Amazon.co.uk Review
Underworld is a hybrid thriller that rewrites the rulebook on werewolves and vampires--imagine Blade meets The Crow and The Matrix. It's a "cuisinart" movie (blend a lot of familiar ideas and hope something interesting happens) in which immortal vampire "death dealers" wage an ancient war against "Lycans" (werewolves), who've got centuries of revenge--and some rather ambitious genetic experiments--on their lycanthropic agenda. Given his preoccupation with gloomy architecture (mostly filmed in Budapest, Hungary), frenetic mayhem and Gothic costuming, it's no surprise that first-time director Len Wiseman gained experience in TV commercials and the art departments of Godzilla, Men in Black and Independence Day. His work is all surface, no substance, filled with derivative, grand-scale action as conflicted vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale, who later became engaged to Wiseman) struggles to rescue an ill-fated human (Scott Speedman) from Lycan transformation. It's great looking all the way, and a guaranteed treat for horror buffs, who will eagerly dissect its many strengths and weaknesses. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
BLADE meets THE MATRIX.......2008-03-11
Underworld looked fairly light and cheesy in the previews, so I avoided a cinema trip and just rented the DVD. I was mistaken. It's actually an entertaining romp that is mostly eye candy but does have some interesting acting in it. The somewhat goofy premise is as follows:
Long ago, a human was born whose body was able to rapidly alter itself to resist environmental conditions. This allowed him to survive a plague that destroyed his village. His children inherited that trait. One was bitten by a bat and spawned a race of vampires, while another was bitten by a wolf and spawned a race of werewolves (a.k.a. lycans). A third did neither and hence the trait also survived in 'normal' humans. This divergence of races was long ago forgotten, and vampires and werewolves are now at one another's throats (ha ha) over a millenia of real and imagined slights. Kate Beckinsale plays a melodramatically-named 'Death Dealer', a vampire devoted to fighting lycans, who falls in love with a lycan candidate. Unbeknownst to all but a few tricky lycans, that candidate is a descendent of the 'human' strain of the original sire of all three races, and has the potential to become a hybrid vampire/lycan. Much mayhem and throat biting commences.
Now, it's pretty obvious from the get-go that logic needs to get chucked out the window. Similarly, there's about as many sparks flying between Beckinsale and her love interest as there is between the mayonnaise and bologna in a bad deli sandwich. However the film does a surprisingly, almost effort-savingly good job of representing the various packs of night critters involved. The lycans impressively shape shift into massive, combat-oriented werewolves whenever angered (quite similar to another underappreciated recent film, 'Dog Soldiers'), and while the vampires don't do a lot of typically vampiric things like mind control or turning into packs of rats, they at least manage the 'gaunt and world-weary' thing well. You also get a sense of the hide-bound nature of their world, which is based on the endless rule of centuries-old elders and ancients, with newer vampires stuck in an immortality bereft of change or advancement. There are some great action sequences, a lot of fine back stabbing, and generally a great deal of enthusiasm on all sides when the fur starts flying. It really is almost enough to make up for the paper-thin plot and makes for a decent movie..open your head, remove your brian and replace it with popcorn....and just enjoy the ride.
Loved it!.......2008-02-14
There is something to be said for films that make you think, this is not one of them but I think that's why its so good to watch. Don't get me wrong I think the storyline is good and it throws you in at the deep end, there's no boring build up it just gets straight into the action and leaves the explanations for later, this works well as it allows for briefs lulls in the action before getting stuck in again. I love films with a bit of cinematic flair and this film has that in abundance, usually though when a film focuses on effects it forgets to throw in a good storyline, acting, script etc but when a film gets it all right (eg. The Matrix) you end up with something special. Now I'm not putting Underworld in the same class as the Matrix, just think of it as its illegitamet child!
As far as I can see everything in this film is a nice surprise because almost everything is better than you think it is going to be. Purists may not give this a 5 star but I just loved everything about it and would watch it again & again, its gothic, bloody, fast-paced and hopefully will one day go down as a cult classic - what more do you want from a vampire flick!? Plus Kate Beckinsale in tight leathers shootin up werewolves doesn't hurt much either!
