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Underworld (Widescreen Edition)

Underworld (Widescreen Edition)

List Price: $19.94
Your Price: $14.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Spongecake.
Review: Did you know there has been a war going on for hundreds of years? And it all started because the upper class and lower class dared to fall in love and have an abomination for a baby? Master vs. Servant! Father vs. Daughter! Oh, the drama! How can they fit all this into one movie! Easy, Underworld leaves out any sense of character development and relies on convoluted and cliched story lines. But there is plenty of fun action to distract you from remembering you don't give a lick about the leading characters (what was Kate Beckinsale thinking?). It's like eating Twinkie. Oh sure, it was fun to eat, but once it's gone you wonder why you ever indulged.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Waste of money. Here is why...
Review: I have seen an advanced screening of this piece of garbage at the Toronto Film festival. Now here is what I heard. It was supposed to have 2 screenings but it only had one. This is the deal. The festival was called by the company to cancel both screenings because the test sceenings before the festival went poorly (I wonder why). The festival had already sold tickets for the first screening so they could not cancel it. The film company does not want the word to get out as to how bad this film is because they want your money. They can't have your money if you know better than to spend your hard earned cash to go see this poor effort.

As for the film itself, it is very tame. The dialogue is absolutely terrible, acting is mediocre at best and only has enough violence to fill its one minute trailor. It copies off of various other movies and did not even beat them at their own game. Trust me, even other members of the audience were laughing at the film even though the director was present. There is also a game where its characters and premise were ripped of by the makers of Underworld. Now, the makers of Underworld are currently being sued by the game makers!!!!!

Please keep in mind that any information that I have written beyond my personal impression of the film is based on info others had passed on to me. I am not out to bad mouth the film, but I feel unfairly ripped having to sit through its 2 hours.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Enter the Underworld
Review: Taking an old story with old style monsters and usuing mdern age, Underworld should be a top contender to go. The batte is between the Vampires and Werewolves who's war have been waging for years hiding from the likes of human eyes. But Seline a great Vampire falls in love with a Human who has a special blood in his sytem that will stop the werewolves from being extinct, Now a war will wage on. So what do we expect a good story awesome graphics, and taking an old remdeial story of Romeo and Juliette and putting it in modern age might make this a sure hit. I find it should be exciting and action packed to the max. So what should everyone do find the piece of the story everyone will enjoy and go see this movie, looking great.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: UNDERWORLD
Review: I'm not the biggest fan of dark, gothic-like films. But this film looks interesting. The ides of a vampire-werewolf battle film sounds awesome! I think that Kate Beckinsale is one of the most beautiful and talented actresses in Hollywood (why they didn't choose her for "Tomb Raider," I'll never know), and she looks extremely sexy in this one! I'm gonna try to see this film, are you?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Underworld Is Coming. Are You Ready?
Review: The premise of this movie is basically a gothic rendition of Romeo and Juliet. On one side you have the Death Dealers. An ancient race of vampires living among humans for centuries. On the other you have the Lychans. Savage werewolves who battle the Death Dealers for common survival. Both groups of creatures have secretly been at war for countless centuries but a sudden twist is thrown into the mix. One of the Death Dealer's leaders, Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale), falls for a young human on the run named Michael (played by Scott Speedman). When his ties to the Lychans becomes known, Selene must decide if her future with Michael is worth betraying her people. Set in a gothic/Matrix look and setting, Underworld is expected to be one of the sleeper hits of 2003. This is one fan who will be eagerly waiting in line with his ticket the day it is released.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Don't bother with the Extended Cut
Review: The two stars are only for the recently released Unrated Extended Version - not the original DVD. The original DVD is definitely ***** stars for me. Like a lot of people, if I really like a movie, I'll buy the Unrated Director's Cut because of all the extras. But in this case, the original is much better than the new version.

