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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: 5 stars
Summary: AWESOME!!!!!!!
Review: I only have one thing to say about this movie. This movie was absolutely great. It was the best movie I have seen this year. Its special effects were great, how they talked, looked, fought but the best thing about this movie was its plot. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes thriller movies. It was great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Could Become a Cult Classic
Review: I have never been much of a vampire movie buff, but I truly enjoyed this one. Perhaps it is my own lack of imagination that has led me to believe there aren't many angles left to explore for this genre, but this movie version of Kazimieras G. Prapuolenis' comic strip "Underworld" may have just proven me wrong, having explored whatever angles were left. I've never read the comic strip, so I can't say whether or not the movie sticks with the strip; but the movie is riveting nevertheless.

Underworld had my attention from the very beginning all the way to the end. Considering the fact that this story could easily have enough material for a mini-series, the director masterfully and mercifully edits the story and footage; crafting a well-made movie without lulls or unnecessary scenes, which keeps the story moving at all times. There is a Romeo & Juliet type surprise, but it will not be evident for most of the movie.

One of the great things about this movie is that it has a dark, Gothic feel to it that pervades the cinematography of entire movie, which provides the perfect setting for a vicarious ride into the Underworld.

Now for the story: the Lycans are werewolf rebels, the Vampires are immortal overlords and there is a great deal of lamentatious history between the two of them. There are over five hundred years of animosity between the Lycans and Vampires, most of which is covered in parts of the movie's dialog or storyline.

Seline (Kate Beckinsale) is jaded and nonconforming; yet she is incredibly beautiful and soon discovers a softness underneath her hard exterior. Believing that the Lycans murdered her family when she was a child, Seline devotes herself to exterminating all Lycans from existence with extreme prejudice alongside the other members of her Lycan-killing vampire clan, the Death Dealers.

One day, she encounters a situation where a human becomes involved in the struggle. Up to this point no human has ever been made aware of the happenings in the Underworld. Having been bitten by a Lycan, the human, named Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), is purposefully left alive. He has been targeted by the Lycans for reasons unknown to him or the vampires. But the Lycans know, thanks to the dark master of the Lycan horde, Lucian. Lucian is known only through legend and thought to have died long ago, but he is back; and he has a deviously diabolical plot to get revenge on the vampires. In particular, his undying and justifiably livid grievance is with Viktor (Bill Lighy), a brazen, arrogant, and stoic supreme Vampire overlord who has been in a medically induced slumber for two hundred years. You will find out what that grievance is in the movie.

There is also connection between the character Kraven (Shane Brolly) and Lucian that I will not divulge. But he is a power hungry, aristocratic vampire with ambitions of securing a place of power within the hierarchy vampire elders; and is willing to do whatever it takes to do it.

So how did all the contention start? Watch the movie and find out.

Although some may feel that the relationship between Seline and Michael was not explored deep enough, I think it was developed just enough; further development of their relationship would have made the film too long. Aside from that minor quip, which is not my complaint, I think most people who watch it with an open mind will enjoy the movie. For some, this has the making of a cult classic, and I think I may just be one of them (and I do not particularly like this genre).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Duh, there's going to be a sequel.
Review: This was just a hint of things (possibly) to come. Actually, lots of little hints. So quit whining about there not being enough detail or enough of a love story.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It's okay but there's nothing new here
Review: I love Vampires and Werewolves. I thought it would be great to see an original movie where they had battles. The problem with "Underworld," sadly enough, is it's lack of originality.

The "Vampire clans," the look of the vampires and the action scenes have all been done before in better movies.

The "Vampire Clans" idea has been done before in "Kindred The Embraced," "Blade," and several "White-Wolf" roleplaying games. The action sequences were unoriginal and uninspired and the clothes that the Vampires wore were just too stereotypical. Why do all the Vampires in modern films have to be covered head-to-toe in leather?