Utter, utter drivel.......2007-10-23
I actually watched this movie twice to make sure I wasn't over-reacting the first time. Nope, I wasn't - this movie is absolutely, cringingly awful, and an utter and complete waste of time. If you're a fan of Vampire / Werewolf / Whatever roleplaying games, you might just be able to cringe your way through it, but otherwise, just say no.
Everything's awful about it, and also horribly derivative. It's as if the makers have ripped off all these other great movies (Matrix, Blade, Interview with the Vampire, etc, etc), and then *completely* missed the point. You have all the Matrix visuals, with none of the style and the humour; all the action of Blade with none of the attention to detail (come on - presumably even vampires use guns with a *finite* number of bullets...); and then some utterly po-faced pseudo-scientific plot which is as vacuous as it is incomprehensible.
Oh - and caring, sharing vampires with s&m fashion fetishes, laptops, and sports cars... huh? These guys are supposed to be SCARY, not yuppies.
Plus: acting, dire. Continuity, awful. Music - erm, gothic grunge... ALL THE TIME. All in all just sooo, sooo boring.
An Entertaing Dark Gothic Thriller.......2007-10-05
Underworld starts out with a long action sequence. Things do slow down enough for us to learn that our hero is a vampire by the name of Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, who has devoted her unlife to destroying lycanthropes. Selene stumbles upon a conspiracy between the vampire leader, Kraven, and the werewolf leader, Lucian, which involves a human named Michael, who is a host to a strain of some strain of plague that is never explained. Fearing that Kraven's actions may place the vampires in jeopardy, Selene does the unthinkable; she awakens the ancient vampire noble, Viktor so he can stop Kraven.
In the middle of the movie we move away from some of the action and we get our characters doing a lot of talking, plotting, and running through dark wet streets. We get all of our back-story of how the vampire/werewolf war got started in the first place via flashbacks. And there's a forbidden romance budding between Selene and Michael.
The movie looks sufficiently offbeat to be interesting, although the muted colors and lack of anything resembling bright light becomes does get a little old. Be nice to see what the vampires did when the sun was up. Kate Beckinsale does look dangerous and sexy in a skintight leather suit, but there is not much acting for her to do in this film. Scott Speedman doesn't need to do anything more than exude a primal wildness, which he succeeds at. And everyone else has to appear sinister.
Even though, I found Underworld be an entertaining view. The big battle at the end is fun, although the final scene seems to be an introduction for a sequel. So get your popcorn, and watch the movie. You will not be sorry...though it is no one I will be watching multiple times.
A COOL VAMPIRE VS WEREWOLF FILM.......2007-08-06
Fighting a war for eons, vampire Selene, (Kate Beckinsale) takes an interest in human Michael Corvin, (Scott Speedman) which her werewolf adversaries do as well. Unable to figure out why leader Kravin, (Shane Brolly) doesn't follow up on the confrontation, she rescues him from a further attack by werewolf leader Lucian, (Michael Sheen) and tries to understand his importance. While they spend the next few days making various plans for a return for their elder, Viktor, (Bill Nighy) Lucian prepares an all-out war, and with Michael as the key, the vampires race to stop him.
The Good News: There are some really nice things in here. The fact that it mixes so many different areas and ideas into it that it appears to be pretty clever. To be plunked down in the middle of a centuries long war between the two sides is nicely played out, and the few encounters between the sides are pretty much the main reason to see this. From the opening shootout that really goes where it doesn't expect it to go all the way to a slaughter among a train and the drag-down conclusion, there's a lot of action scenes in here. The assault at the apartment is really interesting, with some really innovative ideas and a really fun appeal. One of the main fascinating sequences is the car chase. Starting on a really interesting notion and continuing on inside the car, it's a fun watch with some really interesting and drives off enough of the action film chase scene clichés to get some excitement at the end. The ending is really great about it, and that features some more great parts about the chase. The slaughter on the train is really fun to see, as the overall action and high gore make it a really great scene. That also helps it out when it shows it, as there is some pretty good gore scenes in here. From being impaled with razor-bladed throwing discs, gunshots, scratched open across the face, part of the face sliced off and a very brutal bite on the shoulder, this isn't a gore-fest but it didn't have to be and has just enough for it to be decent enough and appeal to ones who'll really enjoy it. The werewolf design isn't all that terrible either, with a large imposing body, long powerful limbs with vicious claws, and a smaller proportionate head than usual, but it still somehow works for the design. Nowhere near the upper echelon of designs, but it works and that's what matters. The fact that they're actually live and not CGI is a huge plus, as they look more real and have a bigger degree of realism than other types. The all-important transformation comes back into play here, and the fact that they are also done in real time makes it all the better. It's not that terrible, and can feature some good moments when it has to.
