Underworld (2003)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

How sad is this?

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

For nearly fifteen years now, the "Underworld" franchise has been entertaining audiences with its relatively competent action and overly moody visuals. And that is most certainly to be commended, considering the original film was definitely the product of its time and might not quite hold up for modern audiences with its decidedly dated aesthetic. This is through and through an early 2000's cheese fest, with borderline insane Gothic overtones, melodramatic writing and a penchant for outlandish wire-filled stunt work... yet I have to say, it's a lot of fun. I remember being in High School when this first chapter hit screens, and it was a big hit with us. And even to this day, I still think it holds up rather nicely, if for no other reason than its just so excessive and so stylish, yet with just complex enough a story to keep you guessing, it doesn't lose its effect.Kate Beckinsale stars as Selene, a "Death Dealer"- a sort-of vampire assassin who helps wage war in a seemingly never-ending battle against the Lycans- werewolves. However, when she finds herself mysteriously attracted to a human man named Michael (Scott Speedman) who is being sought after by her Lycan enemies, and as she starts to uncover hints of treachery and conspiracy within her vampire house, a chain of events will begin to unfold that will not only change the way she views the world, but may hold the key to changing the war in unimaginable ways...The success of the film really falls onto the shoulders of director/co-writer Len Wiseman and the fairly excellent casting that brings the sometimes stock characters to life. Wiseman is a really interesting filmmaker. I haven't necessarily been a fan of his, and sometimes his choices are just head-scratching... but I appreciate his efforts, and when it pays off (as it does here, or in other films like his amusing and thrilling "Live Free or Die Hard"), it really pays off. His use of a deathly cold color-palate and overly-Gothic design sensibilities really brings you into the world of the war between vampires and Lycans. It helps to sort-of let us know that we're in a different "world" that exists alongside our own. He also just knows how to tell a darned-good action scene, and some of the gun-battles and martial-arts displays he gives us are still pretty darned awe- inspiring even to this day. Even if they can sometimes feel a little hokey, you'll never be bored by his use of action. It really helps to elevate what could otherwise have been a drab, lifeless affair.The cast is just great. Beckinsale might not be an Academy Award winning actress, but she knows how to kick some serious Lycan butt and look good doing it, and she's got just enough of a charm that we can buy the more tender moments of romance and pathos that the film occasionally gives her. There's a reason why Selene is still a popular character and people still enjoy these films. Speedman's role might be a bit under-developed, but he's fine in a supporting role as Selene's love interest, and a few twists later on give him some good concepts to sink his teeth into. Michael Sheen is absolutely fantastic in a supporting role as one of the Lycan leaders- an ancient figure with a definite chip on his shoulder. I'm more used to seeing Sheen in comedic roles, so it's a lot of fun seeing him as a brooding, violent figure. And Bill Nighy is just amazing as Viktor- a vampire elder who is awakened and plays a large part in the story. Nighy chews the scenery with such glee and is just a blast to watch. It's always a treat when he pops up, because no matter how far "out there" the role is, he goes for it completely.Unfortunately, the film does have some pretty big issues, most of which boil down to some fundamental problems with the writing and the execution of the material. And that's where it loses a few big points from me. The script by Danny McBride (no, not THAT Danny McBride), from a story he co-wrote with director Wiseman and co-star Kevin Grevioux has a lot of issues with the establishment and conveyance of characters and some themes. It took me a few sittings before I could really wrap my head around things, which is a bit of a problem in my opinion. It can move too quickly while doling out information a bit too haphazardly. I also can't help but smirk and shake my head at the pretentious nature of certain characters and scenes... maybe it's just me, but it always just feels silly when vampire and werewolf characters all have really prim-and-proper sounding names like "Viktor" or "Lucian" or "Selene" or "Kraven", all speak with prim-and-proper sounding accents and while all using a lot of five- dollar words. I also think that the film can be a bit contrived at times, like they tried to shoehorn in a bit too much plot to match the action.Still, at the end of the day, this is a Gothic action movie, and as a purely visceral exercise in excess and a display of style over substance... it's a ton of fun. You could definitely do a lot worse. Can it be silly? Absolutely. Can it be confusing? Definitely. But is it always entertaining and will it keep you glued to your chair? Yes, yes, yes! "Underworld" is a great time, and would definitely serve well to spice up a slow afternoon when you're stuck at home with nothing else to do. I'd even recommend the first few follow-ups that came out.I give "Underworld" an 8 out of 10 just for sheer style and fun.

