For anyone wanting to see a movie with an intricate plot filled with many subtexts that also combine action, drama, fantasy, horror and romance into a neat and presentable package, I would recommend "Underworld: Evolution."

The film opened nationwide Jan. 20 and is the sequel to "Underworld," which was released in September 2003. Starring the same core cast, Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, the movie picks up from where the original left off.

Both movies are based on a war fought between vampires and lycans (werewolves) that has waged on for centuries. However, "Underworld: Evolution" gives the audience the "why" of the war, explaining what transpired to create such an epic battle. But to truly understand what is taking place on-screen, you'll need to see "Underworld" to capture the full essence of this film.

Many of the characters make a valiant return in this film, not showcasing their talents but proving that they can hold a film plot together.

Beckinsale plays the same character as the original, Selene, a human-turned-vampire, who for centuries has supported her kind in the war. However, at the end of the previous film Selene finds out the truth: Viktor, one of the vampires whom she looked up to the most, is the person who killed her natural parents.

Viktor, played by Bill Nighly, could be called one of the head vampires. He had previously lied to Selene, telling her that a lycan had killed her parents. Viktor is killed at the end of Underworld, but he returns at the beginning of the movie in a flashback scene.

Also returning from the first movie is Speedman playing Michael Corvin. Corvin is one of the few and rare hybrids - half vampire, half lycan - a consequence of being bitten by both. This means that he is more powerful than both lycan and vampire. This transformation occurred in the first film.

The newcomers to this sequel are extremely important to the history of the war between the two breeds. Tony Curran, playing Marcus, a hybrid that is also a leader of the vampires; and Brian Stelle, playing William an out of control lycan, both brothers and the children of Corvinus, played by Derek Jacobi. Corvinus is the bloodline that both Lycans and Vampires are able to trace their origins back to.

"Underworld: Evolution" clears up a lot of questions that the first movie did not answer such as: why were Selene's parents killed? And most importantly, how the vampire and lycan species even came into being.

The film's scenes were packed with even more action than the previous movie, and most stunts were actually completed by Beckinsale and Speedman themselves.

The movie begins with a flashback of centuries ago; when William was first captured and imprisoned because of the havoc he had already caused the world. However, Viktor had a prophetic vision that if William or Marcus were killed that it would wipe out all lycans and vampires because of the bloodlines.

Once the movie returned back to the present time, we find out that Marcus has been awakened after being "asleep" for many centuries. This is the one thing that Selene wanted, and that Kraven (Shane Brolly), a bad-seed vampire, didn't want.

Marcus extracts from Kraven (by less-than-pleasant means) key information from his absence, then sets out to find the key to unlock the cell that his brother had been banished away to centuries beforehand.

The essential problem of getting the key is that it is in two pieces. One piece that is kept with Viktor at all times, and the other that was worn around the neck of Lucian, the leader of the lycans, at all times. Since Lucian was killed in the first movie, the pendant (key) now lies around the neck of Michael.

The next unusual feature is that Marcus does not know where his brother's cell is located. An essential component of the plot is when a vampire bites you or tastes your blood, they receive all the memories that you have; so the only way for Marcus to find William is to bite the sole living being that knows where he is located: Selene.

The movie is centered around Marcus' race to receive Selene's memories, collect both keys and release his brother, while Selene is trying to prevent this from happening.

Essentially, because I am a girl, one of my favorite parts of the entire movie was the scene were Selene and Michael finally acted on the emotions that were entirely obvious to all viewers since they met in the first movie.

This is especially interesting because the director of the movie is Beckinsale's real life husband, Len Wiseman.

However, to find out it was a match made in heaven, and also to see how the war between Lycans and Vampires ends you will have to go see the movie.

Yet to watch and enjoy this movie you have to be open-minded to the world of fantasy.

If you are biased toward it then you don't stand the possibility of enjoying the movie.

Take an open mind and an active imagination and you have a film that will entice your senses.