Rating: 
Summary: Misunderstood and wonderful
Review: This was a great movie! I have seen it three times and would have seen it a fourth, but the DVD will be out soon, so I'll wait for that.
You have to understand....this is an ACTION film! This is not meant to be slow and artistic. Underworld should not be compaired to "Interview with the Vampire" or "Bram Stokers Dracula." Those were DRAMAS. One of my friends said to me "I wanted more 'Interview...' and this is totally unfair. The trailer told you what this film was about. It's about a war between vampires and Lycans (warewolves). It has guns, fighting and a love story subplot. It's Romeo & Juliet with fangs -- but it's great.
Every vampire film slightly re-defines what the vampire is. Underworld has nice visual ideas and it is easy to find yourself taken in by this world. The characters take themselves seriously and the short dramatic scenes that are there are fine. In fact, I would say that I cannot fault anyones acting except for "Kraven." He was one-dimensional, but so what?
I admit this is not the well-crafted masterpiece that "Interview" was, but this is an ACTION film. You don't go see "True Lies" and expect "Shakespeare in Love", do you? When you go see "The Mummy", are you expecting the acting calibre of "A Beautiful Mind?"
Underworld was a great story. It has guns and fighting and it's about a bitter war. These are creatures at war, fighting for their survival and they don't have time to say "I never drink....wine."and ps. Kate Beckinsale can bite me -anytime. ;-)
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Movie
Review: I would highly recommend buying this movie. Just imagine The Matrix with a horror twist. WIth a suprise ending, this movie keeps you away from bathroom breaks. Definately a must see!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Very stylish action thriller
Review: I really liked the movie. Selene is a 'death dealer', a vampire trained to kill werewolves. Vampires and werewolves have been at bitter war for centuries, each determined to drive the other to extinction. Now, the werewolves may have an edge as they discovered a way to combine the genes of both species to create a half-vampire, half-werewolf breed with strengths of both and none of their weaknesses. It all hinges on a human doctor, to whom Selene feels forbidden attraction, especially since he'll soon turn into a werewolf himself. The storyline was very tight, gradually revealing how the war began and not everyone is as he/she seems. The action sequences were amazing. The movie seems to have focused on building to story, perhaps leaving the personal drama and romance to the sequel which is in works. I'm looking forward to it.
Rating:
Summary: GENIUS Sci-Fi/HORROR in a LONG time!
Review: I've been a fan of good Sci-Fi and Horror movies all my life. Started with "ALIEN" & "An American Werewolf in London" and seen mostly all that has come out. The 90's Teen "horror" movies, ie: Blairwitch, Scary Movie, I know what you did.. etc. were a TOTAL dissapointment... lame plots and bad, bad, acting!!
Then came Blade and Blade 2 (BOTH VERY GOOD)...and now this... INCREDIBLY good and will amaze you that the plot is actually very REMARKABLE...
I am also reading the book, which has a LOT of details that cannot be included in the movie due to lack of time (would make the movie too long!) But this series (there are 2 books,the 2nd one will be out March 2004) is THE BEST IN HORROR/ SCI-FI IN A LOOONG TIME..!!! WELL WORTH IT!!
Rating:
Summary: All I ever needed to know about assembling a vampire coven..
Review: ...I learned from Underworld.