Let's compare. The first DVD has a great commentary by Len Wiseman (director), Danny McBride (screenplay), and Kevin Grevioux (storyline - he is also the huge Black guy with the incredible voice who plays a Lycan). They talk about how the three of them came up with the idea for this movie and how it got made. They also talk about how some of the scenes were done, information on the cast, the conditions under which they made the movie - no budget, major time constraints - and what it was like filming in Budapest, Hungary. It also has a technical commentary that I haven't listened to yet. On the other hand, the commentary for the extended cut is done by the director, Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman. This commentary's main subject was talking about Beckinsale's hair, compliments for Beckinsale by Wiseman (who is Beckinsale's husband or partner) and Speedman, teasing Speedman, and gushing over Michael Sheen (who was great as Lucien). There are no technical discussions and the only other cast member who is talked about for any length of time was Bill Nighy (Viktor, who was excellent). Half way through the commentary, Speedman leaves and then there's a bunch of chit chat between Wiseman and Beckensale about Speedman going off to make a movie with the Olson twins.

Wiseman also states a couple of times that this version is not a director's cut (are they going to release another DVD?). When he talks about added scenes, he points out which scenes he would have liked in the original theatrical release and the first DVD, and which scenes he wouldn't like to see back in the movie. If he didn't want certain scenes added then why are they in the extended cut? This newer version adds a scene where Michael (Speedman) talks about his past and how he ended up in Budapest, a storyline that adds a love affair between Erika and Craven, plus some added shots of Viktor with the apparatus that pumps blood into him. But there are also numerous and completely unnecesarry scenes of Lycans and Vampires going up and down stairways over and over, and just little shots of objects that are part of the set. In addition, there's absolutely NO reason to title this DVD as unrated, which implies that there are scenes that were deleted because of problems with the MPAA rating. I don't see how any of the added scenes could have pushed the MPAA to make this movie NC-17. I think that was just another ploy to get people to fork over more money for this version.

The only thing that I liked in the extended cut were some outtakes. But there weren't enough of them to make up for the additional money you'd have to pay for this cut.

To sum up, if you're a film geek who loves to listen to commentaries on the DVD, stick with the original DVD. If you don't care about that kind of stuff and you don't already own the original DVD, then it's up to you if you want to sit through a lot of unnecassary additons that the director didn't even like. But if you already have the first DVD, I would not recommend buying this version (unless you're dying to listen to Beckinsale complain endlessly about her hair).

The Extended Cut is NOT a director's cut - it just has extra scenes in it. Some of the scenes the director wanted in the movie and some of the scenes he didn't. How do I know this? - from listening to the commentary

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Still A Bite That Has No Teeth
Review: The first time I saw Underworld on DVD, I thought it was rather "ho-hum", filled with potential and promise, but ending up somewhere else. When I heard about the unrated extended cut though, curiousity got the better of me, and I wanted to see if this version was any better.

The film ties together two of horror's most popular mythologies, and tries to put a new spin on what we've come to expect from the genre at the same time. The story is set in the secret nocturnal and supernatural world of vampires and werewolves. These are two groups that have been at war for centuries, vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates, while werewolves are a cunning gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underside. A romance develops between a female vampire warrior and her sworn enemy. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is known for her strength and werewolf-hunting prowess. While Michael (Scott Speedman) is a peace-loving human who's recently been bitten by a werewolf, and wants to end the war.

First time director Len Wiseman, has inserted 12 minutes of additional footage, as well as 11 minutes of replacement footage for this cut. The movie is still a very stylish and good looking film, that is a bit better with the other footage. But, unfortunately still misses the mark As I said, the film is visually striking with great sets, a cast that tries its best with the material, and some cool stunts and special effects. All of these positives cannot save the story which is burried by just more convoluted doublespeak. The new cut can't erase the fact that the story "borrows" too much, from films like The Matrix, Blade, and The Crow. As I stated elsewhere, a little imitatation is flattering...but it seems as though someone decided to mix successfull elements from the past--and hoped enough of it would work. The "Romeo & Juliet" plotline is given more screen time, still, only to go so far and then, fall apart.