The Bad News: There are several problems with the film, with the biggest one being that it's just a long bore-fest at times. Apart from a couple of scenes, there's no real action here and consists of long conversation scenes that just wear on and on. This is mostly present in the middle of the movie, which has only one action scene to break things up, and after it's over, there's a long period of discussion going on. Considering that the two sides are supposedly at war with each other, why so much time is spent on talking is rather curious, and would've been far better had this been a really all-out war. That aspect of the story isn't all that well built-up either, and rather than showing the two sides really going at each other with an intense hatred, the confrontations aren't that heated until the end and the ones that happen in between are really lackluster when compared to how a war is supposed to be. The CGI is also a factor, since it always looks so obvious and most of the time can be very noticeable. It's mostly used for what should've been big action scenes, and it really detracts from what's going on. The over-glossy look to the film is one of it's biggest distraction, and it can be a detriment since, out of nowhere, there's this incredibly stylish shot that does nothing really for the film. Instead of being of importance to the film, it's just there because it can be done. There's really no value for them being there. One of the greatest damaging factors is that, since it plays like an action film, there's very little actual horror to it. With no scares or an aura of mystery surrounding everything, it really loses on the horror aspects. These elements really hurt the film.
The Final Verdict: There's enough here to like, but there's also a lot to really get irritated about it. If you can get around the negative parts and accept that it's a long, drawn-out action film with monsters as the two sides, it should provide some entertainment value. It's worth a watch, but it's not as great as what's been said about it.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Underworld is a hybrid thriller that rewrites the rulebook on werewolves and vampires--imagine Blade meets The Crow and The Matrix. It's a "cuisinart" movie--blend a lot of familiar ideas and hope something interesting happens--in which immortal vampire "death dealers" wage an ancient war against "Lycans", who've got centuries of revenge--and some rather ambitious genetic experiments--on their lycanthropic agenda.
Given his preoccupation with gloomy architecture, frenetic mayhem and Gothic costuming, it's no surprise that first-time director Len Wiseman gained experience in TV commercials and the art departments of Godzilla, Men in Black and Independence Day. His work is all surface, no substance, filled with derivative, grand-scale action as conflicted vampire Selene struggles to rescue an ill-fated human from Lycan transformation. It's great looking all the way, and a guaranteed treat for horror buffs, who will eagerly dissect its many strengths and weaknesses. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
KATE BECKINSALE IN LEATHER TROUSERS !!!.......2007-10-26
Forgive my pervy title to this review.
The film follows an ancient war between vampires and werewolves, the former being Kate Beckinsale's bag.
The special effects are excellent and good storyline.
Visually impressive, tight story, good performances........2007-06-28
Excellent action adventure, with strong performances (esp. Kate Beckinsale as Selene); the effects are well-handled and the storyline kept taut throughout. Thoroughly enjoyed it, albeit that it may have confirmed my suspicions that Bill Nighy actually IS one of the undead... Good fun throughout.
Pretty Good.......2006-09-01
Good action movie with some violence and gore. The plot is simple and the special effects are pretty good. I don't like the music that much. Kate Beckinsale is the main reason to watch this movie because she is an very good actress. Underworld is an okay film but the sequel is so much better but this one is just okay.
Underwelmed!.......2006-08-08
It may not be the worst movie ever made, but it is ....... close!
When I finished watching this movie I was angry I had wasted those minutes of my life. I will never get them back and that bugs even now. I'll probably think of it as I die, still angry.