It has been a most educational experience, watching Underworld. Until now I was walking around with some very laughable ideas about the Creatures of the Night that we all so take for granted as the pedestrian kind of beings that populate folklore. From here on out I am enlightened; no longer a gullible moviegoer, or naive reader. I can rely on the sophistication I have gleaned from this movie to move forward with confidence among the Undead. Underworld set me straight. For example, not just anybody has what it takes to become a vampire. The first requirement for immortality is a European accent. In fact, British and French accented vampires seem to be the most prolific, regardless of residence. It would be considered extremely gauche for, say, a Texan accent to show up at one of the black tie coven soirees even if he sported the hippest Versace lace cravat. Next, one must be a model. This means high cheekbones, gauntly thin, and with a nose constantly in the air as one's lips form a slight pout in resting state. Only the alpha females are allowed to have larger bustlines; this is so that those black leather designer fashions will drape nicely. But above all, a vampire must have that cultivated air of aloof that can be obtained by constantly imagining an offensive odor. Now werewolves have to be selected from an entirely different lot. The master werewolf of Underworld must have scoured every biker bar in LA for swarthy males that with the proper ear hair. Sideburns and a pointy unibrow will gain you extra points for consideration as well. Blondes need not apply, as the lupine fashion seems to favor the swarthy look. Fortunately for Americans, there is less discrimination here with regards to accent. But make no mistake, the world of werewolves is a male dominated culture - women are for snacking only. If your taste runs to the slaying side of things you should know that wooden stakes are passé. Please. Nowadays you will need automatic weaponry and explosive munitions. Also, be aware that vampires and werewolves alike must have kept up on action flicks because now they have advanced martial art skills upon conversion and can unload seven clips worth of ammo into their foes without reloading. And did you think vamps were the only ones who could run on walls and ceilings? It's not just for Eurofrogs anymore. Some further rules to keep in mind when cavorting with Underworld denizens are:
No athletic shoes. No pastel or white clothing.
When in doubt, leather
Waterford crystal is the vessel of choice for blood-tasting parties.
Bottom line, this is an entertaining action flick that should appeal to those who like movies like Blade. You can enjoy it if you keep that in mind.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Rating:
Summary: Great... if you know what you are in for.
Review: Those of you that liked "Blade" and "Commando" would love this movie. Not just because of the obvious vampire similarities with "Blade" or the action of "Commando" but because I think the directors made this movie stupid and cheesy like those on purpose. Yes, the action and violence is gratuitious, and yes, the acting is pretty bad at parts. However- if you can look past this and laugh, albeit tongue-in-cheek, you will really enjoy this movie. There are those who would criticize and call this a "Blade meets Matrix ripoff" but there are scenes/effects that rival the best that Hollywood has yet to offer. The fight scenes and action moments are very entertaining as well. In summary: If you want to go out and see a very entertaining movie that doesn't really make you think (unlike the "English Patient" or "Schindler's List") go see this one. But keep in mind... it is for cheap, easy fun only. Dont take it seriously, and you will enjoy it a lot more. Oh yeah... and Kate Beckinsale is SOOO hot!
Rating:
Summary: Sweet Movie
Review: Sweet movie if you like werewolves and vampires. Thing is people don't see this movie for what it is. It's not a movie about them sucking people's blood and stuff. This is about a war between the 2 different bloodlines or whatever you would like to call it. I think half these people...where expecting to see a vampire / werewold horror movie. But I likes it. Great movie and pretty interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Underwhelming
Review: In UNDERWORLD, vampires and werewolves wage never-ending war on each other in and beneath a city perpetually cloaked in night. Now the wolves are stalking humans, in search of...something. The trailer for this looked amazing. Even the film itself looked great. The lighting, the design, the actors and their clothes are all gorgeous. There's just no substance beneath it all. The characters are flat and there is not nearly enough story to fill out the two hour running time. Some of the acting is quite poor as well; Shane Brolly, who plays the current vampire lord, is particularly bad. I would have liked to have seen more of Sophia Myles as his hopeful first lady. Not only did she seem competent, but it would have added a much-needed subplot. What there was of a story didn't make sense to me, although I can't say why without giving away what happens later in the film. UNDERWORLD is less a horror film (it isn't ever scary) than a stylish action movie in horror dressing. People are executing incredible acrobatic displays all over the place and bullets are constantly flying. It is as if John Woo had decided to shift into the supernatural genre. Nor is it a "Romeo & Juliet" story. If there is any romance, it involves a triangle among three of the vampires, but it is left by the wayside. It is a hybrid film with serious genetic defects, and it is boring. Avoid this stale, unsatisfying piece of eye candy.
Rating:
Summary: Ignore the bad acting.....
