Underworld (Widescreen Special Edition)

Underworld (Widescreen Special Edition)
by Len Wiseman

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Movie Reviews of Underworld (Widescreen Special Edition)

Movie Review: Vampires, Werewolves, a new look at the myths, Oh my!
Summary: 5 Stars

Kate Beckinsale (Serendipity) leads the tale as Selene a vampire "Death Dealer" whose sole purpose is to execute all the "Lychans" she encounters, in the attempt to exterminate the race of Werewolves forever. The Werewolves, or "Lychans," are led by Michael Sheen (Mary Reilly) as Lucian, whose convoluted back-story is the basis for the mysterious plot of Underworld. The third and most unique character is Michael Corvin, played by Scott Speedman (Dark Blue,) a handsome human, whom the Werewolves believe holds the key to end the war.

Underworld's writing is the product of a team of authors: Danny McBride, Director Len Wiseman, and Kevin Grevioux (who also starred in the film as a Lychan.) Their combined ideas formed the script with the intent of making it a full-fledged mystery, designed to unfold as the film played out. It was for that reason they deliberately did not reveal too much information at the beginning of the film. Unfortunately, there is so little information revealed in the beginning, that it causes the viewer to be a bit more than perplexed. Without the benefit of a back-story and with all the new mythology being introduced so fast, so immediately, the audience has to struggle for a grip on who actually should be the hero. Although Kate Beckinsale's character Selene is introduced first, it becomes quickly apparent, that either she is an "anti-hero" or there is something distinctly amiss with her psyche. Therefore, we start to search for an alternative hero, or at least someone to identify with. Using our past knowledge of Vampire/Werewolf legends and stories, we try to glean what could possibly be the reality of the situation. However, all the rules have been changed in this film, so our archives of knowledge on Lychans and Vampires have been declared null and void. Consequently, detecting which species is supposed to be the one to "root for" is indistinct until much later in the film. The problem with this is: at the beginning we miss a lot of the action sequences while pondering and trying to discern which species to identify with. The endless perplexity we experience detracts from the initial scenes while we try to integrate the new rules this script has postulated. If we weren't so busy contemplating heroes, we could better enjoy the action-packed sequences and spectacular effects!

The effects are truly something to behold. Various combinations of CGI, live action and Animatronics created new and original Werewolf transformations and Vampire agility in all manner of action sequences. There were definitely some action shots in this film that set a new precedent. Inspired by the constraints of their budget, the effects crew's ingenuity was brilliant. They came up with some amazing alternatives to standard action/effect sequences. This also affected the cinematography. To make certain shots happen, both effects team and cinematographer had to make suggestions and alterations to accommodate each other and incorporate the Director Len Wiseman's vision of bringing a graphic novel to life. Each scene is blocked and storyboarded and colored-he favors "blues" in particular-to look as if it were straight out of a comic book. The whole visual effect is stunning.

Despite the initial legend confusion in the opening of the film, Underworld does prove to be unique, interesting and plot-driven. Everything, from its super-fast pacing, spectacular effects, dark characters, sets, costumes and lighting, proves to be well worth watching. This film holds its own as a decadent, elegant, action flick, amidst the sea of pointless re-makes and story-starved-sequels in the action genre. Taken as a whole, Len Wiseman's distilled and surprisingly sanguine-less, cerulean vision can slake the blood thirst in any fan, hungry for action!

Summary of Underworld (Widescreen Special Edition)