Underworld: Evolution#Soundtrack
{{Short description|2006 American action horror film}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Underworld: Evolution
| image = Underworld2evolution.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Len Wiseman
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Tom Rosenberg
- Gary Lucchesi
- David Coatsworth
- Richard Wright
}}
| screenplay = Danny McBride
| story = {{plainlist|
- Len Wiseman
- Danny McBride
}}
| based_on = {{based on|Characters|Kevin Grevioux|Len Wiseman|Danny McBride}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| music = Marco Beltrami
| cinematography = Simon Duggan
| editing = Nicolas De Toth
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Screen Gems
- Lakeshore Entertainment{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/64090-UNDERWORLD-EVOLUTION|title=Underworld Evolution|work=American Film Institute|access-date=2017-03-25}}
}}
| distributor = Sony Pictures Releasing
| released = {{Film date|2006|1|11|Cinerama Dome|2006|1|20|United States}}
| runtime = 106 minutes
| budget = $45 million{{cite web|title=Underworld: Evolution
|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2006/UNDW2.php|work=The Numbers|access-date=2017-03-25}}
}}
Underworld: Evolution is a 2006 American action horror film directed by Len Wiseman from a screenplay by Danny McBride, based on a story by Wiseman and McBride.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/underworld-evolution-v316831|title=Underworld: Evolution (2006) - Len Wiseman | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}} It is the sequel to Underworld (2003) and the second installment in the Underworld film series. The film stars Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Tony Curran, Shane Brolly, Steven Mackintosh, Derek Jacobi, and Bill Nighy. The plot follows Selene and Michael, again played by Beckinsale and Speedman, respectively, as they fight to protect the Corvinus bloodline from its hidden past.
Underworld: Evolution premiered at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, California on January 11, 2006, and was released in the United States on January 20, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and grossed over $113 million worldwide against a production budget of $45 million.
The film was followed by the prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans in 2009 and later a direct sequel Underworld: Awakening in 2012.
Plot
In 1202, an army led by the three vampire elders (Markus, Viktor, and Amelia) arrives at a village full of Werewolves. Viktor and Amelia capture their target, Markus's twin brother, William Corvinus, the first and most powerful werewolf. Despite Markus's defiance, Viktor orders that William be forever imprisoned in a secret location.
In the present day, vampire Selene takes Michael to a safe house so that she can confront the vampire regent Kraven; she plans to stop Kraven from killing Markus. Markus awakens before Kraven arrives and kills him and his men. Lorenz Macaro, an elderly man, sends in a team to investigate the aftermath of the battle in the Lycans' lair. When Macaro examines Viktor's corpse he finds a metal disc which matches a pendant originally worn by Sonja. The other half of the pendant is possessed by Michael after Lucian's death.
Using the knowledge of computers obtained from Kraven's blood, Markus tracks Selene and Michael down and attacks them, but they evade him and hide in a warehouse. There, Selene and Michael share their feelings and have sex. Knowing that the pendant is important to Markus, Michael and Selene set out to discover why he wants it. Selene recalls that she saw it as a child, but does not know its significance. They travel to the hideout of the exiled vampire historian Andreas Tanis.
Tanis reveals that Markus was the first vampire, one of the three sons of Alexander Corvinus, the first immortal. Markus was bitten by a bat and metamorphosed into a vampire, while William was bitten by a wolf and metamorphosed into a werewolf. The third son remained human and gave rise to a line of mortal descendants including Michael, who became the first Lycan-Vampire hybrid. The first werewolves created by William were entirely feral and unable to return to their human forms. Due to William's destructiveness, Markus approached Viktor, then a dying mortal warlord, and offered to metamorphose him and his army into vampires in exchange for tracking down and stopping William, and destroying those he had infected. Viktor did not kill the brothers because he was led to believe that doing so would result in the immediate extinction of all vampires and Lycans. Tanis further reveals that Selene's father was the architect who built William's prison and that the pendant is the key. Viktor killed Selene's family because they knew the prison's location, but metamorphosed Selene into a vampire with the location of the prison encoded in her blood. Tanis then refers Selene and Michael to Macaro for help. After Selene and Michael leave, Markus arrives and drinks Tanis' blood to learn Selene and Michael's location, killing Tanis.
