Underworld (2003) Movie Review
Written by: ML
Edited by: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Len Wiseman
Producers: Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright
Writers: Danny McBride
Date Released: September 19, 2003
Cast:
Kate Beckinsale as Selene
Scott Speedman as Michael Corvin
Bill Nighy as Viktor
Michael Sheen as Lucian
Shane Brolly as Kraven
Erwin Leder as Singe
Sophia Myles as Erika
Robbie Gee as Kahn
Kevin Grevioux as Raze
Scott McElroy as Soren
Rating = 4/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
The story is about a blood feud and war between vampires and lycans. The vampire death dealers, together with Selene, discovered that the lycans were after a human carrying the origin bloodline from the Corvinus clan. It was a tug-of-war between the supposedly dead lycan leader, Lucian, and Selene on who gets their hands on Michael. Apparently, the current vampire coven leader, Kraven, made a deal with Lucian to fake his death. With all her theories, Selene awakened Viktor, an elder vampire she trusts. After Lucian kidnapped Michael, a heart-to-heart talk between them revealed the true nature of Viktor. This revelation made Selene turn her back on Viktor during the battle and bite Michael who was already a lycan. This turned him into a hybrid, stronger than vampires and lycans. With Viktor and Lucian dead, Michael and Selene did not realize the awakening of another elder vampire, Marcus.
Gore Factor
Though this is a vampire and werewolf movie, there are only a few bite scenes. It is more of an action movie. The gunshot wounds are the only bloody portions of the film. The train ambush scene is an example of this. There are a few bite scenes such as Michael’s bite wound from Lucian. The most notable gory scene is the death of Viktor, when his face was sliced. Viktor’s awakening scene and the transition of the lycans were also very detailed.
The Grave Review
This movie is a great start to an extensive Underworld film series. The never-ending battle between vampires and werewolves is an interesting horror subject that this movie has upgraded into an action-packed story.
With an amazing cast of characters, there is no question when it comes to the acting. With appearance, it is easily distinguishable whether a character is a vampire or a lycan. They followed the stereotypes that werewolves are hairy and vampires are sophisticated.
Since it is an action-packed movie, there are no scary elements. The use of horror icons such as vampires and werewolves, and the use of weapons against them such as silver and UV light make it good. The idea of a hybrid between a vampire and a werewolf is a great theme to cover.
The questionable aspect of this movie was how quick Selene and Michael fell in love with each other. They were complete strangers. When she took him to the vampire hideout, they had just started talking about their private lives. Then they kissed and that was it, they end up battling their clans just for their love for each other. There was no story and no chemistry between them.
If there is a thing to love about this movie, it is the back stories that made it clear as to who started the war. Towards the ending, audiences thinking about Lucian as the villain will immediately have a change of heart and will agree to the gory death of Viktor.
The ending is also good in the sense that audiences would want to know more about the newly transformed Michael and his relationship with Selene, and the awakening of Marcus.
Overall, Underworld (2003) is perfect for those who love vampires and werewolves, and more of action sequences aside from horror.
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