"UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION"
(2006) (Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Minor	Extreme	Extreme	*Moderate	Extreme
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	Mild	Extreme	None	Heavy
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Extreme	Minor	Mild	Mild	Extreme

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QUICK TAKE:

Horror: A werewolf-hunting vampire sets out to stop the world's first vampire and werewolf from wreaking havoc on the world.

PLOT:

Selene (KATE BECKINSALE) is a contemporary werewolf-hunting vampire, known as a death dealer, who's at a crossroads in her life. Having killed scores of Lycans (werewolves) over the past centuries in a revenge-filled spree for her family's murders long ago, she's come to the realization that the real culprit was her mentor Viktor (BILL NIGHY) who she subsequently killed.

Knowing the latter act has her in hot water with the rest of her kind, Selene seeks out Marcus (TONY CURRAN), the king of the vampires, in hopes that he'll spare her life. Little does she know that he's turned into a hybrid monster -- much like her only ally, Michael (SCOTT SPEEDMAN) who's part werewolf and part vampire -- although Marcus is even more powerful and can sprout wings with which he can fly and easily impale his victims.

Seeking info from Adrian Tanis (STEVEN MACKINTOSH), official Coven historian, Selene learns that Viktor wasn't the most powerful vampire after all. Instead, it was Alexander Corvinus (DEREK JACOBI), the father of Marcus (a vampire) and William. The latter was an uncontrollable and incredibly dangerous werewolf who Viktor imprisoned centuries ago in a hidden location.

Now that he's emerged, Marcus wants to find and free his brother so that they can rule the world. With time running out, and with Michael's assistance, Selene does what she can to prevent that from happening.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of the first film from 2003, they probably will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For pervasive strong violence and gore, some sexuality/nudity and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

KATE BECKINSALE plays a werewolf hunting vampire known as a death dealer who wants to get to the bottom of what's occurring and stop Marcus from finding and freeing his brother. She battles with and kills many werewolves and others, has sex with Michael and uses some strong profanity.

SCOTT SPEEDMAN plays her only ally, a powerful hybrid monster who can turn into a werewolf at will. He similarly battles and kills other werewolves, uses strong profanity and has sex with Selene.

TONY CURRAN plays the king of vampires who's been resurrected as a hybrid monster himself who can sprout large wings that he uses to kill many people. He wants to find and free his werewolf brother so that he can rule the world.

STEVEN MACKINTOSH plays a long-imprisoned Coven historian who fills in the details for Selene when not having a three-way sexual encounter with two female vampires.

DEREK JACOBI plays the patriarch to all vampires and werewolves who's reluctant to stop his son Marcus despite the centuries of killings.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated horror film. Profanity consists of at least 4 "f" words, while other expletives and a few colorful phrases are uttered. Several sexual encounters are seen (with nudity and movement, with one involving a man and two women), while a bare-breasted woman from one of them is seen in a nonsexual context and another is seen in skimpy attire.

Violence consists of a great deal of brutal vampire, werewolf and human fighting, wounding and killing of others, using a variety of weapons. Much of that is extremely bloody and/or gory, and those scenes, other moments of peril, and the sight of the various beasts might be unsettling, suspenseful or downright scary to some viewers (but others might not have any such reaction since most of it's done in a highly edited, action fashion rather than as true suspense or scary horror).

Some of the action and other behavior may be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various bad attitudes are present, as is some brief smoking and drinking. A few moments deal with tense family material, but not much is made of that. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, on several occasions there are flashes of lightning that illuminate dark scenes.

For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, at various points in the film there are varying amounts of camera movement.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

Michael has a beer in front of him in some sort of restaurant where others also drink.

Tanis holds a bottle and then pours himself some wine, but Selene fires a crossbow arrow through his glass, shattering it.

BLOOD/GORE

Some dead bodies on the ground are bloody before turning into werewolves who are bloodied by violence against them (with varying amounts of blood coming out), while those they kill by biting into them are very bloody. We also see vampires beheading several werewolves (all shot and edited in a very rapid fashion).

Small harpoons (attached to heavy chains) are fired into William (in huge werewolf form), with the ends piercing the beast (with bloody results).

We see quick, violent flashbacks from the first film including Selene killing or fighting/attacking various characters. That includes half of a vampire's head being sliced off (at an angle, with very gory results) and other bloody results.

We see a dead person on the floor with blood on them and the floor around them (a large pool).

Various characters try to kill Marcus (in winged vampire mode) with machine gun fire, but he uses his long and sharp wingtip to impale and kill all of them (with bloody results on them, and their blood splattering onto others). He has the last one impaled to a wall and then bites into the neck, with lots of blood coming out from that wound. He then smashes or decapitates that character (with additional bloody/gory results).