Underworld - Special Edition.......2006-06-25
In this visually impressive yet thinly-plotted action fantasy, Kate Beckinsale stars as a vampire (AKA as a death-dealer) in a centuries-old war between vampires and lycans (werewolves). When she founds out that the head of the lycans, Lucius, is looking for a peticular human (which is unusual as they only hunt for humans when need be) by the name of Michael, she finds out quickly that he's a decedant of Michael Corvinus, the first true vampire and that Lucius plans to use him as the ultimate weapon against the vampires... Although director Len Wiseman ploughs on the action with fantastic bullet-time flips, dual-pistol battles and brutal hand-to-hand combat, the plot's sadly unfocused and it leads to confusing ends but the casts' performances (Beckinsale, Scott Speedman and Bill Nighy in particular) are truly dynamic and fill the screen with dark, gothic life.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Underworld is a hybrid thriller that rewrites the rulebook on werewolves and vampires--imagine Blade meets The Crow and The Matrix. It's a "cuisinart" movie (blend a lot of familiar ideas and hope something interesting happens) in which immortal vampire "death dealers" wage an ancient war against "Lycans" (werewolves), who've got centuries of revenge--and some rather ambitious genetic experiments--on their lycanthropic agenda. Given his preoccupation with gloomy architecture (mostly filmed in Budapest, Hungary), frenetic mayhem and Gothic costuming, it's no surprise that first-time director Len Wiseman gained experience in TV commercials and the art departments of Godzilla, Men in Black and Independence Day. His work is all surface, no substance, filled with derivative, grand-scale action as conflicted vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale, who later became engaged to Wiseman) struggles to rescue an ill-fated human (Scott Speedman) from Lycan transformation. It's great looking all the way, and a guaranteed treat for horror buffs, who will eagerly dissect its many strengths and weaknesses. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
5 star thrill.......2006-01-28
a powerfull thrill/horror when vamps meet werewolves(liken)personly my favorite movie. A must buy for thrill/horror fans.
Vampires v. Lycans.......2005-09-13
Even though this film got panned at the box office by the critics, the public loved it and I feel it is one of the best Vampire movies around. I cannot wait for the sequel, Underworld: Evolution to come out in January (20th). The PSP allows you to watch the movie on the move and the picture quality is brilliant. The 8 mins of extra footage also adds a little bit more to the characters. The only problem is the volume, when listening to it through the headphones, but this is not down to the UMD but down to the PSP itself as the headphones have a restricted volume of 90db which does take away a little bit of the ambience of the movie. Over all though a great film on a great format for a brilliant console.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Underworld is a hybrid thriller that rewrites the rulebook on werewolves and vampires--imagine Blade meets The Crow and The Matrix. It's a "cuisinart" movie (blend a lot of familiar ideas and hope something interesting happens) in which immortal vampire "death dealers" wage an ancient war against "Lycans" (werewolves), who've got centuries of revenge--and some rather ambitious genetic experiments--on their lycanthropic agenda. Given his preoccupation with gloomy architecture (mostly filmed in Budapest, Hungary), frenetic mayhem and Gothic costuming, it's no surprise that first-time director Len Wiseman gained experience in TV commercials and the art departments of Godzilla, Men in Black and Independence Day. His work is all surface, no substance, filled with derivative, grand-scale action as conflicted vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale, who later became engaged to Wiseman) struggles to rescue an ill-fated human (Scott Speedman) from Lycan transformation. It's great looking all the way, and a guaranteed treat for horror buffs, who will eagerly dissect its many strengths and weaknesses. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
BLADE meets THE MATRIX.......2008-03-11
Underworld looked fairly light and cheesy in the previews, so I avoided a cinema trip and just rented the DVD. I was mistaken. It's actually an entertaining romp that is mostly eye candy but does have some interesting acting in it. The somewhat goofy premise is as follows:
Long ago, a human was born whose body was able to rapidly alter itself to resist environmental conditions. This allowed him to survive a plague that destroyed his village. His children inherited that trait. One was bitten by a bat and spawned a race of vampires, while another was bitten by a wolf and spawned a race of werewolves (a.k.a. lycans). A third did neither and hence the trait also survived in 'normal' humans. This divergence of races was long ago forgotten, and vampires and werewolves are now at one another's throats (ha ha) over a millenia of real and imagined slights. Kate Beckinsale plays a melodramatically-named 'Death Dealer', a vampire devoted to fighting lycans, who falls in love with a lycan candidate. Unbeknownst to all but a few tricky lycans, that candidate is a descendent of the 'human' strain of the original sire of all three races, and has the potential to become a hybrid vampire/lycan. Much mayhem and throat biting commences.