The series begins at the supposed end of the war between the vampires and lycans. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is a death dealer vampire that hunts werewolves, introduced dropping from a building where she was scowling like a gargoyle. The whole movie is a goth dream mimicking gunplay, leather, heavy metal, and superpowers from the popularity of The Matrix and adding the fantastical twist of mythology.Selene notices that the remaining lycans are trailing a particular human Michael (Scott Speedman). The head of the lycans Lucian (Michael Sheen) has taken a particular interest in Michael. The movie contains some great action scenes that I remember really pleasing me when I was much younger. I always thought this movie had a great mix of action and horror tropes.The plot is all sorts of jumbled picking up in the middle of a story so as to dull any sort of character emotional impact and confusing lots of different threads. There are treacheries and magical happenings that all come together with a bit of ridiculousness that is to be expected in these types of movies. The action lifts it up and the special effects don't look terrible even after thirteen years of advancement. Check out more of this review and others at swilliky.com

For starters, UNDERWORLD is a hugely derivative film, and that's one of the biggest things working against it. The vampire vs. werewolf plot might not be too familiar – after all it's been a long time since those Universal monster flicks – but most of the scenes in the film bear the influences of other, better films. For instance the vampire society/hierarchy recalls BLADE, the clothing/action recalls THE MATRIX, and even the scene in the car in which the werewolf guy is pushing spikes through the roof is a rip on TERMINATOR 2. Despite these lame moments and lapses of originality, and the fact that the film is saddled with an unlikeable heroine, UNDERWORLD ain't so bad. The story has a few interesting things to say and director Len Wiseman holds things together well, inserting lots of style into the proceedings; suddenly I'm not so disheartened about him directing DIE HARD 4, after all.The film is packed with shoot-outs and battles and, while Kate Beckinsale's two-pistol posturing is frankly embarrassing, the violent werewolf attacks are cool and the silver/daylight bullets add some fun to the events that play out. The script, although derivative again, flows along quite nicely and, aside from the central heroine, there isn't really much to dislike. I found this film to be efficient if unoriginal. There's quite a decent cast here, with newcomer Scott Speedman acquitting himself reasonably well as the human caught up in the chaos, and Michael Sheen stealing all of his scenes as chief werewolf, Lucian. Kate Beckinsale is sometimes good – in HAUNTED, for instance - but I couldn't stand her here; she's trying too hard to be 'cool' but never escapes the fact that her character is nothing more than a Trinity-from-THE-MATRIX knock-off.Elsewhere, Bill Nighy camps it up as an evil age-old vampire and Kevin Grevioux nabs the best character in the whole film, a hard-ass, hulking werewolf who redefines the meaning of cool. Sophia Myles looks stunning, and I couldn't help wishing that she'd taken the leading role instead of Beckinsale. As to be expected/hoped, the special effects are fantastic, with CGI work coming up trumps throughout. The werewolves themselves aren't great – they recall the fuzzy shapes in AN American WEREWOLF IN Paris a little too much – but the transformations are astonishing and the head-slicing at the end, while too much like BLADE, is a triumphant moment. The film is surprisingly gory for its rating/audience which is also a pleasant surprise, making it that bit more palatable for adult audiences. Followed by UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION, this is a fun flick, not a classic but a watchable film at least.

Selene, a beautiful warrior, is entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races. Although she is aligned with the vampires, she falls in love with Michael, a human who is sought by werewolves for unknown reasons. Underworld is so much better than Resident Evil this film alone beats every single one of them the effects and the tone of this movie was truly amazing i love the colours of the movie but also the actors for example Kate Beckinsale was awesome she is the heart and soul of this franchise so i can't wait to see the 5th one next month, Scott Speedman as Michael is a character that i always liked which brings me to a problem with this films on why on earth doesn't anyone tell us what happened to Michael we only see flashbacks every time in the next films from 1 and 2 and it's getting annoying. It also feels as a continuation from 1 and 2 cause of the director Len Wiseman who directed this film and the sequel which both of them were awesome what i also like about the first Underworld is the special effects you can easily see that is some kind of puppet or costume there's cgi of course but i didn't spot it easily which means that the Studios did a pretty cool job. As for the villains both Michael Sheen as Lucian and Bill Nighy as Viktor nailed it and the action sequences were pretty epic especially the opening sequence which kinda reminded me a bit of The Matrix and the final fight between Michael and Viktor was really cool and that's why i'll give Underworld an A it's so much better than i remembered it.