I like the movie because I love Vampires and Werewolves but I think the movie would have been a lot better if it had some more originality. This is mainly for the diehard Vampire (or Werewolf) fans. Buy this at the Hollywood Video's "Two for $20.00" sale if you are only a casual action/horror fan.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Boring
Review: Man a former ( get that FORMER) girl of mine dragged me in to see this and I will tell you it's the worst way to spend $15. It was a stupid movie...there really was no point and definitely no hook to make me care about what happens or what didn't happen to these characters. The story was just stupid. It was too much fighting going on everytime you wake up from your sleep they're fighting...as a matter of fact that was what kept me awake...soon as they start fighting it gets loud waking me up from my slumber. The movie was also too long...if it was shorter maybe I would have liked it more. The mood is always dark, gloomy, and shadowy. The things didn't smile or laugh too often and the actors were second rate barely holding my attention on screen. Apparently this movie comes out tomorrow on DVD so i hope you don't get gypped into seeing it as I did. Don't waste your time or money.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good but...
Review: As an Action movie Underworld is good, the battle sequences between the Lycons (Werewolves) and Vampires are spectacular. The transformations for the Werewolves are also cool and one of the better ones (using CGI of course). However there is a problem with the movie. That problem is the love story twist in there that never really takes off. It is hinted throughout and in the end confirmed but the love story is very lacking and one can tell that it wasn't thought through. However with the spectacular action and better than average acting (there is no campy characters) this is definetly a good movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Vampires in Action!!!
Review: First of all, I can see how this movie is very debatable. The special effects, action, and actors were stellar, but yes, it was lacking in substance. The storyline was good, but all of this could have been expanded. Even though there should have been more romance between Selene and Michael, the action made up for it. It's better anyway because vampires are not supposed to be overly romantic; they specialize in killing and violence, which make the vampire genre horrific, but extremely interesting.

Now for the pros. The movie's setting was dynamic; I think that really helped catch the viewer's attention. I loved the Gothic, dark effect because it suitably characterizes vampires. The action was amazing, even though we've seen forms of it in The Matrix. While a lot of movies are remotely interesting and lack spunk, Underworld held my attention. It's one of those movies where you're glued to the screen; there's no time for yawning or wandering thoughts. Only movies like The Matrix and Minority Report (another awesome movie) have had this effect on me. The feud between vampires and lycans is also a great concept.

Even though I do wish that it could have been longer by showing more of the vampiric culture and romance between the two leads, Underworld definitely exceeded my expectations. It's a great vampire film - one of the best out there in my opinion. Being a vampire genre fan, I enjoyed it immensely. If you're reading reviews on the movie that are commentary/opinion, all I can say is disregard them. Watch the movie yourself and find out.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: not bad, but...
Review: It could have been so much better. Good special effects, a quite decent concept, good actors, good sets and backgrounds, in general a great feeling to the movie, but the plot suffered a little. My main complaint was that of charater development, especialy regarding the 2 leads whom were supposed to have some sort of emotional attachment/connection. The problem was that they never spent enough time, or dialog, together to develop the bonds that were needed by the end to explaine the things. She was supposed to fall head-over heels for him, give up all she was raised to belive, etc, etc, etc, (don't want to ruin too much if you haven't seen it yet), yet I think she spent more screen time walking though doorways (entrances and exits) than she did with the other romantic lead. Don't get me wrong, I like Kate Beckinsale in tight leather walking away from the camra as much as the next guy, and I look forward to timming things out when I get the DVD, its just with a little better editing and the addition of a scene or two this movie could have been one of the better ones, and deffinatly would have gottne another star.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: All style, but I still love it
Review: This movie is all style with little substance. The action scenes get confusing and the characters are paper thin, but the style is still there. The movie is just the most beautiful thing to look at. But, you know what, Kill Bill (at least the virst volume) was almost the same thing, only britter and more coherent. This is assuredly not a movie for everbody. Those of you who look at movies for the occassional mindless entertainment, or for great technique, then this is for you. If you love moody, stylistic, goth films, this is probably for you. If not, then stay far away.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Moose Hole - 'Under' Performance
Review: "But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Rise up, beautiful sun, and make the jealous moon invisible."

