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Underworld (Full Screen Edition)

Underworld (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $19.94
Your Price: $17.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Original movie
Review: This is the MOST original Vampire movie I have seen in years. Set in a dark present-day metropolis, the story asks the true film noir question: what is the right thing to do, and is the price worth it? Using elements familiar to anyone who likes action movies, Underworld goes in a different direction.

The story is, at its heart, a story about consequences. The female lead, Selene, is a vampire who serves her people without question - until a rebellion begins that could threaten their entire way of life. Combined with the external threat of the Lycan werewolf clans (lycan is short for lycanthrope, or shape-changer), Selene must make very hard decisions over what side she will take, decisions that she later comes to regret.

What I liked most about this movie was the way Director Len Wiseman re-interpreted th legends surrounding Vampires and Werewolves. Instead of re-creating the same, boring villains from storybooks a hundred years old, these creatures are caricatures of humanity. Their powers are not simply fantastic abilities that make them horrible boogeymen. Their supernatural qualities are used intelligently, to emphasize their humanity and hold a mirror up in front of our face. The brute strength, tenacity and macabre medicinal practices of the Lycans are all too familiar qualities of the real-life downtrodden, as is the sneering, anemic, but all-too-real power of the Vampire overlords.

In response, some have approached me and said "But that is not how Vampires and Werewolves work! They are supposed to do <>, and they never do!" To this, I reply "Why should they?" This is not White Wolf's "World of Darkness" setting, nor is it an Ann Rice novel. While those two settings are quite good, and I like them personally, there is no hard and fast rule that says every interpretation must be the same; in fact, some would say that a new interpretation is better art, because it takes risks.

In the end, this is the true strength of Underworld. Wiseman takes risks - with the setting, with the effects, with the characters, and with the story. In doing so, he manages to make Underworld more than just the sum of its familiar action-adventure components, and turn it into a film that makes you think. While it is certainly not a classic film epic, it is a rock-solid movie that easily deserves 4 stars.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Too bad,no option for negative stars..Derivative trash, dull
Review: An utter waste of time. Save your money. I saw this on the big screen at a second run theatre. As I LOVE vampire movies, this sounded so promising...a sexy, high-style love story between a vampire girl and werewolve boy. Well, the PR people deserve a bonus for coming with THAT hogwash! Be forewarned: this isn't "Buffy" and there is no romance here at all. I don't think the characters hardly touched, let alone have a "love affair". One minor character appears to have had an interspecies romance in the far past, but it's not gone into. Set in England (or somewhere), it's very hard to tell, but most of the Eurotrash looking actors have British accents.

Every cool movie of the last decade is mined here -- the bleak, colorless noir of "The Crow", the wire-work stunts and long leather coats of "The Matrix", the kick ass action of both "Blade" films, the vampire "king" from "Interview with the Vampire" and every Anne Rice novel ever written -- but to absolutely no effect. What plot there is, is nearly incomphrensible. The general principles of vampirism or werewolvism are disregarded...werewolves change at whim, and both silver bullets and daylight no longer work as in traditional tales.

Kate Beckinsale, a fine young actress, is wasted in this garbage. What on earth could have convinced her to take this part? At least she looks great, wearing Michelle Pfieffer's catsuit from "Batman". Every one else in the film is so pitifully incompetent that it would add further injury to even name them. Trust me, this won't appear on anybody's resume.

By midway, I was nodding off. If I'd been at home, I am sure I would have fallen asleep. One boring shoot out after another, often with very unclear results. The ending clears up nothing whatsoever about the "plot", which is nearly nonexistent.

This is one of the worst movies I saw in 2003, and possibly the worst vampire/werewolf movie ever made. Abbot and Costello meet Dracula is Oscar material in comparison with this howling dog. AVOID AT ALL COSTS, even if it shows up on cable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: $ isn't everything
Review: Well, Hollywood makes movie trailers over the top so naturally when I saw the trailer for this film, I thought for sure this was a big budget movie. Thankfully, I continued to read about the movie before I saw it and came across it's actual price tag. Let me just say that for the money that made it, something special was put together here. This is a dark film that doesn't rely on CGI wizardry to the extent that others of its kind do. No one watches these kinds of films for Oscar acting. These kinds of films are action mood pieces, period. They can either be good or bad and it's that simple. Underworld is just plain good, utilizing some seriously creative ideas, one of which I have never seen or expected (the idea of mixing a vampire with a werewolf, oh yeah, I felt the love too). Great storytelling. Great original characters. Awesome use of color/tint. I expect a sequel but I'm hopefull that they don't use more money the next time like so many other sequels. More money may actually hurt this story. Never thought I'd say that about a movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It¡¦s an awesome movie about vampires and werewolves!
Review: Actually I am a fan of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Blade". Before I watched this movie, I have a concrete impression about vampires in my mind. I never think that vampires are the weak minority and they can be killed by werewolves, but not some kind of superheros.