We see a flashback to blood flowing into a grate of sorts.

Selene gives Michael a packet of blood to nourish him, but he can't get himself to consume it.

We see "video" playback of the discovery of various dead bodies, including a woman with deep, large and bloody scrapes on her face, while other victims are also bloody.

We see dead and bloody bodies in a makeshift morgue where Corvinus examines all of them, looking for something. They're all bloody (and one is missing part of its head -- a brief but very gory view), but he then takes a scalpel and cuts down through one man's chest and spreads the skin and tissue apart where he finds an amulet style key. That open incision, Corvinus' gloved hands and the key are all very bloody/gory.

We briefly see some sort of internal view of some of Michael's internal organs going through a transformation.

While suffering from his pending transformation while eating, Michael vomits onto his table.

While still turning into a werewolf, Michael and his clothes are bloody during and after he's shot by others.

Selene bites into her own wrist to draw blood that she'll feed to Michael to nourish him back to health.

Marcus is very bloody after a battle with Selene and Michael, as is the side of the truck Selene was driving during the battle.

Michael's face is bloody following a battle with Marcus.

When sunlight hits her, we see bad burn marks on Selene's skin (first on her hand and then the side of her face -- but both later heal back to normal).

One vampire bites into the neck of another during a sexual encounter (drawing blood).

Selene kills two attacking werewolves with a knife to the head (one thrust in, the other thrown, both with bloody results).

Two female vampires that Selene has killed or just knocked unconscious are bloody.

We see Marcus feeding on a horse's neck (with bloody results).

Marcus uses his sharp, wing tips to impale Tanis and draw him closer to him. He then bites into his neck (with blood there and on Marcus' mouth).

Marcus (in winged vampire mode) knocks various guards around and aside before seemingly impaling Michael and throwing him about. He then slams Michael down onto some sort of large rod that erupts through his chest, followed by impaling his hand on a smaller one (all with very bloody results). When Selene shoots at him, he flies up and impales her wrist with his sharp wingtip (with bloody results), with blood then coming from his mouth. Selene then shoots Marcus in the face many times to escape from him. Later, and with Michael appearing to be dead, she yanks that large rod from his chest (with additional bloody results) and then pours some of her blood into his gaping chest wound in hopes that it will revive him (it doesn't at that moment).

Marcus is very bloody after killing some people off screen.

Marcus impales Corvinus with a wingtip back against a wall. He then drives a sword into his chest with bloody results (we later see a great deal of blood on the floor around him).

Corvinus slices his own wrist and lets Selene feed from that.

Marcus and Selene battle in a flooded complex, with severe blows until she shoots him several times in the chest with a shotgun (with bloody results).

A werewolf is rather bloody after Selene repeatedly shoots it.

Michael drives his hand through a werewolf's body, killing the beast (with bloody results).

Selene fights Marcus (in winged vampire mode) with her holding his arm back toward a spinning helicopter blade, severing the hand (with bloody results). He then jabs a wingtip through Selene's body (with bloody results), but she breaks off the very end of that, jabs it up through his lower jaw into his head and then pushes him backward into the spinning rotor that rips his body apart (with bloody/gory results).

At the same time, Michael battles a huge werewolf, with similarly brutal blows until he grabs the beast and rips its jaws and head apart, killing it (with very bloody/gory results).

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Marcus kills many characters ( including his father) in his quest to rule the world.

The vampires and Lycans continue to battle and kill each other due to their longstanding hatred for each other.

We hear that Tanis kills his own kind to survive.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Others will have less of or no such reaction to the material.

The sight of the various monsters (various styles of vampires and werewolves) and their transformation from "normal" to monstrous might be disturbing or scary to some viewers sensitive to such matters.

Selene hears and then sees Marcus (in winged vampire mode) fly above her and the tree tops.

Selene and others slowly walk through a flooded complex, guns drawn, wary of encountering Marcus and his powerful, werewolf brother.

Selene throws two small explosive devices at a werewolf. It gets out of the area, the devices (now stuck in the ceiling) explode and Selene barely gets out of the way as all sorts of debris falls toward her.

Marcus grabs a cable dangling from a hovering helicopter and yanks the aircraft down through a hole in the roof of a subterranean complex. The chopper comes crashing down through it, with its spinning rotor smashing through a bridge and nearly hitting Selene who gets out of the way just in time.

Selene fights Marcus (in winged vampire mode) who drives her back toward the edge of a broken bridge where a vertically aligned helicopter is stuck with its main rotor still spinning. The two then exchange very brutal blows, with Selene then grabbing Marcus and holding his arm back toward the spinning blade, severing the hand (with bloody results). He then jabs a wingtip through Selene's body (with bloody results), but she breaks off the very end of that, jabs it up through his lower jaw into his head and then pushes him backward into the spinning rotor that rips his body apart (with bloody/gory results).