The DVD extras on the 2 disc set, are a mix of stuff released on the previous edition, and "new" bonus material. Gone are the two audio commentaries, in their place is a commentary with director Wiseman, cast members Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman. It's kind of strange track, knowing Wiseman and Beckinsale are an item, and the fact that Speedman leaves midway through for an audition! There are 4 making of featurettes from the other disc. There's the fairly generic "The Making of Underworld", one on creature effects, stunts, and "sights and sound". Take your pick. The all new "Fang vs. Fiction", a 45-minute documentary examining the history of vampires and werewolves is worth your time. Three new featurettes, designing Underworld, the visual effects of Underworld, and the look of Underworld, have information basicaly repeated elsewhere. An outtake reel storyboard comparision, the Finch music video for the song "Worms of the Earth", from the soundtrack, theatrical trailers, and TV spots top off the set. But that's not all... you also get a collectible production sketch notebook and a suprisingly meaty 48-page mini comic book as part of the package.

Despite the additions, changes, and deletions to the film and otherwise, I stand by my original assessment of the film. Underworld is worth a look for genre faithfuls who are curious. Too bad its borrowed ingredients overshadow its potential...no matter what form it's in.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Why repackage a horrible film?
Review: This is just another plot to make money. I don't know why they would even bother to repackage such a horrible film. I fell asleep trying to watch this at least three times. It was a huge disappointment for me. The extras on the DVD aren't going to save this. It wasn't worth watching then and it still isn't worth watching now. Don't buy this, there are better films in this category that are actually worth watching.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hey!......it actually wasn't that bad.
Review: It's obvious that if it wasn't for Blade, this movie would not exist. It's also obvious that if it wasn't for Blade, I'd have a real problem with vampires and werewolves using guns. I surprisingly didn't think it was a big deal seeing gunbattles between mythological creatures. Hell, why not.

So, it's vampires versus werewolves in an ultra-gothic cityscape were a petite Kate Bekinsale plays a 'Death Dealer'; essentially a werewolf hunter. Uncovering a nefarious werewolf plot centered around an oblivious Scott Speedman and an apparent vampire traitor, the Death Dealer attempts to uncover the truth behind her tragic past and the fate of the two species.

The Werewolves: What can I say? The werewolves were the best part of this film. Not only do they live underground (...), but they also have the ability to change into their wolf form at will. No freakin' out at the full moon, here. They also came across like true warriors fighting for their own personal honor. I also liked the twist surrounding the Lycan leader that sort of balanced both sides.

The Vampires: You know, I kind of laugh when I think about the motives behind the filmakers regarding how they handled the vampires. In MY opinion, this movies actually TRIES to make fun of vampires and the whole neo-gothic subculture in general. Think about it. What did you see everytime Beckinsale's character stormed into Vampire HQ? A bunch of guys just lounging around drinking wine and trying to 'out-attitude' everyone else. In fact, most of the vampires came off as total wankers. This theory was further confirmed when Viktor was 'awakened'. This ancient vampire king was a total bad(...). And he just looks around at his descendents like they're the biggest lot of sissies he's ever seen. He didn't seem too happy with the current state of modern vampirism. One of my favorite scenes was when he took on a Lycan bare-handed showing the sissie-vamps how a werewolf is to be dealt with.

Underworld makes a strong attempt at neo-noir but falls short in its reliance on pointless action and an even more pointless love interest. However, there are many redeeming points that beg another viewing. Check it out.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: What a STUPID, STUPID, STUPID movie!
Review: And I'll say it again:

What a STUPID movie!

At first it looks rather good when you look at the dvdbox. You would expect something like Batman mixed with the Matrix. But it's not! The storyline is horrible, everything rolls out of the closet, storyelements are taken for granted, and don't get me started about the actors and especially actresses.... what a bunch of losers! Where did they get them!? A mental institution?
The only good parts are the settings and some of the special effects, for the rest I would say.....

TO BE MAKING FUN OF THIS MOVIE IS LIKE POOPING ON POOP!


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