Review: Underworld (2003)

Synthesize elements from famous film franchises like "The Crow," "The
Matrix," and "Blade" to forge a bullet-riddled, revisionist
vampires-vs.-werewolves urban war epic, and you'll have a pretty good idea
what to expect from the exciting, new, fantasy chiller "Underworld" (*** out
of ****) starring "Pearl Harbor" beauty Kate Beckinsale. This supercharged
but synthetic British horror thriller with R-rated heaps of blood & gore and
a touch of Shakespeare plays fast and loose with vampire lore. Not only do
the vamps refrain from shape shifting into bats, but also these pale-faced
bloodsuckers can stare at their reflections in the mirror! Were that not
enough these fangsters don't have to shack up for the day in their caskets.
On the other hand, rookie director Len Wiseman and stuntman-turned-scenarist
Danny McBride adhere to the lycanthrope legend with no radical departures.
Action-packed from the outset, this darkly-lensed, tragic melodrama laid in
a rain swept contemporary setting provides enough different things along the
way with a couple of major plot revelations to boost "Underworld" above its
formulaic origins. For example, the vampires load their automatic weapons
with silver nitrate slugs, while the werewolves pack cartridges filled with
ultra-violet light to literally let daylight through their sworn enemies.
The special effects sequences that depict the transformation from man into
werewolf look cool, and the sight of these scary creatures hauling butt on
the walls in pursuit of their prey make for memorable images. One especially
clever scene shows a werewolf as he uses his bodily powers to pop the
bullets out of his wounds.

Although it runs a little over two hours, "Underworld" maintains enough
momentum in its melodramatic narrative and features strong enough villains
that it entertains you without giving you nightmares. Surprisingly, though
it looks like it should have descended from a graphic novel, "Underworld"
boasts no previous source material aside from an original story penned by
black stuntman-turned-actor Kevin Grevioux, former "Stargate" art director
Wiseman, and McBride himself. When the bullets aren't thudding noisily in
your ears, "Underworld" features a deafening, industrial-strength,
orchestral soundtrack written by ex-Tangerine Dreamer Paul Haslinger with
songs written by David Bowie and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John
Frusciate.

Kate Beckinsale plays a leather-clad vampire warrior named Selene who cannot
kill enough werewolves to satisfy her thirst for revenge. Vampires and
werewolves have been fighting a no-holds-barred war from centuries, and the
vampires finally appear to have gotten the upper hand over the Lycans.
According to Selene, these hideous Lycans wiped out her entire family and
would have killed her too had it not been for vampire elder Viktor (Bill
Nighy of "Hitler's S.S.: Portrait in Evil") who saved her life and turned
her into a vampire. Meanwhile, as Viktor rests in his tomb, his hand-picked
protege Craven (Shane Brolly of "Impostor") appears to have turned traitor
to his own kind. Secretly, Kraven has been negotiating a truce behind the
scenes with the Lycans who are trying to develop a serum which will enable
Lycans and vampires to mate. Naturally, when Selene awakens Viktor and
reveals Kraven's insidious plot, all hell breaks loose. Furthermore, it
doesn't help matters that the apparently whipped Lycans are far from whipped
as Selene learns in an opening shoot-out in a subway tunnel. No, human
society doesn't know about the millennium war happening right under their
noses, because the vampires and werewolves conceal themselves so well. In
fact, the vampires maintain their own blood bank, so they don't have to
bleed humans dry. Once a rebellious Selene resurrects Viktor to punish the
treacherous Kraven, the action really slams into high gear. Despite Kraven's
assurances to the contrary that the werewolves have been eliminated as a
threat, Selene sets out to convince Viktor that the werewolves are staging a
comeback. Nothing can stop our hardnosed heroine from proving her point,
even if she must turn against her own breed. Apparently, the Lycans have
found a human, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman of "Duets") who can assimilate
both vampire and werewolf DNA so as to reproduce. Complications arise when
Michael saves Selene's life, and she finds herself attracted to him. In
"Underworld,"

Director Len Wiseman, who served as art director not only on the theatrical
"Stargate" but also "Independence Day," makes the most of his threadbare
$20-million production so that "Underworld" can compete with the films that
inspired it. Set amid gloomy, Gothic castles where the elitist vampires
huddle in their fight against evil, "Underworld" stresses adrenaline-laced
action with just enough time out for the exposition to keep audiences on
track about who's who. While the characters aren't as substantial as they
could be, each shows a different side as the plot approaches its climax.
Selene changes from a mindless werewolf killer from the get-go when she
learns the truth about her family and the heroic vampire who saved her from
sure death. Tucked away in the flashbacks is another story that revolves
around the villainous Viktor that explains his hatred of all things Lycan.

Surprisingly, for a British-produced movie, "Underworld" ignores sex,
nudity, and romance in favor of bloodletting and mutilation. Although it
cannot compare with "The Crow," "The Matrix," and "Blade," "Underworld"
manages nevertheless to carve out a niche of its own, if only because it is
a British production. The fact that the Brits were able to produce their own
variation on these popular, special effects laden spectacles is reason
enough to watch it. Unfortunately, like the vampires here who refuse to
countenance interspecies breeding, nearly 90 per cent of American film
critics have staked out this well-made thriller because they feel it offers
nothing new and lacks the polished production values of those other film
franchises. Truth is that getting a large scale action film like
 "Underworld" made in England by Englishmen amounts to something like a
miracle. Of course, comparisons between Beckinsale's black leather
skin-tight clad Selene and Carrie Moss' Trinity' from "The Matrix" are
inevitable, but just as irrelevant despite their apparent similarities.
These two characters resemble each other only in surface appearances.
Incredibly, Beckinsale pulls off her action heroine act, because she has all
the right moves down and knows how to hold two guns and blaze away with them
in a gunfight. Reportedly, she has signed up for the sequel. As the ancient,
evil fangster Viktor, Bill Nighy turns in an awesome performance. He is the
kind of villain that audiences will love to hiss at and his death scene is
unforgettable.

While it doesn't look as polished as "The Crow," "The Matrix," and "Blade,"
"Underworld" is still a good horror thriller that you can sink your teeth
into and enjoy for its vitality.

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X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1210621
X-RT-TitleID: 1125642
X-RT-AuthorID: 9387
X-RT-RatingText: 3/4