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Underworld (Widescreen Edition) Customer Reviews (94 - 96 of 127 Reviews)

Original movie
This is the MOST original Vampire movie I have seen in years. Set in a dark present-day metropolis, the story asks the true film noir question: what is the right thing to do, and is the price worth it? Using elements familiar to anyone who likes action movies, Underworld goes in a different direction.

The story is, at its heart, a story about consequences. The female lead, Selene, is a vampire who serves her people without question - until a rebellion begins that could threaten their entire way of life. Combined with the external threat of the Lycan werewolf clans (lycan is short for lycanthrope, or shape-changer), Selene must make very hard decisions over what side she will take, decisions that she later comes to regret.

What I liked most about this movie was the way Director Len Wiseman re-interpreted th legends surrounding Vampires and Werewolves. Instead of re-creating the same, boring villains from storybooks a hundred years old, these creatures are caricatures of humanity. Their powers are not simply fantastic abilities that make them horrible boogeymen. Their supernatural qualities are used intelligently, to emphasize their humanity and hold a mirror up in front of our face. The brute strength, tenacity and macabre medicinal practices of the Lycans are all too familiar qualities of the real-life downtrodden, as is the sneering, anemic, but all-too-real power of the Vampire overlords.

In response, some have approached me and said "But that is not how Vampires and Werewolves work! They are supposed to do <>, and they never do!" To this, I reply "Why should they?" This is not White Wolf's "World of Darkness" setting, nor is it an Ann Rice novel. While those two settings are quite good, and I like them personally, there is no hard and fast rule that says every interpretation must be the same; in fact, some would say that a new interpretation is better art, because it takes risks.

In the end, this is the true strength of Underworld. Wiseman takes risks - with the setting, with the effects, with the characters, and with the story. In doing so, he manages to make Underworld more than just the sum of its familiar action-adventure components, and turn it into a film that makes you think. While it is certainly not a classic film epic, it is a rock-solid movie that easily deserves 4 stars.

WOW, but unfair
I just have to say, that i absolutely loved the movie underworld. I loved it so much that as soon as it came out on dvd, i purchased it the very same day. What I didn't like was the fact that now in May, 4 months after the dvd release, the release an extended version. I think it's unfair. because had i known i would have bought the extended version, but i bought the normal version. I think it's unfair to all the loyal fans who went out on the same release day to purchase the film, to know have a better film and an almost equal price. I want to buy the extended version, but i also dobn't want to get stuck with 2 dvd's of the same movie. IT SUCKS, and is UNFAIR!!

Great visuals, and keeps you guessing until the end
The basic plotline of Underworld is a centuries-old war waging between vampires and Lycans, that is, werewolves, that has once and for all come to a head. The main character is Selene (Kate Beckinsale) one of the vampiric death dealers (vampire soldiers dedicated to the hunting of the Lycans), who, during an encounter with werewolves realizes they seem to have an unusual interest in a specific human, Michael (Scott Speedman), and she wants to know why. Kraven (Shane Brolly), the leader of the local vampire coven, however, dismisses her fascination with the human as he is more focused on an upcoming mystic transfer of power between two of the vampire elders, but Selene worries that the Lycans plan may have something to do with its timing coinciding with the power transfer.

Her concerns become even greater when she realizes that Lucian (Michael Sheen), a legendary Lycan leader long thought dead at the hand of Kraven, may actually be alive and amassing the Lycans for an organized assault on the vampires. Selene has never liked Kraven, but she becomes suspicious that if Lucian does live, then Kraven's own rise to power may have been on false pretenses.

So sets the stage for a very stylish cross between Blade and The Matrix. The visuals are very intense throughout the movie, although they are never expected to carry the story. Neither does the handful of gory scenes that dot throughout the film and give it it's R-rating get in the way of the story. This is one of those great sorts of films that doesn't give away any of its secrets too early; it's even hard to figure out who the good guys and the bad guys are, at least definitively, until the credits roll at the end.

There is a lot of action throughout this movie, but for the most part it's more of a cerebral film, with a very intelligent plotline that doesn't ever give itself away before its time. If you like a taught thriller with fantastic visual imagery, a dark and moody edge, and a story that will keep you guessing about nearly everything all the way up until the very end, then you will love Underworld.

One note though - Underworld isn't afraid to rewrite the lore about vampires and werewolves. Werewolves can change their form at will (rather than changing form involuntarily and only during a full moon), and vampires cast reflections in mirrors and can enter the home of a living person without an invitation, for example. But don't let details like this get in the way of enjoying a good movie - nearly every time a monster movie is made or novel is written, some form of the lore is re-drafted to suit the storyteller's whim.

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