Unrated
(Strong Violence/Gore and Some Language)
Running
Time: 2 Hours & 13 Minutes
Cast-
Kate
Beckinsale-Selene
Scott
Speedman-Michael Corvin
Michael
Sheen-Lucian
Shane
Brolly-Kraven
Bill
Nighy-Viktor
Sophia
Myles-Erika
Robbie
Gee-Kahn
Zita
Görög-Amelia
Erwin
Leder-Singe
Kevin
Grevioux-Raze
Wentworth
Miller-Dr. Adam Lockwood
Directed
by Len Wiseman
 |
| Kate Beckinsale makes vampires cool again in Len Wiseman's "Underworld." |
Note: Part of the "Underworld Trilogy: The Essential Collection" Blu-Ray set.
Kate
Beckinsale is an incredibly attractive lady, an opinion not many will dispute, although
I do wish she wouldn’t smoke as it is a nasty, unhealthy habit but what can you
do? From Sigourney Weaver’s Xenomorph-hunting Ellen Ripley to Carrie Ann-Moss’ leather-clad
computer hacker Trinity, Hollywood has had its fair share of memorable female
action heroines and now you can add Beckinsale to that growing list thanks to her
role as corset-wearing vampire warrior Selene in the “Underworld” franchise,
whose fourth installment, “Underworld Awakening,” is set to be released on
January 20, 2012. Although the original 2003 film received largely negative
reviews from critics upon release, it earned something of a cult following and
became a mild box office success, its $96 million worldwide gross and relatively
small production budget allowed for a sequel to be green-lit as was the
intention anyway given the film’s ending that left much of the plot unresolved.
Before Stephenie Meyer’s series of “Twilight” novels enthralled millions of
teenage girls and became a box office juggernaut in 2008 with the release of
the film adaptation of the first novel, “Underworld” arrived five years earlier
with a similar concept in which vampires and werewolves co-existed with
unsuspecting humans but that’s where the similarities end. Meyer’s tale focused
on a human caught between the affections of a vampire and werewolf while the
other was an action-oriented affair where a vampire has a forbidden romance
with a werewolf despite the fact that the two species have been at war with
each for the better part of six centuries. “Underworld” is an entertaining film
thanks to its slick visuals and sexy female lead but the story leaves much to
be desired due to the slow pacing and the large amount of exposition that takes
place in-between action scenes. Nonetheless I applaud director Len Wiseman for making
an extra effort in creating a fully-realized world.
Despite the death of their
leader Lucien six hundred years ago, Vampires are still locked in an eternal
war with the remnants of the Lycan (werewolves) horde, with the former
employing specially-trained warriors known as Death Dealers to hunt the latter down. In an unnamed rain-drenched European
city (actually Budapest, Hungary), two Death Dealers led by a woman named
Selene (Kate Beckinsale) are following a pair of Lycans in human form to an
underground subway station. The Lycans fire upon the crowds of innocent
bystanders, forcing Selene and her brethren to retaliate. The Death Dealers
accompanying Selene are quickly killed when one of the Lycans transforms into
their werewolf form but she manages to kill the other when he tries to make a break
for the subway tunnels. Selene retrieves his weapon and locates a Lycan den when
she hears howling deep in the tunnels but is forced to flee when the surviving
Lycan chases after her. Returning to the vampire coven’s aristocratic mansion,
Selene learns from Death Dealer commander Kahn (Robbie Gee) that the weapon she
retrieved contains bullets that emit ultra-violet rays, which are fatal to
vampires. She urges the coven’s regent, Kraven (Shane Brolly), to lead an
attack on the Lycans’ den but he refuses to believe that there is any danger
and demands her to drop the matter. Selene investigates further into the
evening’s events and determines that the Lycans are looking for a human named
Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), an intern at a local hospital. Arriving at his
apartment, Selene finds Michael under attack by a pack of Lycans led by a
seemingly alive and well Lucien (Michael Sheen). Michael is bitten by Lucien
but Selene rescues and brings him back to the coven’s mansion to recuperate.
The attack at the apartment leads Selene to suspect a conspiracy within the
coven ranks, forcing her to break tradition and revive Viktor (Bill Nighy), one
of the ancient Vampire Elders, from hibernation. Complicating matters is her
growing attraction to an infected Michael and soon Selene will find her loyalty
tested where she will be forced to choose between him and her allegiance to the
Vampires.
A stylish action film complete with foreboding gothic visuals, “Underworld”
has an intriguing and surprisingly well-developed backstory but the details are
often conveyed through overlong scenes of exposition and as a whole, is
sloppily paced as the opening minutes unceremoniously dumps the audience into a
chaotic action scene with little to no context provided other than the fact
that vampires and lycans have been at war for centuries. Vampires are depicted
as wealthy aristocrats while the Lycans are a loose guerilla band of rebels
living in the sewers. Although the central plot concerns Selene and her
attempts to discover the Lycans’ interest in a seemingly unassuming human, the
script unfortunately tries to do too much
as it has to balance its themes of romance and revenge with an
already-complicated backstory that it ends up floundering in both those
aspects. I appreciated the Shakespearean approach to Selene and Michael’s forbidden
romance but the two only share one
meaningful conversation before falling in love. The many lulls in-between
action scenes border dangerously close on being dull and tedious as various
characters run around scheming or reiterating what the audience already knows.
