Underworld

Rating

Director

Len Wiseman

Screenplay

Danny McBride

Length

121 min.

Starring

Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Erwin Leder, Sophia Myles

MPAA Rating

R (For strong violence/gore and some language)

Review

A world of dark plots and centuries-old conflict is the setting for Underworld , the story of a war between werewolves and vampires.

Underworld opens as two vampires stalk a pair of Lycans (Underworld ‘s name for werewolves)who have a target of their own. The chase leads into the subway system where a grand battle between the four enemies takes place. In running from a fully formed Lycan, young vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale)discovers there may be a cairn of werewolves hidden beneath the city. Her suspicions draw her towards the subject of the Lycans pursuit, a human man named Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman). She fields her suggestion to the leader of their clan, Kraven (Shane Brolly), who promptly dismisses the claim hoping that no one will discover the truth behind the claim.

Every millennium, one of three long-hibernating vampire kings is awakened to limit the power inexistence at any given time. The time of the new awakening is drawing near. Selene takes her thoughts to the long-sleeping Viktor (Bill Nighy) whose awakening ceremony isn’t to occur for another one thousand years later. He disbelieves her at first requesting that she bring him proof of its existence. She investigates into the claim soon discovering that the Lycans are indeed returned and their leader, the presumed dead Lucian (Michael Sheen), is hoping to find that Corvin is the one man who can succumb to both Lycan and vampire bites and continue to live.

The film’s plot is as weak as its lackluster acting. Screenwriter Danny McBride, obviously inspired by the plethora of vampire-werewolf war settings (from Anne Rice’s literary exploits to the role-playing setting from White Wolf),brings us a modestly interesting plot that yields so many plot twists that the audience’s heads are reeling after watching it. One can easily pay attention to them but the nauseating way that the twists and turns bounce around makes it an exasperating experience. We discover that there truly is no good or evil in this world of darkness but shades of gray that tend to lean closer to dark than to light.

The performances, notably from the scenery-chewing Brolly and Sheen, are infinitesimally feeble. Lead actors Beckinsale and Speedman show no signs of improvement. Beckinsale is probably the least tepid of the actors while Speedman is the least accomplished. Neither has the chemistry needed to make the film’s Romeo and Juliet -style star-crossed lover routine work. Even Bill Nighy, who is the most tenured of the performers, gives only a glossy one-dimensional performance in a role that was done better by Antonio Banderas in Interview with the Vampire

Underworld is a gruesomely dark world that perfectly houses the genre its affronting. It doesn’t give most viewers a sense of satisfaction at its conclusion; however, it does allow those who enjoy wasteful excursions into escapism to take pleasure from its incessant chase and battle sequences and hollow, tedious story.

Review Written

October 5, 2003