GUNS/WEAPONS

Machine guns/Handguns/Shotguns/Swords/Axes/Explosives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Get the f*ck away from me," "What the f*ck?" (in subtitles) and "Oh f*ck."

All of the action, stunts and fighting might be enticing for some kids to imitate.

Some kids might be enticed to imitate some of the vampire stuff (such as slicing one's own wrist to allow others to drink the blood, etc.).

JUMP SCENES

We suddenly see a chained werewolf.

A guard dog is suddenly at a truck window.

A werewolf suddenly lunges forward.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

An extreme amount of ominous, suspenseful and action-oriented music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

None.

PROFANITY

At least 4 "f" words, 6 "s" words, 3 uses of "Jesus Christ" and 1 use of "My God."

SEX/NUDITY

Throughout the film, there are various views of Selene in a skintight, leather cat suit that accentuates all of her curves, etc.

A dead woman shows some cleavage.

We briefly see Michael shirtless.

Selene and Michael passionately kiss while standing (as she's in her skintight leather outfit) and he starts to disrobe her, including unzipping the front of that cat suit (we see part of the inside of one of her breasts). We then see a head and shoulders shot of the two of them continue to kiss while both are apparently topless (we see bare shoulders). We then see a full shot of them having sex in the missionary position (with movement, views of the side of his bare butt, and part of her bare butt, but her arms block views of her bare breasts and there are no related sounds as only music plays over the scene). We see other close-up views of their contact (lots of bare skin, but nothing explicit in terms of individual body parts), all in slow-motion including views of her pleasured expression. Later, she wakes up and then sits up, holding the covers across her chest (we see her bare shoulders).

We see Tanis fooling around with a bare-breasted woman (in an embrace on a bed, but he's not completely on top of her). We then see another woman walking toward them in just a bra and thong panties (seen from behind) and she then joins them (the camera briefly views a close-up of her covered crotch area), with Tanis then biting into one's neck (resulting in some blood flowing down her neck), but that's done in a sexual fashion.

Selene encounters Tanis' vampire lovers (one is bare-breasted, the other is in a bra and thong panties) and then hits and bashes both of them about. We later see Tanis carrying the bra and panty one (we see part of her bare butt) and he lays her down next to the dead or unconscious, bare-breasted one.

We see various quick flashback of Tanis with the bare-breasted woman (standing).

We see Michael shirtless, and he and Selene passionately kiss (after surviving a brutal battle with others).

SMOKING

A few miscellaneous characters smoke in several scenes.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

We hear that Selene had to kill members of her vampire family in the past (or something along those lines).

We see a flashback to Selene finding her dead father.

Corvinus tells Marcus (his son) that he is unwelcome in his presence. Marcus (sporting a god complex) then mortally wounds Corvinus, saying that a true god has no father.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

Vampires and werewolves.

Revenge.

Megalomaniacal behavior.

VIOLENCE

We see a flashback to a village that's been attacked in the past, with various dead bodies and a horse lying on the ground at night around various structures that are on fire. The order is given to burn the bodies (before they turn into Lycans), but in the middle of doing so (we see a few burning bodies), the transformations suddenly take place. We then see various bodies turning into werewolves that start attacking the vampires who are on horseback (with the horses and vampires on them being knocked down to the ground). One werewolf is shot with a crossbow, and another is sliced with a sword (with bloody results), while a werewolf bites down into a vampire before being killed with an ax. More such fighting continues, with vampires beheading at least two werewolves (all shot and edited in a very rapid fashion). One werewolf blasts a vampire back through a wooden door or wall, with the vampire then slicing off the werewolf's arm before stabbing it to death.

Small harpoons (attached to heavy chains) are fired into William (in huge werewolf form), with the ends piercing the beast (with bloody results) that yanks one such chain and sends a person flying away. Those shooting the harpoons and chains eventually subdue the werewolf.

We see quick violent flashbacks from the first film including Selene killing or fighting/attacking various characters. That includes half of a vampire's head being sliced off (at an angle, with very gory results) and other bloody results.

We suddenly see a chained werewolf, as does Selene who blasts it with gunfire, but it's already dead.

Various characters try to kill Marcus (in winged vampire mode) with machine gun fire, but he uses his long and sharp wingtip to impale and kill all of them (with bloody results on them, and their blood splattering onto others). He has the last one impaled to a wall and then bites into the neck, with lots of blood coming out from that wound. He then smashes or decapitates that character (with additional bloody/gory results).

We see a flashback to Selene shooting various characters with a machine gun.