Wiseman and his writers went to great lengths establishing the background lore in
order to create a world that felt supernatural yet grounded (vampires and
lycans are actually infected with a unique virus) but the way this information
is revealed makes the film seem like the middle chapter of a larger story and
is one of the rare times in which a prequel is actually necessary. A multitude of themes such as love and loss, honor and
betrayal, even racial segregation are touched upon but none are ever explored
to its full potential because the film’s focus is too broad. Still,
“Underworld” stands out in its attempts to tell a well-realized story compared
to similar genre films who are just content with offering nothing more than
flashy action and little else. Wiseman does not entirely succeed as the
exposition often gets in the way of fully developing the characters but he made
the extra effort, which is more than I can say for a number of other directors
working in Hollywood.
The action scenes certainly get the blood pumping (no pun
intended) with its stylish choreography but it’s all derivative of “The Matrix”
as many of the characters are dressed in shiny black leather costumes with the opening
gun battle between the vampires and lycans in the underground subway station
highly reminiscent of the famous lobby shootout in that film. Selene even spins
around in a circle in slow-motion while shooting the floor with debris flying
everywhere in order to make a quick escape from an advancing pack of Lycans.
Perhaps due to the limited budget used, the Lycans do not transform into their
werewolf form as much as you’d expect but the CG and make-up work is well done.
However, this has the unfortunate side effect of reducing many of the battles
into non-descript shootouts where it’s hard to tell who’s fighting who,
especially during the climatic final minutes of the film. Tony Pierce-Roberts’
cinematography lends “Underworld” a striking look with its subtle blue tint and
de-saturated color palette. The entire film takes place in a rain-drenched
perpetual night where the sun makes nary an appearance.
After starring in a number
of romantic comedies such as 2001’s “Serendipity” and in Michael Bay’s
absolutely horrid “Pearl Harbor” where the director made disparaging comments
on her appearance (what is wrong with
him?!), “Underworld” marked the first time Kate Beckinsale headlined a major
action film and I came away impressed. Her performance can be somewhat flat at
times due to the character's icy cool demeanor but Beckinsale is undeniably the film’s most
compelling asset despite some of the hammy dialogue and looks damn sexy wearing
all that tight leather with guns blazing. Her co-star Scott Speedman seems to
have been cast more for his hunky looks as the chemistry between him and
Beckinsale is virtually non-existent but this is largely due to the film’s poor
handling of their budding romance. Shane Brolly froths at the mouth as the
conniving Kraven while Michael Sheen bares a strong resemblance to Jesus as
Lycan leader Lucien which I feel is not unintentional if you pay close
attention to some the flashbacks. Finally, there’s veteran thespian Bill Nighy,
who delivers the best performance as Vampire Elder Viktor with his sudden
facial tics and aristocratic way of speaking that befits the film.
“Underworld”
was released as a stand-alone Blu-Ray in September 2007 and as part of a
trilogy box set in May 2009. With the impending release of the fourth film,
this box set has been re-released under the label “The Essential Collection.”
Unfortunately, there is absolute nothing
new in this set with the exception of an ornate slipcover and the addition of
“Underworld Endless War,” a collection of three anime shorts totaling a mere
seventeen minutes and packaged lazily in a paper sleeve. This is the same video
and audio transfer as the 2007 release and it holds exceptionally well to this
day. Roberts’ cinematography work is accurately reproduced as shadows have a
solid inky depth with detail abounding in every scene despite the stylistic use
of minimal lighting. Skin tones do take on a pale tinge due to the
black-and-blue aesthetic used and the only other color emphasized is the
crimson blood splatters during the more violent scenes. This is a reference
quality video transfer despite its age and the audio is just as excellent with
its diverse soundscape from the heavy barrage of gunfire to the roars of the
Lycans that will knock your socks off. Even minor effects like the clinking of
shell casings are captured with dialogue always loud and clear. The unrated
extended cut is the only version included on the Blu-Ray with approximately
twelve minutes of additional scenes that are largely filler material to inflate
the already-long running time. Special features are ported over from the DVD in
standard definition and include an audio commentary with Wiseman, Beckinsale,
and Speedman, plus a number of featurettes totaling 87 minutes that explore the
making of the film starting from the script to the visual and sound effects.
Finally, there’s an AMC documentary focusing on the various myths and legends
surrounding vampires and werewolves over the centuries.
Released on September
19, 2003, “Underworld” received a thrashing from critics with a low 31% on
Rotten Tomatoes with the overall consensus being that it was ‘stylish to look
at [but ultimately] tedious and derivative.’ The film grossed $96 million
worldwide against a moderate $22 million production budget but it was strong
DVD sales that eventually led to a sequel three years later. At first glance,
it’s easy to write off “Underworld” as simply ‘all style, no substance’ and
while there are a number of noticeable flaws, as a whole, I enjoyed the film
more than I should have thanks to the intriguing lore and of course, Kate
Beckinsale parading around in badass mode wearing nothing but a tight leather
costume. If you still haven’t seen
the film, it is worth at least a rental or even purchase if it’s relatively
cheap.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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