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Underworld (2003)

by Administrator on November 29th, 2005

This is not the first time I have seen this movie of course, I believe this is viewing number three or four, and there’s just something about a war between lycans (werewolves) and vampires (hot) that is quintessentially sexy, regardless of the quality of the movie. I wanted to have another peek at it before the sequel comes out on January 20th of next year, just so that I could grasp the intricacies of the plot and…who am I kidding, I loves me some vamp movies.

Kate Beckinsale plays Selene, a determined, serious member of the vampire race who just so happens to look smashing in black vinyl. She, as a vampire tasked with hunting down the last of the Lycans, predictably falls for one of her sworn enemies, the blonde and confused Michael (Scott Speedman). As Michael’s role in the war and the destiny of the two races becomes clearer, Selene is forced to choose between the only life she’s known, or believing the picture that clues begin to paint.

I first went to see Underworld having heard nothing but good things from my friends who are into that scene, and nothing but bad from my friends who aren’t White Wolf fanatics. I went in with an open mind, knowing that if nothing else, I would have something pretty to stare at for two hours to take my mind off the crappiness, should crappiness ensue.

The movie had two large redeeming points: the gluttonous mass of black leather, and the way they attempted to work biology into the storyline, giving it a hint of science authority in what is normally a very poorly explained phenomenon. I’m still impressed that they looked at immunological concepts, xenotransplantation rejection, and inter-species variation, rather than just “the b*tch bit me and now I’m going to die!”. It may not have been the cleanest science, but it was nice to see them make the attempt at a rational explanation.

The technological innovations re: the weaponry used were neat as well. UV and silver nitrate bullets for vampire and lycan killing respectively, showed an adaptation of an ancient battle to modern times. It was like mythical creature research & development. I’d get bit to be able to work on projects like that!

Unfortunately, the movie also had its problems. I found the whole love story distracting, rushed and forced. True, I can’t really blame Scott Speedman’s character for getting all friendly as soon as possible. It just felt very contrived and lacked any sort of depth.

The number of rounds of ammunition that were fired off in this movie bordered on the insane, and I’m not really sure it was necessary. At points it looked like The Matrix with fangs. Honestly, it doesn’t take a five minute montage of bang-bang noises with an automatic weapon to shoot three bad guys in an enclosed space. A six year old would have better aim. I particularly liked how Beckinsale’s character, could stand in the middle of a hallway/room/tunnel with no cover and never get hit, even though there were half a dozen people shooting specifically at her. It just got irritating after a while.

Lastly, there is always something of a CGI nature that makes me cringe. Underworld was doing so well! I was impressed with the lack of stupidity in the Fx department. Until, that is, the last scene, where Scott Speedman ended up looking like a Smurf on drugs. Honestly, with the technology of today, I would have thought they would do better. Still, after a third watching of the original, I can’t wait to sink my fangs into Underworld: Evolution.

In Brief: Good fun, no depth. Entertaining but not at all impressive. A must for vampire movie fans or role players who crave some big screen exposure.

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POSTED IN: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Film Reviews