One of the best looking releases and a great sounding one, “Underworld: Evolution” is likely the best overall Blu-Ray release yet.
The problem with "Underworld: Evolution" is that the film is just so darn dark. Ninety percent of the film takes place in darkly lit interiors, moonlit exteriors and the shadows. Vampires can´t exactly take a sunny walk down the street, so their allergic reaction to the solar ball of fire that we enjoy translates to a visual curse for us. We have to enjoy them in the dark. Fortunately, shadow detail is very good in the film and black levels are quite good. Once or twice the film seemed slightly washed out, but even on my LCD HDTV, I could nicely make out all fine details and see perfectly clear in the dark. Turn off the lights while watching "Underworld: Evolution" and it is a visual treat.
Sound:
Two words: Uncompressed PCM. Blu-Ray is not currently taking the path of either Dolby TrueHD audio or Dolby Digital Plus, but the Uncompressed PCM 5.1 multi-channel surround mixes make me go giddy. "House of Flying Daggers" still amazes me with its sound and "Underworld: Evolution" is not that far behind. It sounds simply great. From the sound of the vampires teeth puncturing skin (think melon) to heavy breathing in the shadows, you can hear an amazing level of detail. The rain, a dog barking and the loud gunfire are all spectacular.
There are a lot of ambient sound effects, environmental effects and the six analog channels fully fill my viewing space with pleasant and aggressive sound as the bass thumps along. It really is quite an entertaining aural symphony. The relaxed musical score by Marco Beltrami is drowned out by sound effects and dialogue through much of the film and that is perhaps the only flaw of the soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and keeps at a volume loud enough to understand what is being said, even through the most aggressive moments. The soundtrack is loud. It is full of life and it helps make this entertaining picture even more entertaining.
Extras:
From taking a cursory glance at the standard definition release of "Underworld: Evolution," it would appear that all of the supplements have made the journey to the Blu-Ray disc. This is quite notable considering this disc has almost as many supplements as the other dozen titles combined. Out of my ten titles, this is the only one with any real value-added material. HD-DVD has been doing a great job of providing the supplements from the best releases of SD-DVD and I remember seeing this title initially and falsely assuming Blu-Ray would do the same. At this time, the title is a rarity for its supplements, and with a running time of 106 minutes, I´m still not sure of why we couldn´t have a couple supplements on our other Blu-Ray discs.
If you can pry yourself away from the Uncompressed PCM 5.1 mix, there is a nice Director and Filmmakers´ Commentary track. Featuring director Len Wiseman and a handful of others, the commentary is insightful and full of information. The stunt coordinator makes an appearance here and you get some good information on how the stunts were performed. The men talk throughout the entire soundtrack. There is hardly any deadspace and they are informative. I won´t say this is one of the best commentary tracks I have heard, but it is a good one. It is certainly the best one currently available on Blu-Ray.
But wait. There is more! Running shy of an hour total, the six featurettes contained on the disc give a detailed look at all aspects of making the film. The Hybrid Theory – Visual Effects Featurette is exactly what it´s title suggests, a look at the special effects of this great looking film. The War Rages On – Stunts Featurette takes a look at – you guessed it – the stunts. In this supplement, you can get an idea of the wirework that held Kate. Bloodlines: From Script to Screen – Making-Of Featurette discusses the development of the script and how it was molded into the final product. Making Monsters Roar – Creature Featurette looks at the vampires and werewolves that we established we all love. Building a Saga – Production Design Featurette delves in the oft uncovered world of what all goes into piecing these films together. Finally, Music and Mayhem – Music and Sound Design Featurette takes a look at the great sound effects and the musical score that often takes a backseat. These features are nice detailed looks at the making of the film and don´t stray far from the formulaic talking heads methodology, but their inclusion on this Blu-Ray disc is very welcome and very nice.
I almost forgot, there is also the Music Video "Her Potrait in Black" by Atreyu. I didn´t remember hearing the song in the film and couldn´t sing a bar of it for you now, but it was all about Kate and we´ve already established that I think Kate is a good thing to see. Didn´t want to forget the music video. Every supplement counts, especially for a format that is starved of them.
Closing Thoughts:
"Underworld: Evolution" is a fun film. It strives to entertain and it succeeds. The film is best played with the sound cranked up and with the lights out. The film is an audio visual assault of the senses and it makes for good home theater viewing on the fledging Blu-Ray format. What is even more special about this Blu-Ray disc is the fact that there are real supplements. These have been missing from almost every other release, but "Underworld: Evolution" is actually decent package. One of the best looking releases and a great sounding one, "Underworld: Evolution" is likely the best overall Blu-Ray release yet.
