeuppance for the brutal and bloody whipping scene.

Rise Of The Lycans features some solid action sequences and one on one sword fights, including Sonja facing off against Viktor. Father vs daughter, in the rain, at night, AND Sonja reveals a big secret? Oh, the drama!

The home stretch delivers on all fronts. I absolutely loved the breakneck speed approach to the big final battle between the werewolves and vampires, because it’s supposed to be a chaotic and bloody mess. Also, Lucian chasing after Viktor for a final showdown delivers some nice thrills, complete with a brutal and gory final blow.

Rise Of The Lycans succeeds as an Underworld film, that shows the early stages of the war between the vampires and the Lycans. The feud between Viktor and Lucian really works as one of the pillars for the story, and you get a better understanding for why Lucian and Viktor hated each other so much. 

Lots of nuggets for Underworld and Evolution throughout the movie, including different characters, the dialogue, visuals, and certain items (e.g. Sonja’s necklace). You can see why Lucian valued Sonja’s necklace, why it means so much to him, and why it’s not just a necklace, that simultaneously works as half of the key to William’s prison.

Also, there’s something that’s almost impossible to ignore about Viktor, and his relationships with Sonja, Selene, and Lucian. The lies, the manipulation tactics, using his own daughter as bait for a trap, and knowing how his relationship with Sonja ended? There’s a pattern for all of it, that leads to two conclusions: Viktor was a shitty father, and a terrible father figure for Selene and Lucian.

Rating-7/10

Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009)

 

**This review contains spoilers**

The Story- Lucian (Michael Sheen), the first-ever Lycan, and the first werewolf born in human form, plans to lead a rebellion against the vampires and Viktor’s (Bill Nighy) coven. Lucian fiercely fights to free his fellow enslaved Lycans from Viktor’s clutches, and Viktor runs into an unexpected problem, when his daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra) gets involved. 

Sonja and Lucian’s secret and strictly forbidden relationship unravels, when a suspicious Viktor questions Sonja’s loyalty. Viktor sets a trap, but a resilient Lucian refuses to quit. Supported by Raze (Kevin Grevioux), the Lycan slaves, and other werewolves carrying William’s strain of the infection, Lucian eventually joins the all-out assault on Viktor’s coven.

My Thoughts- Rise Of The Lycans is cleverly constructed for first-timers, and fans of the Underworld series. If you’re new to Underworld, you can still get into it, without knowing everything about the original Underworld or Evolution, because it’s vampires vs werewolves! The Lycan slaves, rising up to fight back against their vampire overlords and oppressors, and Viktor, the mad tyrant, is a story that writes itself.

For fans of the Underworld films? You’ll get to see more fleshed-out versions of Lucian and Viktor’s characters, how the bond between Lucian and Raze started, and you’ll also know Viktor was never misunderstood, because Viktor, the vampire ruler, was always a maniacal asshole and a devious manipulator. Andreas Tanis (Steven Mackintosh)? I guess you could say you’ll see a more dignified and noble version of him, before he was exiled by Selene under Viktor’s orders. But a lot of the familiar character traits for Tanis are still there. You’ll see how the seeds were planted for Tanis’ partnership with Lucian, why Tanis prioritizes “survival,” and Tanis’ is serious about protecting his “precious scrolls.” 

They touched on the dangers of William’s infectious strain of werewolves, and his rampages. Werewolves with William’s strain of the infection are “mindless beasts,” who can’t revert back to their human forms, but it’s just enough to the point, where you know what’s going on, without feeling lost, or having the need to go back and watch Evolution. You can say the same thing about Lucian’s backstory and the explanation for being the first Lycan. It’s all here. Simple, informative, and just enough bits and pieces of information, easily tying everything together.

Sonja? She’s fierce, rebellious, and Sonja will defy Viktor, if her moral compass points her in that direction. Sonja clearly has no interest in Viktor’s vision for her future, because Sonja, in a variety of ways, constantly rejects the path Viktor puts in front of her. And Sonja falls in love with a Lycan! Sound familiar? It’s easy to see and pick up on the parallels between Selene and Sonja. You can also see why Selene reminded Viktor of Sonja, and why Viktor possibly believed he had a second chance at a good father/daughter relationship, because Selene and Sonja are basically carbon copies of each other. 

A lot of mixed feelings for the love story between Sonja and Lucian. The forbidden love storyline is packed with cliches. Sonja is vampire royalty, and the daughter of a powerful and overbearing father. She falls for Lucian, the lowly blacksmith, and of course, Viktor vehemently rejects their relationship. He’s disgusted at the thought of his precious daughter poisoning the bloodline with a filthy Lycan slave. Oh, and of course, Sonja wants to run away from the coven, abandoning a life of royalty, because she’s chasing the happily ever after ending with Lucian. 

