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Underworld (Unrated Extended Cut)

Underworld (Unrated Extended Cut)

List Price: $34.95
Your Price: $27.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Pure Garbage
Review: Ack! I was so bored during this movie, pure waste of time and money heck I don't belive this movie deserves to praised like it has been. We start off with Kate Beckinsales[Selene] charater talking about the war with vampires and lycans [warewolfs]. The vampires spend most of the movie explaing why warewolfs are bad, blah, blah, blah. The transformation of lycans into warewolfs made my eyes hurt, and I had a head ache thought the movie, cause of that. The fight scenes are ok, but it has some cool weapons and cars. This movie could HAVE been way much better. If it would have taken place in a mid-evil setting with modern weaponary, and showen the fall of Lution [lycan king] instead of showing it in a book,"Underworld" would have a worthwhile movie. The acting is ok, and theres tons of blood, some badwords, and a suprise plot twist, that literally takes you by surpise, which I add is very interesting. I'll give an interesting spoiler; one of the charaters dies "Ghost Ship style" if you have seen that movie you know what I am talking about. Its one of the few actully likeable scenes. Another plot twist is when an another charater gets biten and has both vampire and lycan blood, another few likeable scence. So in a nutshell don't watch it only if you want to be bored and have half of your body fall asleep, I wasted a few good dollers on this movie and time that could been used to on something productive.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant with outstanding acting and action!
Review: Kate Beckinsale played her role of Selene with mesmerizing and witty balance. Perfect. Scott Speedman as Michael Corvin did an excellent job as well.

You have to pay close attention to what's going on. Underworld can easily throw you out of line sometimes. Yes, it's a battle between the vampires and the lycanthropes (werewolves), but there is deeper plot. Not everyone is who they seem. The end wraps up very nicely with no flaws (that I saw anyway). Perfect.

No wonder Underworld earned the title '#1 movie in America.' Music video director Len Wiseman made a great film debut. Don't let this one pass you by.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lucian was the most interesting one, in this movie.
Review: Centuries old feud between 2 races,werewolves ( Lycans ) and vampires, that has resulted in undying hatred, torture, and death. The main character Selene finds out that the Lycans plan on using a human name Michael to create a super creature, with the combination of both Lycan and vampire blood running through his veins, to destroy the race of vampires, in order to make the race of werewolves ( Lycans ) stronger.While Selene is helping to keep Michael alive and out of "harms" way, from both Lycans and vampires, She and Michael form an unlikely bond. Now to my personal opinions..Kate Beckinsale did a nice performance as the grim face vampire warrior, Selene. Eventhough, Her emotional range was not showcase in this particular movie, except from going from grim to uninterested to thoughtful to teary eye....all emotions smothered under an ever present grim look. Her character still was still quick thinking. Poor Scott Speedman's character "Michael" had to spend most of the movie, on the run and clueless, until he got bitten by the leader of the Lycans name Lucian. And, For myself, that is when this movie got extremely interesting when Lucian ( Michael Sheen ) was on the screen. There was alittle bit of storyline in which I did wonder about the past histories of the characters Selene and Michael, before they unexpectly "met", But, An entire seperate movie could be made solely on the character Lucian and what he went through in his past, to become so angry, brutal, and ruthless. Michael Sheen had the standout performance in this movie, as the character Lucian. He took his character a step above the rest by not only showing that his character was hostile, but underneath all of that bitterness, there was simply a hurt man, who wanted his race of werewolves, who were consider weakand powerless to the vampires, to be stronger physically against their enemies, and for him to seek revenge against the brutal death of his bride and unborn child. Actor Michael Sheen also showed the deep passion Lucian had, sometimes only by the look in his eyes, you could tell depth, wisdom, and experience in his character. The Flashbacks of the tortured Lucian meant to me, that there was a storyline somewhere in this movie, instead of that senseless gun battle between Lycans and vampires, on a subway deck, at the beginning of this movie. Erika ( Sophia Myles ) and Kahn ( Robby Gee ) gave a good performance showing that their vampire characters had common senseand intelligence, without solving their issues with a use of the gun. Bill Nighy as Viktor was just as good as the elder stotic vampire, who wasn't as honorable and good hearted, as one might think. The deep voice muscular Lycan/ werewolf "Raze" played by actor Kevin Grevioux did a good performance in his character, eventhough, he didn't have much dialogue, you can tell the dedication and loyality that he had, to help his race and Lucian, get rid of all vampires.Shane Brolly ( Kraven ) protrayed his character as a shallow, arrogant, spoiled vampire, who would probably be better off as a runway model, than a vampire. I mean, no one could walk up and down those steps of his mansion with ease and an attitude, like Kraven could throughout the movie. All and all, Underworld was surprisely, a good movie. Except for the over use sometimes of the characters resolving their issues with the use of their guns, instead of just using their brains for once, and thinking of a better way to do battle with one another, The movie was very interesting to see. I think anyone who has an interest in seeing a vampire / werewolf movie done alittle differently from the normal, should atleast see this movie once, with an open mind.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Underworld- Just Cool
Review: Underworld, an action flick starring Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman can be called diverting entertainment. Though the plot of the film is rather incomprehensible, the film has enough style to be atleast watchable. Director Len Wisemen who is recently engaged to Beckinsale) creates a nice setting to the film, with the appropriate tone. The action scenes are pretty good, as well the visual effects which are passingly cool including the transformation of humans into werevolves.
Kate Beckinsale plays Selene, a vampire. The film takes place in London. There are mainly two striving groups, the vampires and the lycans a.k.a. werewolves. Scott Speedman plays a human who has been bitten and has transformed into a lycan. Unfortunately Beckinsale and Speedman fall in love, which is intolerable since they are sworn enemies.
Underworld is mild for the genre, since it isn't overly graphic, though there still is an abundant amount of violence. Mainly including much gunplay, impalements, bitings (some of which are bloody), whippings and fights among vampries/lycans. There isn't much profanity, just a few instances of the "f" and "s" word. Underworld is rated R for Strong Violence/Gore and Some Language. As for the acting, well it wasn't totally believe or convincing but then again you don't expect oscar-worthy acting in a film like this. I saw it in theatres, sadly not during opening weekend. This film is worth viewing in theatures, and possibly owning on Video or DVD.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: While flawed, Underworld does offer some entertainment.
Review: Perched on a ledge high above a dark, rain soaked city, a woman and her companion watch and wait. For Selene (Kate Beckinsale), this is a night like many others where she will seek out Lycans (werewolves), and eliminate them in accordance with a centuries old blood feud between the two mythical races.

