By Isaiah Smith/reporter

   Picking up right where we left off, literally, Underworld: Evolution starts with a bang and never stops until the end.
   Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is kicking butt and taking names in this movie with Michael (Scott Speedman) along as her hybrid lover-boy sidekick.
   Underworld: Evolution, directed by Len Wiseman who made his directing debut on Underworld back in ’03, is like a roller coaster ride all the way through.
   With a plot that twists and turns from start to finish, this movie is fascinating to watch.
   I actually had to remind myself to breathe at one point because the suspense was so good. And with a completely new type of vampire story going on, this might be the best thing to happen to the vampire genre since Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
   Wiseman also co-wrote both movies with Danny McBride, whose resume before the Underworld series is mostly as a stunt coordinator on films such as Jawbreaker.
   What impressed me most about this film is that it isn’t a sequel in the usual sense.
   The sequel starts the same night the first film ended, which immediately brings the viewer into the action. The movie is more like the rest of the story.
   Evolution definitely had a bigger budget than the first, and it shows.
   The special effects are fantastic. Everything looks real, and, of course, a little nudity comes with a bigger budget making this movie very sensual.
   The plot progresses at a quick pace and holds interest. At no point does the film drag.
   Beckinsale helps hold attention in her skin-tight leather outfit.
   But she is much more than a pretty face in this role; she is completely believable as Selene and gives the character depth and nuance.
   She gives one of the best female performances in an action movie since Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider.
   With Jolie expecting, Beckin-sale is poised to take over as Hollywood’s leading action female star.
   Speedman reprises his role of Michael but takes the character to a new level with awesome transformation scenes and some serious fight scenes while still maintaining that spark of humanity in the character that so enveloped his role in the first film.
   Evolution is a must see for anyone who likes action movies, and with this film being so flashback happy, seeing the first version isn’t necessary although that would help you get the nuances better.
   This movie has a surprisingly tender side, which gives some artistic meat to the usually plot-bare action genre,
   However, that soft touch does not mean action lovers won’t find plenty of explosions.
   All in all, this film rocks. Everyone needs to see it and take friends to see it because this is destined to transform into its own franchise in the comic and vampire crowds.
   I’m talking comic books, fan fiction, conventions.
   It might even change the image of vampires in the American sub-culture as Buffy the Vampire Slayer did in the late ’90s.
   I’d give this film five stars. I’m not much of an action movie fan myself, but I’m raving about this one, so don’t wait.
   See it soon because it is worth every penny.