Let's face it, the straight action genre has dried up. Films on the par of Die Hard, Total Recall, and Predator are not to be found these days. Most good action films these days are sci-fi, and are awesome, but lack some of the good old fashioned style of action's heyday.

The original Underworld was a refreshing jolt. Mistakenly called a horror film by many, it is in fact an action film that just happens to deal with vampires battling werewolves. An action film set in a horror universe, if you would. I had thoroughly enjoyed it, and found it highly entertaining. The horror genre has been dying as well, with films no longer about story or entertainment, but about the level of gore and freakouts. What happened to Dracula and the Wolfman? What happened to Vincent Price? What happened to John Carpenter? This stuff isn't good enough anymore? Now we have to target young teens and try to gore the crap out of them?

Maybe that's why I loved Underworld so much, it answered my cravings not only for good action, but the concept of vampires and werewolves satisfyed the old-school horror penchant that I love. A couple of weeks ago, I bought the Underworld Extended Collectors set on DVD. I had never gotten it, and it slipped through the cracks. But this new edition came with a bonus disc with a trailer and short glimpse of Evolution. I was in disbelief to say that I was more psyched for Evolution than any film since ROTS.

Even now, only my desire to see X3 eclipses the emotion I felt to see Evolution. I was not dissappointed. At all.

Simply put, I have not been entertained on this level by an action film in years. The story was present and entertaining, but unlike many recent films, it wasn't too complex or convuluted and never got off track or poorly executed. It also tied into the original very well, as events and backstory from the first film are given a new light. And the action is intense! The kills are satisfying and well done, and contain a proper gore level for an R-rated film, not excessive, but not sanitized either. The fight scenes are well done. The visual effects and art direction match the tone of the first film.

Nothing that happens in the film is too farfetched, even at the end. The film never tries to be more than it should, it stays with what works and with what entertains. That being said, the film does a great job with character development for an action film. The scene where Selene and Michael copulate is not done just to do it, it was in fact very sensual and romantic, and was tastefully executed.

None of the actors perform campily or over-dramatically, they stick to a level of seriousness that works for a film of this type. I just simply can't say enough good about the film. While many critics lambasted it, and the studio even prevented some from screening it, I don't care. Even if this were the greatest action film of all time, crtics would hate it. That's what critics do. IGN had a very level-headed review: they liked it, and said that if you liked the original, and if you like action and vampire flicks, you'd like this film. That's sensible. Basically, this isn't a film you're going to decide about while watching it. Your decision on liking is made before you even walk in.

As for me, I can't say enough good about the film.