Now, it's pretty obvious from the get-go that logic needs to get chucked out the window. Similarly, there's about as many sparks flying between Beckinsale and her love interest as there is between the mayonnaise and bologna in a bad deli sandwich. However the film does a surprisingly, almost effort-savingly good job of representing the various packs of night critters involved. The lycans impressively shape shift into massive, combat-oriented werewolves whenever angered (quite similar to another underappreciated recent film, 'Dog Soldiers'), and while the vampires don't do a lot of typically vampiric things like mind control or turning into packs of rats, they at least manage the 'gaunt and world-weary' thing well. You also get a sense of the hide-bound nature of their world, which is based on the endless rule of centuries-old elders and ancients, with newer vampires stuck in an immortality bereft of change or advancement. There are some great action sequences, a lot of fine back stabbing, and generally a great deal of enthusiasm on all sides when the fur starts flying. It really is almost enough to make up for the paper-thin plot and makes for a decent movie..open your head, remove your brian and replace it with popcorn....and just enjoy the ride.
Loved it!.......2008-02-14
There is something to be said for films that make you think, this is not one of them but I think that's why its so good to watch. Don't get me wrong I think the storyline is good and it throws you in at the deep end, there's no boring build up it just gets straight into the action and leaves the explanations for later, this works well as it allows for briefs lulls in the action before getting stuck in again. I love films with a bit of cinematic flair and this film has that in abundance, usually though when a film focuses on effects it forgets to throw in a good storyline, acting, script etc but when a film gets it all right (eg. The Matrix) you end up with something special. Now I'm not putting Underworld in the same class as the Matrix, just think of it as its illegitamet child!
As far as I can see everything in this film is a nice surprise because almost everything is better than you think it is going to be. Purists may not give this a 5 star but I just loved everything about it and would watch it again & again, its gothic, bloody, fast-paced and hopefully will one day go down as a cult classic - what more do you want from a vampire flick!? Plus Kate Beckinsale in tight leathers shootin up werewolves doesn't hurt much either!
Utter, utter drivel.......2007-10-23
I actually watched this movie twice to make sure I wasn't over-reacting the first time. Nope, I wasn't - this movie is absolutely, cringingly awful, and an utter and complete waste of time. If you're a fan of Vampire / Werewolf / Whatever roleplaying games, you might just be able to cringe your way through it, but otherwise, just say no.
Everything's awful about it, and also horribly derivative. It's as if the makers have ripped off all these other great movies (Matrix, Blade, Interview with the Vampire, etc, etc), and then *completely* missed the point. You have all the Matrix visuals, with none of the style and the humour; all the action of Blade with none of the attention to detail (come on - presumably even vampires use guns with a *finite* number of bullets...); and then some utterly po-faced pseudo-scientific plot which is as vacuous as it is incomprehensible.
Oh - and caring, sharing vampires with s&m fashion fetishes, laptops, and sports cars... huh? These guys are supposed to be SCARY, not yuppies.
Plus: acting, dire. Continuity, awful. Music - erm, gothic grunge... ALL THE TIME. All in all just sooo, sooo boring.
An Entertaing Dark Gothic Thriller.......2007-10-05
Underworld starts out with a long action sequence. Things do slow down enough for us to learn that our hero is a vampire by the name of Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, who has devoted her unlife to destroying lycanthropes. Selene stumbles upon a conspiracy between the vampire leader, Kraven, and the werewolf leader, Lucian, which involves a human named Michael, who is a host to a strain of some strain of plague that is never explained. Fearing that Kraven's actions may place the vampires in jeopardy, Selene does the unthinkable; she awakens the ancient vampire noble, Viktor so he can stop Kraven.
In the middle of the movie we move away from some of the action and we get our characters doing a lot of talking, plotting, and running through dark wet streets. We get all of our back-story of how the vampire/werewolf war got started in the first place via flashbacks. And there's a forbidden romance budding between Selene and Michael.
The movie looks sufficiently offbeat to be interesting, although the muted colors and lack of anything resembling bright light becomes does get a little old. Be nice to see what the vampires did when the sun was up. Kate Beckinsale does look dangerous and sexy in a skintight leather suit, but there is not much acting for her to do in this film. Scott Speedman doesn't need to do anything more than exude a primal wildness, which he succeeds at. And everyone else has to appear sinister.
