Underworld Evolution is the sequel to Underworld, also directed by Lee Wiseman. It is a very direct continuation of the first film, and in this way it also continues the storyline established by the first film. We learn more of the history of vampires and werewolves, which is in fact one of the film’s stronger suits: the mythology created is in fact quite interesting, especially for a film of this type. The film can hardly be termed horror in the usual way, but it is clearly borrowing elements from the horror genre and using that mythology to create its own universe. Compared to the Blade series, the Underworld series is far more successful.
It is especially this reworking of the horror genre and mythology which interests me about these two films (though I think there might very well be more). The notion that vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies is an old idea in horror, not just from the old Universal films such as House of Dracula. For me, this invites an intertextual reading, since Kate Beckinsale (Selene, the main protagonist in Underworld) also starred in Van Helsing, which was clearly a homage to the old Universal films.
This connection to these older films points to two things that I find interesting. The first is the recuperation which Hollywood has done regarding the old B-movies, a movement which many have remarked upon and the Underworld series is simply another evidence of this.
The second thing is the hyper-aesthetics of the film, and what it reveals about the development of film and culture. Blue-toned lighting, tight leather and latex, slow-motion and highspeed images that blur the action are all evidence of this merging of speed and aesthetics which subjugate the spectator into an almost passive acceptance of the filmic images. Narrative is often supressed in favour of images, turning the film into a spectacle.
What interests me about this spectacle, is the way it reveals how our culture has changed since the horror mythology the film draws on. Horror, especially horror dealing with vampires and werewolves, has always drawn heavily on sexuality. The return of the repressed is almost a knee-jerk interpretation of most horror, and the connection to the characters’ sexuality has been a stable since the Gothic horror took its shape in the 18th century.
It is significant to notice that previously in horror, this sexuality was generally hidden. Not just in the unconscious sense, but it was also often represented symbolically and metaphorically rather than explicitly. Moralities and aeshetic representation worked differently then, but it is obvious that vampires, with the way they share bodily fluids and posses their victims, are sexual beings. Werewolves, in their animal states, also represent sexuality in its bestial form.
In Underworld, the sexuality becomes far more explicit, and the main characters are sexulaized in a number of ways. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) wears skintight latex and the camera often moves in caressing ways over her body. Michael (Scott Speedman) always looses his shirt when he changes to his hybrid form, and he is a long way from Lon Chaney’s Wolfman. His body is never covered in filthy fur, but retains its skin-like quality, much like Selene’s wounds quickly heal back to the clean, white original state.
In Underworld Evolution, there is even a sexscene between Selene and Michael, something which we saw coming already from the first film. Although the scene is not explicit, there is plenty of skin revealed, and the camera circles around Selene’s lower waist several times, though a leg modestly hides any clear view of what’s between her legs. The sensuous lighting fits poorly with the fact that they are in fact hiding in a container, illuminated only by harsh flourescent lights.
The sexuality becomes far more pronounced in these scenes and it is clear that the bodies of Selene and Michael become spectacles as much as the action sequences do. Sex becomes a specific element in the film, and it also becomes evident that pornographic codes, more than erotic codes, contaminate the film.
Selene is an interesting character to look closer at, because her role as both female and main protagonist is unusual, though less so in recent years. She is presented as a strong, capable character. In the film, she is a Death Dealer, an executioner. Her abilities, however, are never drawn into question and the film never makes her less capable than her male counterparts. She saves the male character as often as he saves her, and the film clearly portray them as equals.
It remains, however, a phallic gaze which controls the camera, and Selene’s body is offered up for viewing far more than Michael’s is. This shows that even in a film where there is a very distinct emphasis on making the female equal to the male, phallic structures still emerge.
