8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 23, 2006 ARTS 'Evolution' embraces action, guns and gore 'Spear' not quite sharp enough Daily Arts Writer 4 4 By David R. Eicke Daily Arts Writer The head bone's connected to the ... well, not anymore. Jawbones rarely stay hinged in "Underworld: Evolution." The top sets of molars usu- ally end up somewhere on the other side of the room. But at least the horror story stays intact, albeit a tad ridiculous. In a sequel that tracks an enduring, bloody feud between vam- Underworld: Evolution At the Showcase and Quality 16 Screen Gems begin with. Conceptually, it doesn't have as far to fall. It turns out that this ongoing feud startedr= in one family: The first-ever werewolf and the first-ever vampire were twins fathered by the same immortal man. The schism took hold when the wolf brother, William, was shut away for "all time" against his twin's will. Now Marcus, the vampire brother (Tony Cur- ran, "Flight of the Phoenix"), has been let loose and sets out on a quest to free his twin from eternal imprisonment. This may sound like a heartwarming tale of brotherly love, but the idea is that once united, they can take over the world as "new gods." The job of preventing an apocalyptic Mar- cus-William reunion is left to the visually deli- cious, leather-clad Selene (Kate Beckinsale, "Serendipity") and her werewolf/vampire- hybrid lover Michael (Scott Speedman, "xXx: State of the Union") of the first "Underworld" "What do you the mean the class is full, bitch?!" pires and werewolves, there's something to be said for ridiculousness. "Evolution" follows much the same pattern of "The Matrix" sequels. The franchise begins with a cool new concept (if one considers vampires vs. werewolves cool), bases a good movie around that concept, and then, with nothing left to propel it, the sequel resorts to more gore, more sex and more action in an attempt to trump the original. The difference between the sequels (and what makes "Evolution" work) is that, some- what unlike "The Matrix," the concept wasn't exactly brimming with intellectual power to Courtesy or Screen Gems movie. But before they get to that, they lock them- selves in a box and have sex all day. It wreaks of Trinity and Neo: both powerful superhuman specimens, the male with a little more power because of some strange gift, locked in an environment with no natural light. And it's a little disappointing. You expect more out of vam- pire-on-half-vampire fornication - some biting or scratching or something. But no.-Just regular, nice-and-slow, "Cold Mountain"-type sex. Not only does the film capitalize on the physi- cal beauty of its actors, but also on its potential for action and entrails. It's filled with lovely, gur- gling blood sounds, high-energy music, cheesy morphing effects and concrete that crumbles when a guy hits his head on it. These may sound like drawbacks, but they come off as charming. The production has long since abandoned any attempt at realism. "Underworld: Evolution" has stayed true to its name. It has "evolved." It retains its identity, but the characters are stronger, the action crazier and the villains more grandi- ose. Maybe in the next movie they'll wash their hair and start wearing cotton. But maybe that's too much to ask. I . Want a good, indigenous-themed action film, but find Terrence Malick's delicate,epic poem- type filmmaking a little too much to End of the bear? Have no fear. Spear There's another At the Showcase film you can turn to and Quality 16 for clanking weap- Jungle ons and shattered cultures. Although "End of the Spear" lacks the artistic high-mindedness of Malick's aborigi- nal-adventure movie "The New World," which just went wide, it's still decent, with reasonable bouts of action and a stir- ring storyline. Set in the rainforests of Ecuador, "Spear" follows missionaries looking to engage and study the Waodani tribe, the most violent people anthropologists have ever chronicled. Into the Waodani's world of daily killing go Nate Saint (newcomer Chad Allen) and four other missionaries, who hope to establish contact and con- vince the tribe to lay down their arms. But things go horribly awry for the well mean- ing but ill-prepared outsiders, and they're all speared to death. Yet through their sac- rifice, the five pioneers set the way for oth- ers to redeem the vicious tribe. Nate's son Steve eventually journeys into the forest to confront his father's killer and finally understand his death. Removed from its obvious, pandering Christian undertones, "Spear" is a pass- able action film with a more compelling plot than many of its contemporaries. Though receiving minimal attention from studio marketers and critics, the film is actually not a bargain-basement, straight- to-video production. There are many well composed shots of beautiful forests and a sweeping score to unify the film. Despite the absence of any well known actors, there are some strong perfornances here, especially from main tribesmen ei cay- ani and Kimo (newcomers Louie Leon- ardo and Jack Guzman, respectively). As a true story about the tragic plight of a group of missionaries, the film does tend to be one-sideda lects to tackle the questions of eth .cen- trism and the morality of docuniting 4eFregFn culture. Ce4ainly the mis- sionaries had noble intentions, but we can't help but be alarmed by the fact that the film completely ignores the issue of cultural dominance. Do mis- sionaries destroy culture? Regardless of what the answer is, the issue should be confronted rather than ignored. Even as other Christian-themed films receive recognition for their artistic val- ues as well as their spiritual message ("The Passion of the Christ" and "The Chronicles of Narnia"), "End of the Spear" will likely go unnoticed. To be sure, it's a touching account. But the Jan- uary freeze and Colin Farrell's sweeping mane in the next theater over are likely to spell the end for "Spear" Q 4 I I 000 0 At Ernst & Young you'll get the on-the-job training you need to succeed on your own. We know you're new to the work force. That's why we've created an environment that's conducive to personal and professional growth and success. At Ernst & Young we're offering an opportunity to learn from some of the best talent in the industry. If you're looking for a great start, look for us on campus. Or visit us on the Web at ey.com/us/careers. 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