Even though, I found Underworld be an entertaining view. The big battle at the end is fun, although the final scene seems to be an introduction for a sequel. So get your popcorn, and watch the movie. You will not be sorry...though it is no one I will be watching multiple times.
A COOL VAMPIRE VS WEREWOLF FILM.......2007-08-06
Fighting a war for eons, vampire Selene, (Kate Beckinsale) takes an interest in human Michael Corvin, (Scott Speedman) which her werewolf adversaries do as well. Unable to figure out why leader Kravin, (Shane Brolly) doesn't follow up on the confrontation, she rescues him from a further attack by werewolf leader Lucian, (Michael Sheen) and tries to understand his importance. While they spend the next few days making various plans for a return for their elder, Viktor, (Bill Nighy) Lucian prepares an all-out war, and with Michael as the key, the vampires race to stop him.
The Good News: There are some really nice things in here. The fact that it mixes so many different areas and ideas into it that it appears to be pretty clever. To be plunked down in the middle of a centuries long war between the two sides is nicely played out, and the few encounters between the sides are pretty much the main reason to see this. From the opening shootout that really goes where it doesn't expect it to go all the way to a slaughter among a train and the drag-down conclusion, there's a lot of action scenes in here. The assault at the apartment is really interesting, with some really innovative ideas and a really fun appeal. One of the main fascinating sequences is the car chase. Starting on a really interesting notion and continuing on inside the car, it's a fun watch with some really interesting and drives off enough of the action film chase scene clichés to get some excitement at the end. The ending is really great about it, and that features some more great parts about the chase. The slaughter on the train is really fun to see, as the overall action and high gore make it a really great scene. That also helps it out when it shows it, as there is some pretty good gore scenes in here. From being impaled with razor-bladed throwing discs, gunshots, scratched open across the face, part of the face sliced off and a very brutal bite on the shoulder, this isn't a gore-fest but it didn't have to be and has just enough for it to be decent enough and appeal to ones who'll really enjoy it. The werewolf design isn't all that terrible either, with a large imposing body, long powerful limbs with vicious claws, and a smaller proportionate head than usual, but it still somehow works for the design. Nowhere near the upper echelon of designs, but it works and that's what matters. The fact that they're actually live and not CGI is a huge plus, as they look more real and have a bigger degree of realism than other types. The all-important transformation comes back into play here, and the fact that they are also done in real time makes it all the better. It's not that terrible, and can feature some good moments when it has to.
The Bad News: There are several problems with the film, with the biggest one being that it's just a long bore-fest at times. Apart from a couple of scenes, there's no real action here and consists of long conversation scenes that just wear on and on. This is mostly present in the middle of the movie, which has only one action scene to break things up, and after it's over, there's a long period of discussion going on. Considering that the two sides are supposedly at war with each other, why so much time is spent on talking is rather curious, and would've been far better had this been a really all-out war. That aspect of the story isn't all that well built-up either, and rather than showing the two sides really going at each other with an intense hatred, the confrontations aren't that heated until the end and the ones that happen in between are really lackluster when compared to how a war is supposed to be. The CGI is also a factor, since it always looks so obvious and most of the time can be very noticeable. It's mostly used for what should've been big action scenes, and it really detracts from what's going on. The over-glossy look to the film is one of it's biggest distraction, and it can be a detriment since, out of nowhere, there's this incredibly stylish shot that does nothing really for the film. Instead of being of importance to the film, it's just there because it can be done. There's really no value for them being there. One of the greatest damaging factors is that, since it plays like an action film, there's very little actual horror to it. With no scares or an aura of mystery surrounding everything, it really loses on the horror aspects. These elements really hurt the film.
The Final Verdict: There's enough here to like, but there's also a lot to really get irritated about it. If you can get around the negative parts and accept that it's a long, drawn-out action film with monsters as the two sides, it should provide some entertainment value. It's worth a watch, but it's not as great as what's been said about it.
Customer Reviews:
Ok action film.......2005-08-21
Well this is nothing stunning and nothing new to the gerne but this is an ok cool film to watch to pass a little time. A good mix of stunts, fights and explosions without a great plot, but there rarely is in most action films. A good car chase at the start sets the pace for the film as good as the Ronin or Bourne identity car chases. The fights are ok, a good bit of martial arts used but they feel over staged to me. Overall not great but far worse out there!