One of the most popular of Shakespeare's plays, Romeo and Juliet, has been transformed into many different feature films; some good (the 1968 version) and some bad (the 1996 version starring Leonardo DiCaprio). But the main point is that this enduring tale of two star-crossed lovers (which, in reality, Shakespeare ripped off) has been able to stand the test of time, be passed on to future generations and has been embraced as much as it has ever been. Now a more different (really different) version has emerged with werewolves and vampires taking the place of the feuding families the Montagues and the Capulets. But Screen Gem's gothic take on the famous tale is much more loosely based then previous versions. How loosely based? At press time there was already talk of a sequel. William Shakespeare must be rolling in his grave right now.

Underworld is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet with werewolves and vampires, two feuding clans, battling for supremacy. Selene, a vampire, is a "Death Dealer", an armed assassin who hunts down the Lycans, also known as werewolves. For centuries the war between the vampires and the Lycans has been raging on outside of the knowledge of the human race but that may all change with new rumblings in the underworld. Selene soon becomes infatuated with a human named Michael, who becomes the focus of a secret plot by the Lycans to resurrect their dying species. Why is this such a big deal? The integration of these two rivaling species is strictly forbidden but such an event could end the war. Why would anyone not want this? Selene believes that there are secrets within both clans that push the classic theme of appearance vs. reality. The story of Underworld is intriguing to say the least but gets too caught up in itself to make truly any sense. There are many surprising twists and turns in the plot but so many that the feature becomes bogged down and just plain confusing by the end of its two hour run. And talk about being "loosely" based! The filmmakers claim that Underworld is based on Romeo and Juliet with two members of feuding clans coming together in blissful love but outside of that, the similarities end pretty quickly. And even that similarity isn't well based with any romantic interests between the two main characters being pretty flat and disconnected.

The cast is full of wonderful actors and actresses but few famous faces to bring in even a built in audience. Kate Beckinsale, who saw her star power rise dramatically after her role in the 2001 hit Pearl Harbor, is obviously the main focus of the feature and does a wonderful job with her time in the spotlight or lack of light. Beckinsale gives an uber-sexy performance as Selene that may give another leather clad actress, Carrie-Ann Moss, a run for her money in that area. The only problem with her character is that little detail is given to her character's past and even when those details are available, they aren't explored in flashback sequences, which would have relieved some confusion in the plot. Scott Speedman, best known for performance on the late Felicity series on the WB television network, does a best a performance as he can give but as important as his character is to the plot of the film, he really isn't given anything to show off his true acting chops. Bill Nighy, who plays the ancient vampire leader Viktor, gives an entertaining performance that was still quite interesting despite the fact that he doesn't appear till relatively late in the film. The only upsetting fact of the character is the way he dies, which seemed like a slap in the face to the fine performer who worked so hard to set up an engaging character only to be kicked down so quickly.

Overall, Underworld is an insult to the famous play on which it is based, no matter how loosely it is. Poor William Shakespeare must be rolling in his grave! The idea seemed to an interesting one, so what went wrong? A lot of things. Despite having a decent two hour time length, Underworld becomes too bloated by the midway point that by the end, it just gives up and rolls downhill. The plot has too many twists and turns to get a clear understanding of what is going on and ends with more questions then answers. How did the vampires and werewolves start out? How were the werewolves able to evolve so that they could change at random? Why is it the werewolves and vampires seem to have this all out war against each other going on for centuries without the knowledge the human race? Some of those answers may be present in the feature but the main focus becomes so confusing that anything else is pushed out of your mind to even ponder. And even though this is a horror/monster film, Screen Gem could have taken the blood factor down a notch or two as there were too many unnecessary squeamish moments for some to take especially after gobbling down a full bucket of popcorn. The action sequences are well done, though the filmmakers seem to borrow too many elements from The Matrix series to make them even slightly original. So despite an excellent performance by Kate Beckinsale and well choreographed action sequences, Underworld comes off as being too long, grim and confusing to recommend above superior fall fare like Once Upon a Time in Mexico.


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