Yes, the movie that sparked the PMR discussion was Underworld: Evolution.
(Incidentally, PMR seems to be a contentious topic with ppl emailing me about what can be considered a crappy role in a crappy movie. I've also thought of another actor guilty of serial PMR, Peter O'Toole - Troy, King Ralph)
Andrea and I braved all the fanboys (seriously, they looked like Comic Book guy from the Simpsons) to see this movie after we both revealed we were too ashamed to ask other ppl to go watch it with us. U:E is the sequel to the 2003 movie, Underworld. The original featured a vampires dressed in leather and latex duking it out with the scruffier Lycans (Werewolves) for blah blah blah...it wasn't really a movie to watch if you were looking for plot. I'll confess I only watched it cos I enjoy fighting and I do like to see small chicks (in this case Kate Beckinsale) kicking some larger, hairier butt...and maybe just a little for the fetishwear. The original ended on a sequel set up which is where U:E takes off.
The film was intercut with several scenes from the first movie, but if you havent seen the original, stress not because the whole first half of the movie doesn't make any sense. We pick up with Selene and Michael (Beckinsale and Scott Speedman) babbling about how they're on the run cos she killed Bill Nighy in the first movie, how he's a hybrid Lycan/vamp, blah blah blah. The introduction of Derek Jacobi occurs although the significance of his character isnt established until nearly the end so I did a lot of *huh?* whenever he appeared. Anyway, the flow of the movie is essentially - attempt at plot, fighting, attempt at plot, fighting, fighting, sex scene (kinda graphic), fighting, more kinky stuff, fighting, half-hearted explanation of fighting, fighting, explanation of Derek Jacobi, fighting, fighting, fighting, end.
The attempts at plot were kinda frustrating but once the sex scene kicked in...I'm guessing the film-makers realised that this kind of movie was never going to appeal to a crowd who wanted to understand the history between Vamp/Lycan lineage and decided to switch to Vamp/Lycan diplomacy - i.e. fighting. I walked into this movie knowing that advance screenings were not made available to critics in the US, a sure sign that the production company knows the movie is crap, knows the critics will think the movie is crap, and said critics will kill it in the reviews. Safe in with the knowledge that this movie was gonna be an absolute stinker, I happily allowed its crappiness to wash over me and rejoiced in the moment when I realised the filmmakers had given up on plot.
If you want to see a movie with analysis of their characters' psyche and torment, go watch Brokeback Mountain (can't wait for that!). If you want a movie where Kate Beckinsale throws a knife into a werewolf then kills two topless female vampires, this is your movie
A solid 3/5 from me.
But a 1/3 if you really do want to understand Vamp/Lycan lineage.
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