With the Lycans thought to be on the verge of extinction the vampires are preparing to form a new coven by merging with a powerful overseas clan. Towards this end, members of both houses plan to awaken one of their two great leaders to guide the vampires into a new era of prosperity. Selene is troubled by the plans, as she believes that the Lychans are massing in greater numbers under the leadership of their leader Lucian (Michael Sheen), whom the vampires believe died centuries ago.

Further complicating matters is Selene's concern that the present leader of the vampires Kraven (Shane Brolly), may not be willing to release the power he now holds and that the Lichens interest in a mortal named Michael (Scott Speedman), may indeed be the key to a larger threat to her people.

Selene is forced to defy Kraven and leave the safety of the vampire mansion to locate Michael before the Lychan hordes are able to and use him for their sinister plans. While the action in 'Underworld' is loud, it never seems to have the intensity that it should, as the sense of urgency and tension seems to be missing. The cast is good, but they do not display much emotional depth and this hinders the efforts of the audience to form a connection with the characters and care for their fates.

That being said, 'Underworld' does a fantastic job with breathing new life into the vampire genre. Director Len Wiseman bathes the viewers in images of eerie translucence that combine various color hues to create a look that enhances the action by surrounding it in an otherworldly ambience.

Writers Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride are to be commended for breathing new life into the genres as he gives us a tale that entertains yet expands upon the traditional lore of the creatures and if for nothing else, that alone makes 'Underworld' pure entertainment and a must see film for fans of the genre.

3 stars out of 5

Gareth Von Kallenbach

www.sknr.net

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Underworld Rocks
Review: I was greatly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. At first, I thought that it would be a Blade Runner type action movie and have little in regards to character growth or a well conceived plot. I was going to wait until the DVD release, but then decided to see it in the theater since I have enjoyed Ms. Beckinsale's work on other pictures. I have now seen Underworld three times! The plot was complex and in the end, I could tell that there was an effort to talk about the problems that we still have with race relations. However, it was Kate's performance that really won me over. The character of Selene was thoughtfully brought to life with Kate's performance and I believe it was this that made the movie a success. It was very wise to focus a lot of the movie on Selene's character growth. At first, she was a Vampire warrior. At the end, she was closer to rediscovering her lost humanity.
Underworld proves that a movie with a modest budget can still delight fans with excellent characters, particularlly Selene, and a well constructed story. I look forward to revisiting this world many times in the future.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Better than Expected.
Review: Upon watching UNDERWORLD for the first time, I wasn't expecting to be very interested. I had read so many negative reviews and heard so many people say that it was a rip-off of ROMEO AND JULIET, that I just wasn't expecting much. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised when the final credits started to roll and I was left sitting in my seat thinking, "What? It's over already?".

As many have already stated, the film is about a vampire death-slayer (vampires who hunt wearwolves) who falls in love with a human who has been bitten by her most hated enemy, the werewolf overlord who was supposed to have been killed centuries before. The film starts off somewhat slow then rushes into a fighiting frenzy, then slows down, then rushes into a fighting frenzy, then slows down. The entire movie is paced this way. Some find it irritating. However, I felt that it added to the mood of the movie, the pace of the film accompaning the transformations that the characters undergo both physically and psychologically.

The lighting and costumes seemed to fit the dark underworld that is the setting for most of the film. The only time the tones lightened up were in flashbacks to centuries before when the wearwolves and vampires weren't at war, suggesting a more pleasant era.

