Rating: 
Summary: Definitely belongs out of the horror underworld
Review: UNDERWORLD is being horridly underrated. Those who were looking for "Romeo and Juliet" are furious. I myself found the film to be better than I expected. UNDERWORLD is an extraodinary BLADE-esque horror/thriller with similarities to both BLADE and THE MATRIX. Kate Beckinsale plays Selene, a vampire "Death Dealer". Her job is to eleminate any and all Lycans (werewolves), who have been at war with the vampires for a millenia. But her determination wavers when she meets a newly-made Lycan (Scott Speedman) who has been unsuspectingly drawn into this ages-old battle. Things aren't as they seem, or so Selene soon discovers; and thus begins one of the greatest battles of all history. UNDERWORLD belongs in the rows of horror wonders. It is outstanding. The direction is terrific and occasionally artful; the soundtrack is good; the acting is great; and the effects are terrific. The story is also an awesome idea and is brought out well. There's also a very cool Lycan transformation scene reminiscent of AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. The only way to know how good the film is is to watch it. I strongly recommend that you rent this horror wonder as soon as possible; believe me, it's worth it. UNDERWORLD is one delicious bite of horror cinema that you'll be howling about for days on end.
Rating: 
Summary: Underrated Slick Thriller
Review: This film was fairly heavily panned by the critics when it opened in September 2003 and I feel undeservedly so, for it is a highly watchable, if uninventive piece of cinema.
Kate Beckinsale plays a Vampire whose job is to hunt and kill Lychens (Werewolves) the sworn enemy of her coven, and her kind. The film has a distinctly European feel, not only in the locations, but also direction but moves at a good pace, keeping the viewer awake and for the most part enthralled. A little heavy on the Matrix style fight sequences, with the usual ammunition flying in all directions, it is however, more than a reworked vampire tale of good vs evil, or eveil vs evil (whichever you take) - with a reasonably original storyline in what one has to say, is a highly competetive, and previously visited genre. Without giving too much away, the art direction is gothic but modern and the new Sfx meets old world macabre well, even if there aren't too many suprises along the way. A major plus is the non cliched and well defined beginning middle and end, and the very well handled "human touch" portrayed by the main characters in their fantasy roles. Highly enjoyable romp, with some nice extra's on the DVD, and certainly worth a second look.
Rating: 
Summary: Boreing and Not very scary
Review: I thought this would be as good as the Blade movies, but it definitly is NOT. The acting made me sleepy and it was not scary at all.THIS IS A BRITISH MOVIE. So if you didn't like the Tomb Radier movies, then you sure won't like Underworld.
Rating:
Summary: Underworld - A great new spin on an old theme!
Review: I missed this one when it was in the theaters and was patiently awaiting its arrival on the DVD racks and to say the very least, I was not disappointed by it. "Underworld" is an outstanding, sleek action thriller with extremely dark undertones that I highly enjoyed watching. The only detractor for me was the prosthetics and CGI used for the Lycans (werewolves). Outside of that minor detractor, this films scores on all points, from the overall dark atmosphere to the story telling and to the acting. While I've seen and read that the professional critics and many others have pretty much panned this movie, if you've not seen it yet, I urge you to give it an open minded try as I believe you will be as surprised by it as I was! As far as stories go that involve vampires and werewolves, "Underworld" takes a completely new, intriguing and compelling approach that will hopefully spawn a sequel. Prior to "Underworld," the only movie I've ever seen Kate Beckinsale in was "Pearl Harbor" and I thought her performance in that film was, just what it was, a supporting role that was noticeable but not notable. Her performance as the lead in an action film of this magnitude is, to say the least, incredible. She is an extremely gorgeous woman and given the makeup and costumes she's wearing in this film, they only serve to greater enhance her beauty. Her future performances are definitely to be looked forward to with anticipation. This highly conceptual story was written by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman and Danny McBride and directed by Len Wiseman. All of which deserve high praise for their efforts in creating this new spin in the Vampire/Werewolves genre. The score for the film greatly enhances the overall dark feeling of the movie! The Premise: Kate Beckinsale plays Selene, a vampire who is one of the lead warriors in the battle between the vampires and the Lycans (werewolves). Known as a death bringer by the Lycans, she makes a disturbing discovery while on a mission to bring death to some of the Lycans, a discovery that will lead her down the path to of a highly adventuresome story that is extremely rich in its telling... I highly recommend this film to any and all who are fans of films from this particular genre. This new spin on the Vampires & Werewolves mythology and Kate Beckinsale's performance makes this film an instant classic in the genre! {ssintrepid} Special Features: -Director and Writer Commentary -Technical Commentary
-Creature Effects Featurette
-Music Video: Finch: "Worms of the Earth"
-Making of Underworld
-Sights + Sounds Featurette
-Stunts Featurette
-Storyboard Comparison
-Bonus Trailers (Within these bonus trailers it's wonderful to see that we will be treated to "Resident Evil 2" sometime during this coming year!)
-TV Spots
Rating: 
Summary: Vampires feed on blood. This movie feeds on cheese.
Review: Words can't describe how lame this movie is. Some movies can pull off a low budget and still look good, but this isn't one of them. If you saw the commercial, you literally saw every special effects shot in the movie. The story makes no sense whatsoever. The concept of vampires and werewolves fighting each other with guns is pointless. Why have monsters at all if everyone's just going to shoot at each other?