But I’ll say this, Michael Sheen and Rhona Mitra share believable and good chemistry together. Sonja and Lucian are genuinely willing to take big risks to protect each other. Hell, they’re willing to die, if it comes to that. Lucian doesn’t have to be tough and scrappy around Sonja, he can be vulnerable. Sonja can just be her normal self, when she’s with Lucian, taking a break from being a hardened warrior, or living up to her father’s high standards, and the pressures that comes with the lifestyle of a future vampire elder. 

Going back to the original Underworld film, Sonja’s death wasn’t a big surprise, because you know what happens, after Michael Corvin sees everything through flashbacks from Lucian’s memories. Still, Sonja’s execution checks off all of the necessary boxes. Lucian is completely losing it, because he realizes there’s nothing that he can do to save Sonja, but he does his best to comfort Sonja during her final moments. Lucian and Sonja saying their final goodbyes to each other, the roof slowly opening before the sunlight comes in, and Lucian’s reaction to Sonja’s charred corpse? Good stuff all around for the one big emotional and gut-wrenching scene here.

The movie ends with a shot of Selene perched on a balcony with a voiceover from Kraven, when he tells her the truth about Viktor murdering her family. Placing Selene’s only appearance in the movie, while Kraven exposes Viktor’s lies? It’s the right move. Short, ironic, and her sole appearance validates Selene’s decision to murder Viktor. And Selene needs to be here (Selene also narrates the opening) in some way, shape, or form, because Selene IS Underworld. ROTL also puts the spotlight on an important chapter during Viktor’s reign of terror, so you can see why Lucian was obsessed with his quest for vengeance, hybrids, and becoming a hybrid himself in the 2003 film.

Rise Of The Lycans works as a solid and entertaining prequel. The movie still looks and feels like an Underworld movie, and they did a really good job of capturing the medieval era, with the set pieces, the dialogue, the wardrobes for the vampires, the Lycans, and the humans. 

As far as the acting goes, Michael Sheen’s fiery (“ARE YOU WITH ME!”) and emotional performance as Lucian is superb, and Sheen puts a lot of passion into Lucian’s rah-rah speeches. Bill Nighy doesn’t hold back as Viktor, a strong and dedicated performance, as the powerful vampire ruler. The scene, where the council votes on Sonja’s fate is a good one. Viktor has this conflicted wide-eyed expression on his face before he makes his decision. On one hand, you can sense a loving father, who still cares about his daughter, but Viktor’s ego and his pride wouldn’t allow him to do the right thing. Good scene.

Rhona Mitra holds her own well as Sonja, playing the privileged daughter, who’s torn between being loyal to her father and not wanting to abandon the love of her life. And hats off to Larry Rew for his performance. Kosta (Rew) is a sadistic bully, but Lucian makes sure he gets his comeuppance for the brutal and bloody whipping scene.

Rise Of The Lycans features some solid action sequences and one on one sword fights, including Sonja facing off against Viktor. Father vs daughter, in the rain, at night, AND Sonja reveals she’s pregnant with Lucian’s child? Oh, the drama!

The home stretch delivers on all fronts. I absolutely loved the breakneck speed approach to the big final battle between the werewolves and vampires, because it’s supposed to be a chaotic and bloody mess. Also, Lucian chasing after Viktor for a final showdown delivers some nice thrills, complete with a brutal and gory final blow.

Rise Of The Lycans succeeds as an Underworld film, that shows the early stages of the war between the vampires and the Lycans. The feud between Viktor and Lucian really works as one of the pillars for the story, and you get a better understanding for why Lucian and Viktor hated each other so much. 

Lots of nuggets for Underworld and Evolution throughout the movie, including different characters, the dialogue, visuals, and certain items (e.g. Sonja’s necklace). You can see why Lucian valued Sonja’s necklace, why it means so much to him, and why it’s not just a necklace, that simultaneously works as half of the key to William’s prison.

Also, there’s something that’s almost impossible to ignore about Viktor, and his relationships with Sonja, Selene, and Lucian. The lies, the manipulation tactics, using his own daughter as bait for a trap, and knowing how his relationship with Sonja ended? There’s a pattern for all of it, that leads to two conclusions: Viktor was a shitty father, and a terrible father figure for Selene and Lucian.