So yes, maybe not everybody likes vampires and werewolves and gets excited about films where the two mythical species are locked in a centuries old conflict. There are plenty of people out there who will disagree with me and say this is a bad movie with a horrific plot and that Kate isn´t even cute. Well, my opinion is "Underworld: Evolution" is a good time. You don´t find too many good horror-action films these days as the good ole ´slasher´ films and gorefests are dominating the screams and frights. "Underworld: Evolution" is a far better film than recent competitors like "Van Helsing." So to answer my big question – yes, the film is a decent sequel and one of the better Blu-Rays currently on market.
Sound:
Two words: Uncompressed PCM. Blu-Ray is not currently taking the path of either Dolby TrueHD audio or Dolby Digital Plus, but the Uncompressed PCM 5.1 multi-channel surround mixes make me go giddy. "House of Flying Daggers" still amazes me with its sound and "Underworld: Evolution" is not that far behind. It sounds simply great. From the sound of the vampires teeth puncturing skin (think melon) to heavy breathing in the shadows, you can hear an amazing level of detail. The rain, a dog barking and the loud gunfire are all spectacular.
There are a lot of ambient sound effects, environmental effects and the six analog channels fully fill my viewing space with pleasant and aggressive sound as the bass thumps along. It really is quite an entertaining aural symphony. The relaxed musical score by Marco Beltrami is drowned out by sound effects and dialogue through much of the film and that is perhaps the only flaw of the soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and keeps at a volume loud enough to understand what is being said, even through the most aggressive moments. The soundtrack is loud. It is full of life and it helps make this entertaining picture even more entertaining.
Extras:
From taking a cursory glance at the standard definition release of "Underworld: Evolution," it would appear that all of the supplements have made the journey to the Blu-Ray disc. This is quite notable considering this disc has almost as many supplements as the other dozen titles combined. Out of my ten titles, this is the only one with any real value-added material. HD-DVD has been doing a great job of providing the supplements from the best releases of SD-DVD and I remember seeing this title initially and falsely assuming Blu-Ray would do the same. At this time, the title is a rarity for its supplements, and with a running time of 106 minutes, I´m still not sure of why we couldn´t have a couple supplements on our other Blu-Ray discs.
If you can pry yourself away from the Uncompressed PCM 5.1 mix, there is a nice Director and Filmmakers´ Commentary track. Featuring director Len Wiseman and a handful of others, the commentary is insightful and full of information. The stunt coordinator makes an appearance here and you get some good information on how the stunts were performed. The men talk throughout the entire soundtrack. There is hardly any deadspace and they are informative. I won´t say this is one of the best commentary tracks I have heard, but it is a good one. It is certainly the best one currently available on Blu-Ray.
But wait. There is more! Running shy of an hour total, the six featurettes contained on the disc give a detailed look at all aspects of making the film. The Hybrid Theory – Visual Effects Featurette is exactly what it´s title suggests, a look at the special effects of this great looking film. The War Rages On – Stunts Featurette takes a look at – you guessed it – the stunts. In this supplement, you can get an idea of the wirework that held Kate. Bloodlines: From Script to Screen – Making-Of Featurette discusses the development of the script and how it was molded into the final product. Making Monsters Roar – Creature Featurette looks at the vampires and werewolves that we established we all love. Building a Saga – Production Design Featurette delves in the oft uncovered world of what all goes into piecing these films together. Finally, Music and Mayhem – Music and Sound Design Featurette takes a look at the great sound effects and the musical score that often takes a backseat. These features are nice detailed looks at the making of the film and don´t stray far from the formulaic talking heads methodology, but their inclusion on this Blu-Ray disc is very welcome and very nice.
I almost forgot, there is also the Music Video "Her Potrait in Black" by Atreyu. I didn´t remember hearing the song in the film and couldn´t sing a bar of it for you now, but it was all about Kate and we´ve already established that I think Kate is a good thing to see. Didn´t want to forget the music video. Every supplement counts, especially for a format that is starved of them.
Closing Thoughts:
"Underworld: Evolution" is a fun film. It strives to entertain and it succeeds. The film is best played with the sound cranked up and with the lights out. The film is an audio visual assault of the senses and it makes for good home theater viewing on the fledging Blu-Ray format. What is even more special about this Blu-Ray disc is the fact that there are real supplements. These have been missing from almost every other release, but "Underworld: Evolution" is actually decent package. One of the best looking releases and a great sounding one, "Underworld: Evolution" is likely the best overall Blu-Ray release yet.
So yes, maybe not everybody likes vampires and werewolves and gets excited about films where the two mythical species are locked in a centuries old conflict. There are plenty of people out there who will disagree with me and say this is a bad movie with a horrific plot and that Kate isn´t even cute. Well, my opinion is "Underworld: Evolution" is a good time. You don´t find too many good horror-action films these days as the good ole ´slasher´ films and gorefests are dominating the screams and frights. "Underworld: Evolution" is a far better film than recent competitors like "Van Helsing." So to answer my big question – yes, the film is a decent sequel and one of the better Blu-Rays currently on market.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]19061[/release]