Review: First, I'd just like to shout out a sarcastic "thank you" to Shane Brolly, the actor who played the vampire Kraven for nearly RUINING this otherwise awesome film with his horrible acting. Seriously, I've seen better acting in porn. Shane, my good man, I sincerely hope your poetry is better than your acting. Really, I mean that. As for the rest of the film-it's excellent. I've read what the beret-wearing, latte-sipping Cannes snobs have written, and they're all morons. If you're a regular person (meaning not an indie film twit) who enjoys a good horror / gothic / action flick, this is the best one of the year. The costumes are incredible, Kate Beckinsdale is delicious-looking, the stage armory is flawless (except for the endless-firing-without-reloading thing, but I can forgive one friggin' oversight), the gothy cinematography is superb even if it does resemble a cologne commercial at times, and I absolutely love how they managed to give the city in this film that whole "generic dark gothic city in Europe" feel. It works and works well. And the mansion the vampires are living in.... I have a thing for gothic mansions, and that's one of the best ones I've ever seen in a movie. I love this film despite the could-be-better acting. I think the story is great, and I highly recommend it. Any goth or vampire or werewolf afficionado has probably already seen it at least twice-but if there's one out there who hasn't seen it yet, SEE IT AS SOON AS YOU CAN. It's really good. It's up there with The Matrix, Dark City, The Crow, City of Lost Children, and Blade on the "classic movies for goths" list. Sure, it's derivative as all hell, but SO WHAT. It may not be original, but it is enjoyable. If you see it and hate it, you can join a class-action lawsuit against me with all the other indie culture jerks. Get bent.
Rating:
Summary: Underpar?
Review: Well, I went into this movie with really high hopes, to be honest. For a while now we've been hyping it up. The adverts made it look like it was going to be a pretty fast paced movie that would satisfy my inner goth, but I left feeling a little hungry still. The Good: Action sequences - this movie wasn't toted as some deep Virgina Woolf penning, it was a guns and girls movie. As far as guns go, it certainly did well. The gun fighting looked smooth and didn't remind me of the Matrix at all (no bullet time, hurrah). The silver nitrate and 'daylight' bullets looked pretty nifty when they were being hurled about. You would have thought that seeing vampires with guns would just belittle the vampires abilities, but once the wolves transformed into their Crinos form you could understand why they wanted (needed) guns. Girls - the second part of the important combo! Kate Beckinsale + leather = the win. As a tie in to this, the costumes were pretty cool. I liked the corset over cat suit that Selene wore and the vampire masters cloak was awesome. Vampires know all the best places to shop, where as it seems Werewolves are damned to an eternity of wearing scabby dusters. The Werewolves - they were well done! They didn't look at all cheesy (see: Dog Soldiers) and the transformation stages looked neat. You really got the idea that they were bad muthas, especially when you found out they were forcing the bullets out of their bodies before the silver was able to kill them. The Bad: Under-use of characters - I don't even know why Amilia was in the film. The adverts made her look like she was going to be a key player, yet she wasn't on screen long enough to get a single line off. Tied in with this is the fact that, if the whole vampire council was coming to meet with a coven, I think they would have a little more security. There was only a small pack of garou sent to attack the train - surely they could have fought them off? The Vampires - they did nothing. All day and night. It seemed it was just eternal coffee morning at Casa Vampyr. Bela Lugosi is probably rolling over in his grave. They were all so [whimpy] too! Psh. They needed to take a leaf from the Werewolves book and buck up. I'm not saying they were terrible, just that they could have been made to seem a little less weak. Give them claws and telekinetic powers or something. I mean, the only ability that I could discern Selene had was strength and being able to jump from great heights. Not all that impressive. Kraven - he just sucked, period. He was a terrible actor, IMO. In Conclusion: I enjoyed it. I didn't pick at it too much. I probably enjoyed it more than the average person would since I'm a fangirl, but if you just go in looking for guns and pretty people, you won't be disappointed. Here's hoping the sequel will be better (I think it will!) If you usually like this type of mindless horror/action flick, you will gobble Underworld up. If not, give this one a miss.
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