Visiting Macaro, Selene and Michael discover he is Alexander Corvinus, the forefather to both the vampire and Lycan races. Alexander reveals that he has devoted his entire immortal life to keeping the Vampire-Lycan war a secret, and refuses to assist Selene in killing his sons. Markus arrives, fights Michael and impales him. He learns the location of William's prison by drinking Selene's blood before mortally wounding his father and obtaining the other half of the pendant. He mocks his father's refusal to help William, revealing that he intends, with William, to rule the world as the master of a race of vampire-Lycan hybrids. At Alexander's bidding, Selene drinks his blood, enhancing her physical strength and healing abilities to a level equivalent to that of a hybrid. Afterwards, Alexander blows up his ship, killing himself.
Selene, aboard Alexander's helicopter, leads his team to the prison to confront and destroy Markus, but he has already freed William. In the ensuing battle, Michael, presumed dead and carried aboard the helicopter, awakens and joins the fight in his hybrid form, killing William by ripping his head off. Selene engages Markus in hand-to-hand combat, killing him by pushing him into the rotor blades of the team's crashed helicopter.
After the battle, Selene discovers that Alexander's blood granted her hybrid abilities, including being immune to the effects of sunlight, which is lethal to vampires.
Cast
{{div col|colwidth=18em}}
- Kate Beckinsale as Selene
- Lily Mo Sheen as young Selene
- Scott Speedman as Michael Corvin
- Tony Curran as Markus Corvinus
- Derek Jacobi as Alexander Corvinus / Lorenz Macaro
- Steven Mackintosh as Andreas Tanis
- Shane Brolly as Kraven
- Bill Nighy as Viktor
- Zita Görög as Amelia
- Brian Steele as William Corvinus
- Andrew Kavadas as Selene's Father
- Kayla Levins as Selene's Sister
- John Mann as Samuel
{{div col end}}
Soundtrack
{{Infobox album
| name = Underworld: Evolution (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
| type = Soundtrack
| artist =
| cover =
| caption =
| alt =
| released = January 10, 2006
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| chronology = Underworld film series soundtrack
| genre = Alternative rock, alternative metal, post-hardcore, industrial, nu metal, metalcore, gothic metal
| length = 62:19
| label = Lakeshore
| producer = Skip Williamson, Brain McNelis & Len Wiseman
| prev_title = Underworld
| prev_year = 2003
| next_title = Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
| next_year = 2009
}}
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = Allmusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album |id=r814568|pure_url=yes}} |title=Underworld Evolution (Original Soundtrack) |publisher=Allmusic}}
}}
;Track listing
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Artist
| title1 = The Undertaker
| note1 = Renholdër Mix
| extra1 = Puscifer
| length1 = 3:57
| title2 = Morning After
| note2 = Julien-K Remix
| extra2 = Chester Bennington
| length2 = 4:14
| title3 = Where Can I Stab Myself in the Ears?
| note3 = The Legion of Doom Remix
| extra3 = Hawthorne Heights
| length3 = 3:58
| title4 = To the End
| note4 = RnR Cheryl Mix
| extra4 = My Chemical Romance
| length4 = 3:12
| title5 = Vermillion, Pt. 2
| note5 = Bloodstone Mix
| extra5 = Slipknot
| length5 = 3:39
| title6 = Burn
| note6 = Alleged Remix
| extra6 = Alkaline Trio
| length6 = 4:02
| title7 = The Last Sunrise
| note7 = Dusk Mix
| extra7 = Aiden
| length7 = 3:55
| title8 = Bite to Break Skin
| note8 = The Legion of Doom Remix
| extra8 = Senses Fail
| length8 = 4:08
| title9 = Her Portrait in Black
| extra9 = Atreyu
| length9 = 4:02
| title10 = Washing Away Me in the Tides
| extra10 = Trivium
| length10 = 3:47
| title11 = Eternal Battle
| extra11 = Mendozza
| length11 = 4:10
| title12 = Our Truth
| extra12 = Lacuna Coil
| length12 = 4:04
| title13 = Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
| extra13 = Gosling
| length13 = 5:01
| title14 = Why Are You Up
| extra14 = Bobby Gold
| length14 = 3:10
| title15 = Suicide
| extra15 = Meat Beat Manifesto
| length15 = 3:14
| title16 = HW2
| note16 = Cover of "Halloween II", originally recorded by Samhain
| extra16 = Cradle of Filth
| length16 = 3:38
}}
Release
=Box office=
The film opened at #1 on 3,207 screens with a weekend box office (January 20–22, 2006) of $26.9 million, for an average of $8,388 per theater.[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=underworld2.htm Underworld: Evolution (2006)]. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-11-13. As of March 12, 2006, the film had grossed a total of $62.3 million in the United States and $111.3 million worldwide.
