Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Starring: Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra, Kate Beckinsale (cameo)
Directed by: Patrick Tatopoulos
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Horror
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Vampire Lord Viktor (Bill Nighy) rules over the land, particularly over the werewolves, whom he had mostly enslaved under his command. His plans are threatened when his only daughter (Rhona Mitra) falls in love with the first real human/werewolf, Lucian (Michael Sheen).

Review:

Tim: Underworld has been a middling franchise that offers a few strong elements, but mostly underwhelms. The first two films were decent, but neither managed to be very good. I mostly thought this was a needless, unwarranted sequel. However, much to my surprise, it breathes new life into the franchise. This movie is different in tone and place, as it is a prequel to the first two films. Surprisingly, this change of pace makes this a fairly decent movie, which at least reaches the heights of the original.

I really liked the focus here on Lucian and Viktor. They are both brought to life by terrific actors, Billy Nighy and Michael Sheen. I didn't miss the presence of Kate Beckinsale, nor (especially) Scott Speedman. Nighy and Sheen are infinitely more interesting and I love getting their back story. The history of the war between the vampires and werewolves here is very fascinating, and despite my better self, I agree that it was deserving of its own movie.

This film really works because of the performance of Michael Sheen. He is such a terrific actor, and I really loved that after the first two films, the spotlight finally rests on him. Bill Nighy is quite good as the vampire lord, and this movie needed him to be the cold, calculating villain. Sheen, on the other hand, is cast as the likeable protagonist, and he does a very good job of making the audience identify with and root for him. He is a sympathetic character here. Sheen and Nighy both impressed with their performances. Rhona Mitra is certainly no Kate Beckinsale, but she did an admirable job filling her role. She fits the character perfectly and looks closely enough like Beckinsale to be the perfect choice. I had no faults with her work here, and she is a big reason why Beckinsale's presence was not missed.

While this film does have some strengths, it still falls short of what we might hope. This is still a movie about vampires verses werewolves and still comes across as too silly. The film is incredibly dark- at various points, you desperately wish for some sun or at least better lighting in the castle. And, take away the whole supernatural elements, this film is a bit of a cliche and tells a story which has been told many times before. Plus, while the swords and crossbows are fairly effective, we desperately miss the stylish gunfights that made the first two films appear stylish and cool. The absence of those is one of the biggest of the film, and the medieval weapons don't register the same level of coolness.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a far cry from a great movie. However, operating on the lowered expectations of the franchise, it is surprisingly more effective than it had any reason to be. I didn't dislike this movie as much as I expected, and actually enjoyed stretches of it. After the last film, I hoped that it would be the conclusion of the series. I might have misspoken a bit, because this movie at least turned the franchise around a bit. However, looking forward, I still have the same reservations of future movies marking a downward trend. Still, this third film is at least as good as the original. That does not always happen in trilogies, so that is a bit of an achievement.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, Vampires, Interview with the Vampire, Serendipity, Pearl Harbor, Doomsday