What do you get when you have a war between Lycans and Vampires that is several centuries old? One hell of a movie! Set in a dark, metallic world, "Underworld" blows the mortal world away, literally. Starring Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, "Underworld" takes you inside a world hidden from our own.
In this Underworld, Vampires are fighting the Lycans, better known as Werewolves, in order to keep their respective kinds alive. Beckinsale, in tight black leather that puts Angelina Jolie's "Lara Croft" to shame, plays a stubborn, independent Vampire who believes that there is more to the war she has been fighting for the better half of 1,000 years than what she has been told. Selene (Beckinsale) is a Deathdealer, a Vampire who has been trained to kill Lycans. The leader of the Lycans is said to have been killed centuries ago, but still the Lycans thrive and increase in number, and come after the Vampires.
Now the Lycans are after a human named Michael Corvin (Speedman) and Beckinsale makes it her job to find out why, which goes on to develop into a Romeo and Juliet-like story in itself. With twists and turns coming at you from every corner, "Underworld" is a heart-pounding action movie that keeps you glued every step of the way.
Director Len Wiseman, who incidentally is engaged to Beckinsale, did a brilliant job with the visual effects and the movements of the camera. Booming with mind-blowing special effects and adrenalin-pumping visuals, including human forms turning into Werewolves, "Underworld" will keep you in your seat for two full hours. The movements of the camera are timed and angled so perfectly that you will feel as if you are right in the middle of it all. Everything the Vampires or the Lycans see, you see; the movie is done so masterfully that anything either side feels, you feel. When a Vampire or Lycan sinks its fangs into a victim, you will grab your neck to make sure that it is not your own, and you will lick your teeth and expect to taste blood. When shots are fired and you see someone fall, you will clasp your mouth to keep from screaming in pain.
The dark hues in which the movie is painted makes every swift movement more eerie and the red of the blood seem more vicious than it already is. It becomes something you cannot tear your fangs -- I mean, your eyes -- away from. You will shudder as every single shot is fired. The action will grip you and not let go until the credits come rolling in, and even then you will be panting hard to catch your breath.
The great thing about this movie is that it is utterly unpredictable. There are twists and turns of the plot which no trailer has even hinted toward that I am not going to discuss further for obvious reasons. But I will say this: you may have been reluctant to see this movie because it seems to be another movie aimed at a female audience for its "girl kicking ass" approach.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Although the lead is a female who definitely does kick ass, "Underworld" will attract attention from both sexes. The leads provide additional incentive to see the movie by their sheer inclusion: girls, look forward to the good looks and charm of Speedman, and guys, Kate Beckinsale in skin-hugging black leather. Need I say more?
But "Underworld" is in no way dominated by Beckinsale. The movie doesn't even revolve around her -- the film is simply seen through her eyes. In doing "Underworld," Beckinsale tackles a totally different character from previous movies such as "Serendipity," "Pearl Harbor" and "Brokedown Palace," and you will be taken aback by how perfectly the role of a Vampire suits her.
"Underworld" is a hard core action thriller unlike any we have seen in many years. It combines the sophistication in Vampires created by Anne Rice with the brutal, blood-thirty world of Vampires and Lycans that have been passed down through stories from generation to generation. No matter what you thought of Vampires and Lycans before this movie, your views will change by the end of "Underworld."
Whether you go for the brilliant special effects or the kick-ass action or even just to be entertained for a few hours, you will leave "Underworld" with a lingering lust for adrenaline.
4 ½ stars
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