just got home from a preview screening of ‘underworld: evolution’ with cecile, jon, kat and charlie. it was good – not great, but definitely entertaining. things that weren’t so great:
- constant exposition. constant.
- unnecessary flashbacks, or where flashbacks were reasonable, unnecessary aural flashbacks. i don’t need to hear dialogue from only minutes earlier; i remember it just fine, thanks.
- many events were so…convenient for our heroine and hero.
- too much of the ‘vampire eyes’ contacts.
overall i’d say it was worth it, particularly if you’re a fan of ‘underworld’. the sequel picks up right where the first one leaves off – the very same night, maybe the same hour – and you get to see some backstory on the elders. i still can’t decide if the sex scene was alright. it was really jarring. charlie was all, ‘what is this rated?? i didn’t think there was going to be a sex scene…’ and i use the phrase ‘sex scene’ tentatively since jeez, could they have shown more of scott speedman, all naked and hovering like a FOOT away from her pelvis? how is that sex? maybe this is how immortals have sex. IN THEIR MINDS.
anyway, despite all of the above, i found ‘underworld: evolution’ to be thoroughly enjoyable. while ‘underworld’ was more story-driven – more cool plot twists and glimpses into the world of…uh, underworld – ‘underworld: evolution’ was a down-and-dirty action movie. that last fight was a real crowd-pleaser! kind of reminded me of the t-rex fight in ‘king kong’ or maybe some of the more memorable moments in ‘hostel’.
update: my suspicions are confirmed! kate beckinsale WAS still with michael sheen (lucien) on the first movie! and she left him for the director – ouch.