Underworld: Evolution

Len Wiseman’s sequel does not open in the present. The prologue is set in 1202 and shows three vampire elders capturing William Corvinus, the first werewolf. Bill Nighy is billed, but Viktor died in the first film, so he appears only in that prologue and in flashbacks. Derek Jacobi enters as Alexander Corvinus, father of both bloodlines. The effects work is not one thing. With the wings half open, they were physically present on set: extensions worked on rods by puppeteers, the rods painted out later. The moment the wings open fully the shot hands over to Luma Pictures and turns digital. Designer Patrick Tatopoulos wanted wings that fold into the back because, by his account, wings left dangling behind an actor who has just landed usually read as fake. Tony Curran’s makeup ran four hours at first and came in two builds, a simple one for snarling and a detailed one for dialogue. The film opened at number one, taking 26,857,181 dollars from 3,207 theatres. A good fit if you like working out which frame of a wing was shot on set and which was built in a computer. Not for anyone starting the series here; the film assumes you know how the first one ended, and never explains why Viktor only turns up in flashback.