Rating: 
Summary: Dracula + Matrix + Romeo and Juliet
Review: This is incredible. When I rented this from Movie Gallery, I just wanted to make a copy of it at a cheap price. I thought I could get the movie without spending $12.99 but this is something you don't just copy. If you want top quality action, get it on the original DVD. Kate Beckinsale delivers blood rippling action and she looks good while doing it. She could even beat Trinity (from the Matrix) in any contest. When you see the movie, it looks like they are building up to a sequal. Just pay attention in the last 12 minutes of this. Better yet, watch it uninterrupted and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: The critics were wrong...
Review: I really wanted to see this film when it was in theatres, but ended up missing it. Critics bashed the film and some friends told me that it was terrible as well. I on the otherhand, upon seeing it for the first time on DVD, was pleasantly surprised! So it's not the greatest film in the world, and borrows...ok steals much from other movies. But I must say that I was entertained throughout. The action and f/x were great, Kate Beckinsale (who bugged the hell out of me in Pearl Harbor) was quietly sexy in the lead role. The story surrounding the Vampire vs. Werewolves war was fairly creative, even if it was filled with some rather cheesy dialogue. Overall, I thought it was a grossly underrated film. The DVD has AWESOME special features. Several behind the scenes featurettes on the cast, effects, stunts, etc. If you've already seen and liked the movie, this is one DVD worth adding to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Big on the cool factor indeed!
Review: Many have voiced their opinions of this film. I was hesistant to see this in theatres mainly because of them and I am (in a way) angry I listened to them. Namely because this film would have been so cool to see on the big screen. Visually, it's a feast of inspiration and a story that is literally told from a visual standpoint as well as a literal standpoint. Bearing in mind the director has taken an age old concept and shaken it up a bit. The premise is pretty simple, Vampires and Werewolves are at war with each other based on age old principles carried down from their ancestors. One side believes one thing, the other side believes another. All the while, they fight for something neither side really knows what or "who" they're fighting for. This premise is sort of an analogy based upon our religious natures as humans. For example, we have one side of humanity that says there is "a god" and one side that says there's just "God," and the possiblity that neither side is right and that God simply is just folklore. What we see in "Underworld" is a story of the persecution and the revelation of what real truth is. The price you pay for that truth and possibilites of retribution. Politics smear the facts, lies are told over centuries of war and doubt and Lycans are hunted, while Vampyre are thwarted. Sounds familiar with what is going on our world I am afraid. The problem is most people don't see things like that through a movie like this. Most just see a movie like this as a simple action flick with really cool special effects. This story is so much more than that. Keep in mind when watching this film that the story is simply not just about Vampyre and Lycans but an analogy of things to come in our own world. Much of this story shows how truth is often betrayed and manipulated over the cost of stepping out of the boundaries to a brave new world. If you go into this movie thinking the female vampire and the male lycan are "in love" or have a steamy romance, you're far from the mark of this movie. Someone wrote once this movie was a modern day "Romeo and Juliet" told from a Vampire/Werewolf perspective-WRONG AGAIN! This movie has none of that! Watch this movie and just open your mind to something different and beautiful and read into it as much as you can. There's more truth to this story than what appears.
Rating:
Summary: Underworld Wars
Review: A good job of stretching the envelope on Vampire stories. It may not quite be up to the action in "Blade", but it certainly has a great storyline, interesting characters, good special effects, and hot music. I can see why some compared it to Blade and Matrix, minor costume and scene similarities does not however give reason to be negative. The story of an age old battle between Vampires and Werewolves unfolds gradually in a way that grabs our interests.
I ended up buying a used copy at Hollywood Video. I couldn't pass it up since in my humble opinion there haven't been enough decent Vampires movies in the last ten years, and this is worth seeing again and again. This may not quite stack up to the first Blade movie, but it is better than "Blade II" or John Carpenter's "Vampires" in my opinion. I think the 5 key roles were all well performed by Kate Beckinsale "Saline", Scott Speedman "Michael", Michael Sheen "Lucian", Shane Brolly "Kraven", and Bill Nighy "Viktor".
Definitely worth seeing. DVD production values are excellent. Sharp picture and sound. Cool user menu graphics and interface. Includes commentaries, making of, trailer, and other extras.
Rating:
Summary: Cool, but cloudy
Review: "Underworld" was released in the fall, which is appropriate, because it's like an autumn night. It's dark, it's cool, and at times, it can be rather cloudy. The basic plot is straightforward. Vampires and werewolves war with each other, for an ancient, unknown reason. The vampires live in big mansions, the werewolves live in the sewers. Both sides have adapted to using modern technology in their quest to rid the Underworld of the other. Along the way, the Lycans are looking for a human that may hold the key to shifting the war in their favor. On the positive side, this movie looks cool. The background, costumes, scenery, and music portray a dark, gothic world. The weapons are also sleek and stylish. On the other hand, the acting is usually stale, and the plot gets bumpy and disjointed. And Kate Beckinsale does look cool, once you get finished laughing at the idea of her being an action heroine. (That's silly, sillier than Michael Keaton as Batman, but not as silly as Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist from "The World is Not Enough.")
|