Rating-7/10

Underworld: Evolution (2006)

 

**This review contains spoilers**

The Story- Selene (Kate Beckinsale) searches for answers with Michael (Scott Speedman), after Viktor’s death. Meanwhile, Markus Corvinus (Tony Curran), a vampire elder, and the first-ever vampire, awakens from his hibernation, assisted by Singe’s (Erwin Leder) blood. A determined and enraged Markus pursues Selene and Michael with plans to free his brother, William (Brian Steele), the first-ever and most powerful werewolf, from his centuries-old prison.

Andreas Tanis (Steven Mackintosh), a vampire and a historian, reluctantly helps Selene. Tanis warns Selene about the severity of William’s possible rampage, and Selene holds half of the key to William’s prison. Eventually, Markus corners Selene and Michael, but Alexander Corvinus (Derek Jacobi), the forefather of all vampires and Lycans, and Markus and William’s father, makes one last desperate attempt to tip the scales in Selene’s favor……

My Thoughts- Viktor was a liar, a false idol, and a ruthless leader, so who could possibly be worse? Enter Markus. Markus is completely nuts, more vicious, and he’s willing to kill anyone during his relentless mission to free William from his prison. 

But Markus’ evil mindset is rooted in pain. Yes, he’s delusional for believing he can control William, but William is his brother. On top of that, his father turned his back (“You are unwelcome in my presence!”) on him. A solid performance from Tony Curran, complete with cold stares, and Curran brings the believability for a violent and obsessive maniac. 

As bad as Markus is, you could say William is far worse. They did a good job of playing up the fact that William can’t control himself, the mindless and extremely dangerous werewolf, with an insatiable hunger for destruction. William himself, and anyone who’s been bitten by William, is incapable of reverting back to their human body. A good little caveat that adds another strong layer to William’s character. During the opening and towards the end, you’ll see why a bite from William has disastrous consequences. 

Derek Jacobi’s performance is mainly centered Alexander Corvinus’ prestigious aura and his strong presence. Jacobi confidently plays the wise and heavily flawed forefather. Yeah, it’s a selfish choice to allow William and Markus to wreak havoc, but the all-powerful forefather is conflicted, because he doesn’t want to murder his own sons. 

Steven Mackintosh’s Tanis is a real hoot. The disgraced historian, living a life of luxury and debauchery in exile, with lavish decor, women, and Lycan bodyguards? The jokes write themselves. Mackintosh is good for a few laughs, as the jumpy and shameless opportunist, who’s determined to survive by any means necessary, even if that includes trading UV ammunition designed to specifically kill vampires with Lucian. 

Selene gets a big power-up to fight Markus, drinking a dying Alexander Corvinus’ blood, still containing the last drops of his “legacy.” Nasty double back to back deaths for William and Markus. First, Michael rips William’s head off, and Selene finishes off Markus, with one hard blow, knocking Markus straight into spinning helicopter blades, ending Markus’ plans to start a new hybrid race. Cutting off half of Viktor’s head, and chopping Markus into pieces (with the big assist from the helicopter blades)? Selene always definitively finishes the job.

Michael’s miraculous recovery is my only gripe for the big finale. I understand the irony they were going for. Remember, in the previous film, Selene saved Michael from Viktor, when Viktor was close to murdering him. In Evolution, Selene was struggling against William and William’s group of infected werewolves, but Michael springs into action to save her. Still, the timing of Michael’s arrival was a little bit too convenient for me. 

Still, it’s a feel-good ending, packed with more than enough thrills. The simultaneous fights between, Markus, Selene, William, and Michael, Markus’ reaction to William’s death, and that enormous moment of relief between Selene and Michael, when they realize the madness is over for now. And of course there’s the cool moment, when Selene is finally able to safely stand in the sunlight after so many years. 

Director Len Wiseman gets carried away with the slow motion shots, and I’ve always wished they would’ve done more with Michael in this one. They made a big deal about Michael being a hybrid in the original, but in Evolution he’s more of an afterthought, or he’s just Selene’s trusty sidekick. But you also have to remember, we’re dealing with TWO hybrids in the sequel, because Singe’s blood, the blood of a Lycan, revived Markus.

Underworld: Evolution is a good and entertaining sequel. The dark and snowy atmosphere adds a nice aesthetic throughout the movie, a perfect fit for an Underworld film. Lots of fast-paced and hard-hitting action sequences (the fight between Markus, Selene, and Michael on the road, while Selene is driving the truck is my personal favorite), a handful of gnarly deaths, tons of bloody and gruesome violence, and there’s a refreshing spark for introducing new characters, including Andreas Tanis, Markus, William, and Alexander Corvinus. Evolution’s stylish gunplay, easily the best in the entire series, is terrific. Another strong final showdown to end the movie, and they delivered a satisfying conclusion (an emotional Selene standing in the sunlight is a great visual). 