The characters in the movie aren't allowed to develop much, except through narrative. However, I didn't find that this took anything away from the movie. Much like all franchises (as UNDERWORLD is sure to become), this film sets up everything that is to come in the next. This isn't a thinking person's movie nor is it a full blown action piece; in the style and tone the movie has more of a literary feel than anything else. My only complaint is that there wasn't enough conflict between the wearwolves and the vampires; so much time is spent on setting the tone, mood, and narrative that there wasn't much time left for action. Nevertheless, I still found that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and look forward to seeing it again.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: See the sequel next year..
Review: This movie was made with a sequel in mind, just look at how it ended! But I did enjoy this film, I liked the atmosphere and the characters and the story is pretty interesting (hard to follow?? - no way.) Why such bad reviews? Who knows, maybe the critics are Lycans and the moon was full when they saw the movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: What, you want high cinema?? This movie was just fine.
Review: Augh, I get so tired of people slamming movies just to make themselves appear to be some sorts of cinema gods who think everything's supposed to be high art. This movie was perfectly enjoyable for what it was. I even went to see it twice, and I may go again. I am a huge horror genre fan, werewolves in particular. Ever since I was a kid I've had a fascination with them. So, when I heard this movie was coming out, I flipped with excitement. And I was not let down, for the most part.

Granted, the acting in this movie WAS a bit cheeeezy, but so what? Not the first time I sat through a fine movie all the while tolerating bad acting (Titanic's Leo anyone?). Beckinsale did a great job with what she had, though I would have liked to see just a bit more emotional range in her character. Speedman was...okay..for the small part he had. He too needed a little help in the emoting department though. God help us..many of the vamp crew's acting was absolutely hilarious. Especially Viktor's slight hillbilly accent here and there. But, I can deal with that. Its not like this movie had the budget to hire a whole slew of A listers AND supply them with their 30 mil-a-piece paychecks AND bow to their expensive whims and demands. We'd have had paper vampires had that been the case, cause that's all they'd have been able to afford.

And now, the werewolves. I am extremely judgemental when it comes to the depiction of these fantasy creatures in movies and books. I dont find any other fantasy creature quite as horrific and cool as the werewolf. So when I saw the trailers for UW, I thought, "Oh God no..not more CG 'Paris' hairless dogs!!" For the life of me..I wish cinema would go back to the good old days of fabulous make up work and leave the CG where it belongs...(in the Matrix). HOWEVER, I found myself quite surprised when I saw them in the film. They're well done, well lit, and the CG is very limited. There are suits and makeup involved in close shots whereas the CG is only used for specific scenes...namely the 'wall crawling' scenes, which WOULD have been cool had they been better animated, but they were okay nonetheless. Also, they werent shown in full light too much. The very shape and sound of them was enough to scare you. The trick to good horror is not showing stuff...leave it to the imaginations of the viewers, and they'll be a lot more afraid. I do wish the wolves would have had just a little more airtime though...they really were very cool, and coming from me that's a big compliment.

Overall, this movie was quite good, despite some obvious flaws. So it wasnt strikingly fresh and original...but is anything these days? Please... Go see this movie for what it is: a good gun-fightin, monster-warring goth fantasy flick. Dont go in expecting Evian and peeled grapes and tormented actresses portraying deaf british writers...if you want that, go to an art house, and leave us plain-jane horror movie fans in peace.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: no, quite ridiculous.
Review: dont see this movie in the theatres. dont buy it on dvd. watch it on cable, rent it as a bargain price or borrow it from a friend if you must see it. patience is only a mild form of despair after all and actually paying more than three dollars to see this movie where you can't pause it no matter how big the screen is is just not worth the time, money, without factoring the oppurtunity cost of what you could be doing instead. let's face it. kate's hot, the cinematography was pretty, and we are familiar with enough movies like this that were good, alien 1-3, terminator, matrix, batman, the crow, that it would be easy to say yes i liked. but people are so no and i am glad people have more sense. i dont care if they paid for a decent soundtrack. that's a marketing peripheral people hollywood learned from sinatra or jean kelly, but was revitalized with the in the early 90s etc. anyway, plot? hah. like scooping up a trash can full of frogs, and stomping in it to see if youll squash one. i will only say that it is ridiculous to attribute all of the morphological changes and powers of these creatures which seem to break not just constraints of biology and evolution but mechanical physics as well to viruses. viruses to make you turn into a giant monster and back again violating conservation of mass and energy both times. it's ridiculous. people are afraid just to say "it's magic" so they have to invent bogus science like "silver nitrate" bullets or "irradiated" bullets. you know if uv kills vampires, you could just get a bunch of uv bulbs and blast them at your convenience without even having to use guns. in a similar fashion the werewolf tunnels could be flooded with silver nitrate. why silver nitrate was not employed by vampires when it was discovered about three hundred some odd years ago by alchemists. if the military can provide them with weapons of mass destruction not just guns but grenades, how is being an "immortal" better than just being a human with access to high tech weaponry. i thought it would be nice if they had actually somehow adapted to 21st century technology and culture unlike the blade movies but apparently not. long live the brides of dracula and peter cushing.


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