Starting to turn into a hybrid werewolf, Michael overturns a table, knocks down some sort of guard and then blasts out through a door where another guard opens fires on him, riddling his back with machine gun fire. He then continues to flee with others also shooting at him (with handguns and machine guns), occasionally hitting him, but he continues to flee from them. Selene then arrives on the scene and hits, flips and knocks those guards around, including breaking one's wrist.

Marcus (in winged vampire mode) slams Selene back against something and disarms her, but Michael blasts Marcus with a handgun that shoots like a machine gun. After Selene and Michael commandeer a truck, he and Marcus battle in the open back of it, slamming and striking each other. Michael ends up dangling off the back as Marcus flies around and repeatedly smashes into the driver's side, trying to attack Selene who, in turn, repeatedly blasts him with gunfire. He then smashes the truck into a rocky roadside formation, but she continues to shoot him until eventually smashing and grinding him against those rocks, scraping him along until he falls to the road as the truck drives off.

To get Selene to safety (out of the sun), Michael drives through a wooden fence, through a warehouse wall and then into various things inside the warehouse.

One character knocks out another, and we then see him and others regaining consciousness (after apparently also being knocked out).

We see a large explosion from a bomb.

Tanis activates a trap door that sends Selene falling down through it where she ends up in a tunnel where two large werewolves separately race at her, with her killing both with a knife to the head (one thrust in, the other thrown, both with bloody results). Meanwhile, up top, a werewolf smacks into the truck, sending Michael flying out of it. He then transforms into a werewolf and attacks that first one with some battling before he kills it (with bloody/gory results). Michael then fights another werewolf, eventually wrapping a large chain around its neck and breaking that.

Selene encounters Tanis' vampire lovers (one is bare-breasted, the other is in a bra and thong panties) and then hits and bashes both of them about (including one hard into a wall).

Tanis holds a bottle and then pours himself some wine, but Selene fires a crossbow arrow through his glass, shattering it.

Marcus (in winged vampire mode) blasts through a barn wall or door.

Marcus uses his sharp, wing tips to impale Tanis and draw him closer to him. He then bites into his neck (with blood there and on Marcus' mouth).

Marcus (in winged vampire mode) knocks various guards around and aside before seemingly impaling Michael and throwing him about. He then slams Michael down onto some sort of large rod that erupts through his chest, followed by impaling his hand on a smaller one (all with very bloody results). When Selene shoots at him, he flies up and impales her wrist with his sharp wingtip (with bloody results), with blood then coming from his mouth. Selene then shoots Marcus in the face many times to escape from him.

We hear sounds of violence (machine gun fire and other contact) outside a door.

Marcus impales Corvinus with a wingtip back against a wall. He then drives a sword into his chest with bloody results (we later see a great deal of blood on the floor around him).

A mortally wounded person activates a bomb, places it among other bombs and we then see the resultant, huge explosion.

Selene and others fire machine guns and a shotgun at and into a werewolf (that kills at least one of the men).

Marcus and Selene battle in a flooded complex, with severe blows until she shoots him several times in the chest with a shotgun (with bloody results).

One man nearly falls through a bridge, with Selene saving him, but a werewolf is then there. It grabs one man who inadvertently shoots the other with his machine gun, followed by Selene repeatedly blasting the werewolf with gunfire from her two handguns.

Selene throws two small explosive devices at a werewolf. It gets out of the area, the devices (now stuck in the ceiling) explode and Selene barely gets out of the way as all sorts of debris falls toward her.

Various "dead" people suddenly turn into werewolves and Selene must fight all of them, with severe blows, gunfire, and slicing and stabbing some of them.

Michael drives his hand through a werewolf's body, killing the beast (with bloody results).

Michael and Selene blast various werewolves with gunfire.

Marcus grabs a cable dangling from a hovering helicopter (holding a gunman who's been shooting a werewolf down below) and yanks the aircraft down through a hole in the roof of a subterranean complex. The chopper comes crashing down through it, with its spinning rotor smashing through a bridge and nearly hitting Selene who gets out of the way just in time.

Selene fights Marcus (in winged vampire mode) who drives her back toward the edge of a broken bridge where a vertically aligned helicopter is stuck with its main rotor still spinning. The two then exchange very brutal blows, with Selene then grabbing Marcus and holding his arm back toward the spinning blade, severing the hand (with bloody results). He then jabs a wingtip through Selene's body (with bloody results), but she breaks off the very end of that, jabs it up through his lower jaw into his head and then pushes him backward into the spinning rotor that rips his body apart (with bloody/gory results).

At the same time, Michael battles a huge werewolf, with similarly brutal blows until he grabs the beast and rips its jaws and head apart, killing it (with very bloody/gory results).

Reviewed January 19, 2006 / Posted January 20, 2006

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