The sequel picks up right after the conclusion of the events in the original. It’s an immediate and smooth transition, and there’s a highlight reel during the early stages, recapping all of the big events from Underworld (2003). The highlight package and the numerous flashbacks covers everything, so you don’t necessarily need to watch the first film to know what’s going on. 

A big upgrade in the villains department, featuring the terrible duo of Markus and William, two seemingly unstoppable forces. Markus is the only vampire throughout the movie, who has the ability to use a man-bat form, and the hulking white wolf form is exclusively for William. The forms for the first-ever vampire and the first-ever werewolf should feel special, and Markus and William should be the only ones, who are capable of using those forms. 

Underworld nails the rich lore for Markus, William, Alexander Corvinus, and the fine details in the sequel. I loved the snowy opening, starting off in 1202 A.D., with Viktor in full control during his reign, and you get to see a little bit more of Amelia. Viktor was NOT the original vampire. That title belongs to Markus. And there’s another bizarre twist, because a dying Viktor accepted Markus’ bite for immortality in exchange for Viktor’s army to stop and capture William!

There’s a lot of noticeable changes for the main characters, and Evolution ties up loose ends from the previous film. Now we know the exact reason why Viktor killed Selene’s family, and why he decided to spare and turn Selene. And Kraven got what he deserved for his treachery. 

It’s revealed Alexander Corvinus (using the alias Lorenz Macaro), in effort to contain the war between vampires and Lycans, leads and uses a top secret team/clean up crew to remove dead bodies. Corvinus’ team erases any and all forms of evidence, so you could point directly to him as the reason why humans don’t know about the existence of vampires and Lycans.

Selene is still a scrappy and confident ass-kicker, but they also put a lot of effort into humanizing her here. I had a lot of trouble buying into Selene and Michael’s relationship in the original. In Evolution, there’s a more concentrated approach to flesh out the bond between Michael and Selene. 

Michael was basically a puppy, who had to be protected by Selene, and led around by the hand from place to place in the original Underworld. Michael is more confident and fierce in Evolution, but he’s also struggling to accept his new life as a hybrid on the run. Michael almost goes into his full transformation during the scene at the tavern, and he’s about to attack one of the cops. But he sees his reflection in the mirror, realizes he’s becoming a monster, and snaps out of it. 

Enhanced powers for Selene, and Michael finds his footing as a hybrid. Michael and Selene will have bigger problems (Selene is now on the hook for killing TWO vampire elders), and more seemingly insurmountable challenges to deal with going forward. Two films in, and there’s still a good amount of momentum for another Underworld sequel. The follow-up sequel is a crucial film in any series. After Evolution, it’s clear there’s still a lot of gas in the tank for Selene’s new adventures.

Rating- 7/10

Underworld: Evolution (2006)(Minor Spoilers)

**This review contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Selene (Kate Beckinsale) searches for answers with Michael (Scott Speedman), after Viktor’s death. Meanwhile, Markus Corvinus (Tony Curran), a vampire elder, and the first-ever vampire, awakens from his hibernation, assisted by Singe’s (Erwin Leder) blood. A determined and enraged Markus pursues Selene and Michael with plans to free his brother, William (Brian Steele), the first-ever and most powerful Lycan, from his centuries-old prison.

Andreas Tanis (Steven Mackintosh), a vampire and a historian, reluctantly helps Selene. Tanis warns Selene about the severity of William’s possible rampage, and Selene holds half of the key to William’s prison. Eventually, Markus corners Selene and Michael, but Alexander Corvinus (Derek Jacobi), the forefather of all vampires and Lycans, and Markus and William’s father, makes one last desperate attempt to tip the scales in Selene’s favor……

My Thoughts- Viktor was a liar, a false idol, and a ruthless leader, so who could possibly be worse? Enter Markus. Markus is completely nuts, more vicious, and he’s willing to kill anyone during his relentless mission to free William from his prison. 

But Markus’ evil mindset is rooted in pain. Yes, he’s delusional for believing he can control William, but William is his brother. On top of that, his father turned his back (“You are unwelcome in my presence!”) on him. A solid performance from Tony Curran, complete with cold stares, and Curran brings the believability for a violent and obsessive maniac. 

As bad as Markus is, you could say William is far worse. They did a good job of playing up the fact that William can’t control himself, the mindless and extremely dangerous Lycan, with an insatiable hunger for destruction. William himself, and anyone who’s been bitten by William, is incapable of reverting back to their human body. A good little caveat that adds another strong layer to William’s character. During the opening and towards the end, you’ll see why a bite from William has disastrous consequences. 