This movie gives me a whole new image about vampires and their rival, werewolves. Most of the time, vampires are villains and now they are the good guys. The plot I like the most is the character, "Lucian" is not as bad as I think at the end of the movie. He wants to fight back vampires because of revenge.

Kate Beckinsale is so cool in this movie, especially after watching her in "Pearl Harbour". I can¡¦t imagine she can play this character that well.

Last but not the least, it¡¦s a really good movie about vamps and werewolves even lots of people complained that this movie is a blend of "Matrix/Crow/Blade". Sometimes "blending" can make good movies.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: All the right ingredients, but it's undercooked
Review: Underworld had some okay potential. Vampires versus Werewolves is an intriguing concept. And the movie has plenty of style. However, the director or someone else screwed up along the way.

This movie has no plot until about two thrids of the way through. The Vampires are little more than eurosnobs -- some with guns, most just lounging about in formal evening wear. An ancient vampire later says their clan has turned weak. What an understatement -- they lost all interest for me when they go running up stairs, guns in hand, and flahslights on their heads. Um, don't vampires usually see in the dark and fly and attack viciously with their fangs?!?

The werewolves are little more than a mob gang of long-haired muscled men.

After the plot develops, its a much better film, but until that point it's a total throwaway. Apparently, the director wanted to make a star of the lead actress' boots, because there's way too many shots of them landing from jumps and falls.

I hate it when people talk through a movie, but we all were cracking jokes through it because it was purely silly and there was little story line or dialogue worth paying attention to.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie / Response To Some Past Reviews
Review: I really enjoyed this movie. Vampires rocked. I read some of the reviews. I see so many people complaining how "weak" the vampires were. Look at Viktor, look how strong he was. He fought with the werewolf towards the end then stabbed him with his sword. People say there was no blood drinking. Twice you see blood going into Viktor, once to awake him and once to regain his physical appearance. I can't wait for the sequels. Great movie!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Truth
Review: Wading through the reviews of Underworld, it's easy to get a mixed feeling of how good or bad this movie is. Here is the simple truth: if you know what the plot is (ware wolfs vs. vampires), and aren't completely tuned off by the idea, go ahead and give the movie a spin. For what it is, and what it has to work with, it is a very good title that will, for the most part, keep you entertained from start to finish.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good and entertaining
Review: The movie was good, generally speaking. The pacing was acceptable and it had everything on it, action, romance, a good plot and all. But almost at the end of the movie something happens that it doesn't make sense at all and it made me loose interest in it. Still I highly recommend the movie if you are looking for a variety of events.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Damn Good Movie
Review: This movie was just awesome! No one could have pulled it off better than Kate Beckinsale! You must watch! You will love!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Humans With Fangs....
Review: This basically sums up the portrayal of the vamps in "Underworld". The vamps were nothing more than humans with fangs, in my opinion. they were just weak. Now I did like the silver nitrate bullets but vamps with guns??? They looked more like Matrix-wannabes than the living dead to me. There was no show of their "otherworldly" powers until towards the end of the movie. And even that showing of power was "weak" for lack of a better term.

The lycans, on the other hand, were awesome!!! Being a huge fan of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series I often sided with the vamps and looked down on the whining, wimpy lycans but I definitely was cheering the lycans on in this movie. Their leader, Lucien, was definitely running things and as his story was revealed, we learned that underneath all the fangs and fur was a real romantic. Moving on....

The special effects were pretty good. All in all, the movie was worth watching but I'd think twice about making it a part of my dvd collection. Had there been more of a showing of supernatural stand-offs and such, I might have been persuaded differently. But as is, "Underworld" just didn't live up to my expectations.


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