=Critical response=
As of August 31, 2021, Underworld: Evolution has a 17% overall approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 104 reviews, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The site's consensus reads, "A visual and aural assault on the senses, this vampire-werewolf sequel makes a lot of noise and features a heavy-handed, overly convoluted story."[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/underworld_evolution Underworld: Evolution Movie Reviews, Pictures]. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2021-8-31. {{MC film|36|21|ref=yes|access-date=13 November 2024}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}}
A few scenes of the film were shown in a panel at Comic-Con in San Diego, in July 2005; however, these scenes did not contain any plot spoilers of the script, with attendees only being informed about the new hybrids by production designer Patrick Tatopoulos. The preview was well-received as hundreds of fans waited hours to see a clip of the film, as well as Kate Beckinsale and the other stars.(July 18, 2005). [http://movies.ign.com/articles/634/634461p1.html Comic-Con 2005: Underworld: Evolution Panel]. IGN. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times criticized the film's "steel-blue filter" and described it as "a monotonous barrage of computer-generated fur and fangs."{{cite news| url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/01/21/movies/21unde.html | work=The New York Times | first=Jeannette | last=Catsoulis | title=The Vampires and Werewolves, Still Fighting Tooth and Nail | date=January 21, 2006}} Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle began his review by saying, "you can tell that Underworld: Evolution is trying to be an artistic action-horror film, because every scene is bathed in the color blue," going on to say that the film is "an admirable attempt to test the boundaries of the genre," though is confusing and not fun to watch.{{cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/23/DDGGRGQQEE1.DTL&type=movies | work=The San Francisco Chronicle | first=Peter | last=Hartlaub | title=Vampires and werewolves get mopey in 'Underworld' | date=June 24, 2011}}
=Home media=
The film was released on DVD on June 6, 2006,{{cite web|first=Thomas|last=Arnold|url=http://www.hive4media.com/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=9060|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517013446/http://www.hive4media.com:80/news/html/breaking_article.cfm?article_id=9060|title=Blu-ray Titles Pushed Back to June|website=hive4media.com|archive-date=May 17, 2006|date=May 3, 2006|access-date=September 28, 2019}} and on Blu-ray on June 20, 2006.https://highdefdiscnews.com/2018/05/19/underworld-evolution-blu-ray-review/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiWrdLI7ZnwAhXjaRUIHZtQDYIQFjABegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw2Q4MU67gSlP8JYXx5ZuLxJ{{dead link|date=November 2021}}
=Accolades=
Prequel and sequel
The next film in the series, the prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, depicted the background history that led to the Vampire-Lycan War of the first and second films. A fourth and fifth film, the sequels to Underworld: Evolution, titled Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars, were released on January 20, 2012, and January 6, 2017, respectively.{{cite web | url=http://teaser-trailer.com/underworld-4-new-dawn-movie/ | title=Underworld 4 New Dawn movie | access-date=2011-03-26 | publisher=Teaser Trailer}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{Official website|http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/underworldevolution/site/home.html}}
- {{IMDb title|0401855}}
- {{ISFDB title|id=179431|title=Evolution}}
- {{mojo title|underworld2}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes|underworld_evolution}}
{{Underworld (film series)}}
{{Len Wiseman}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2006 action thriller films
Category:American supernatural horror films
Category:American action thriller films
Category:American action horror films
Category:American dark fantasy films
Category:American sequel films
Category:2000s French-language films
Category:Hungarian-language films
Category:Films shot in Vancouver
Category:Films shot in Budapest
Category:Girls with guns films
Category:American vampire films
Category:American werewolf films
Category:Fiction about familicide
Category:Lakeshore Entertainment films
Category:Films directed by Len Wiseman
Category:Films scored by Marco Beltrami
Category:Films produced by Tom Rosenberg
Category:Films produced by Gary Lucchesi
Category:2000s English-language films