Derek Jacobi’s performance is mainly centered Alexander Corvinus’ prestigious aura and his strong presence. Jacobi confidently plays the wise and heavily flawed forefather. Yeah, it’s a selfish choice to allow William and Markus to wreak havoc, but the all-powerful forefather is conflicted, because he doesn’t want to murder his own sons. 

Steven Mackintosh’s Tanis is a real hoot. The disgraced historian, living a life of luxury and debauchery in exile, with lavish decor, women, and Lycan bodyguards? The jokes write themselves. Mackintosh is good for a few laughs, as the jumpy and shameless opportunist, who’s determined to survive by any means necessary, even if that includes trading UV ammunition designed to specifically kill vampires with Lucian. 

Director Len Wiseman gets carried away with the slow motion shots, and I’ve always wished they would’ve done more with Michael in this one. They made a big deal about Michael being a hybrid in the original, but in Evolution he’s more of an afterthought, or he’s just Selene’s trusty sidekick. But you also have to remember, we’re dealing with TWO hybrids in the sequel, because Singe’s blood, the blood of a Lycan, revived Markus.

Underworld: Evolution is a good and entertaining sequel. The dark and snowy atmosphere adds a nice aesthetic throughout the movie, a perfect fit for an Underworld film. Lots of fast-paced and hard-hitting action sequences (the fight between Markus, Selene, and Michael on the road, while Selene is driving the truck is my personal favorite), a handful of gnarly deaths, tons of bloody and gruesome violence, and there’s a refreshing spark for introducing new characters, including Andreas Tanis, Markus, William, and Alexander Corvinus. Evolution’s stylish gunplay, easily the best in the entire series, is terrific. Another strong final showdown to end the movie, and they delivered a satisfying conclusion. 

The sequel picks up right after the conclusion of the events in the original. It’s an immediate and smooth transition, and there’s a highlight reel during the early stages, recapping all of the big events from Underworld (2003). The highlight package and the numerous flashbacks covers everything, so you don’t necessarily need to watch the first film to know what’s going on. 

A big upgrade in the villains department, featuring the terrible duo of Markus and William, two seemingly unstoppable forces. Markus is the only vampire throughout the movie, who has the ability to use a man-bat form, and the hulking white wolf form is exclusively for William. The forms for the first-ever vampire and the first-ever Lycan should feel special, and Markus and William should be the only ones, who are capable of using those forms. 

Underworld nails the rich lore for Markus, William, Alexander Corvinus, and the fine details in the sequel. I loved the snowy opening, starting off in 1202 A.D., with Viktor in full control during his reign, and you get to see a little bit more of Amelia. Viktor was NOT the original vampire. That title belongs to Markus. And there’s another bizarre twist, because a dying Viktor accepted Markus’ bite for immortality in exchange for Viktor’s army to stop and capture William!

There’s a lot of noticeable changes for the main characters, and Evolution ties up loose ends from the previous film. Now we know the exact reason why Viktor killed Selene’s family, and why he decided to spare and turn Selene. And Kraven got what he deserved for his treachery. 

It’s revealed Alexander Corvinus (using the alias Lorenz Macaro), in effort to contain the war between vampires and Lycans, leads and uses a top secret team/clean up crew to remove dead bodies. Corvinus’ team erases any and all forms of evidence, so you could point directly to him as the reason why humans don’t know about the existence of vampires and Lycans.

Selene is still a scrappy and confident ass-kicker, but they also put a lot of effort into humanizing her here. I had a lot of trouble buying into Selene and Michael’s relationship in the original. In Evolution, there’s a more concentrated approach to flesh out the bond between Michael and Selene. 

Michael was basically a puppy, who had to be protected by Selene, and led around by the hand from place to place in the original Underworld. Michael is more confident and fierce in Evolution, but he’s also struggling to accept his new life as a hybrid on the run. Michael almost goes into his full transformation during the scene at the tavern, and he’s about to attack one of the cops. But he sees his reflection in the mirror, realizes he’s becoming a monster, and snaps out of it. 

Enhanced powers for Selene, and Michael finds his footing as a hybrid. Michael and Selene will have bigger problems, and more seemingly insurmountable challenges to deal with going forward. Two films in, and there’s still a good amount of momentum for another Underworld sequel. The follow-up sequel is a crucial film in any series. After Evolution, it’s clear there’s still a lot of gas in the tank for Selene’s new adventures.

Rating- 7/10