A million times better than XXX!!!.......2005-04-01
Jason Statham is superb and it's him alone that really distinguishes this film from th erest. The fighting scenes are realistic and enjoyable. The car chases are brilliant benefiting from Luc Besson's 'Taxi' experiences. You get the perfect dose of everything - not too many explosions, etc. Jason like Jet Li & Jackie Chan, but unlike most, does all his own stunts. The script is a bit weak but the talent on show makes up for it. Overall, a very enjoyable action film with plenty of fighting (but not than much shooting) that puts most of the recent Hollywood action films to shame. The critics have been comparing this XXX, but in my opinion, beacause of the way it was made (little special-effects, actors trained in fighting, well thought out, etc) this film is in a different class! So, buy it now!!
Good action film without challenging the brain!.......2005-01-10
This is basically a Bond type film, if you like them, you'll like this! Great action scenes, good explosions, good car chases, but a simple plot! It's a good action film, with good effects, just lacking something to make it that 5*!
Worth watching, or maybe buying at a good price!
Hmmmmm.......2004-07-06
My oh my, how bad is this? so bad it's laughable, or perhaps that's the point? kind of like watching someone else play a computer game "beat em up" for 90 minutes. Appalling.
Atmospheric action film with very good fight scenes.......2004-03-28
I was surprised to see how many ingeniously choreographed and very well executed fight scenes can be found in this film. Although overall directorship is not the best of the best (one might find one too many exaggerated explosions), this film has enough attitude and atmosphere to almost be cult; a definite must if you like your martial arts.
Good sense of humour, speed and surprise are constant elements and - as it says on the box - it is better than Triple X. Watch it!
Customer Reviews:
A Man Apart.......2004-01-08
a man apart was released in the uk but due to the poor turn out for the film it wasn't there very long.
as for vin's best movie...all he does to show greaf is rub is forehead.
he has done films that are so much better, even just doing the voice of the giant in the iron giant was better than this!
Diesel on full power: shame about the film though.......2003-12-23
I was always going to watch this movie - even if I didn't get a chance to see it at the movies in London when it was released earlier this year! The reason? Vin Diesel.
Apart from Pitch Black, I feel this is his best work yet. It's just a complete and utter shame he was let down by the abysmal and confused plot, macho posturing, frequent obscenities and cheesey script - but its a credit to him that he managed to make the best out of a bad situation. Don't blink while this film on, or even think about going out of the room as they manage to cram in an hour's worth of back-story and plot into ten minutes in the beginning. The characters were two dimensional, but probably just to highlight the pain Diesel's character Sean Vetter was going through. I wish I could say something nice about the rest of the film, but I can't. So to sum up: Diesel good. Film: extremely bad!
A Man Apart.......2003-12-01
This is quite clearly the best film that Vin Diesel has made to date. It is because of this that I am shocked that it has not been released in the UK cinema - I was lucky enough to see it whilst in New York in April 2003.
I great plot along the usual lines of "Cop Action" flick, but with an injection of comendy which actually works for Mr Diesel. And the dog is great!!!!!!!!!
Customer Reviews:
BLADE meets THE MATRIX.......2008-03-11
Underworld looked fairly light and cheesy in the previews, so I avoided a cinema trip and just rented the DVD. I was mistaken. It's actually an entertaining romp that is mostly eye candy but does have some interesting acting in it. The somewhat goofy premise is as follows:
Long ago, a human was born whose body was able to rapidly alter itself to resist environmental conditions. This allowed him to survive a plague that destroyed his village. His children inherited that trait. One was bitten by a bat and spawned a race of vampires, while another was bitten by a wolf and spawned a race of werewolves (a.k.a. lycans). A third did neither and hence the trait also survived in 'normal' humans. This divergence of races was long ago forgotten, and vampires and werewolves are now at one another's throats (ha ha) over a millenia of real and imagined slights. Kate Beckinsale plays a melodramatically-named 'Death Dealer', a vampire devoted to fighting lycans, who falls in love with a lycan candidate. Unbeknownst to all but a few tricky lycans, that candidate is a descendent of the 'human' strain of the original sire of all three races, and has the potential to become a hybrid vampire/lycan. Much mayhem and throat biting commences.
Now, it's pretty obvious from the get-go that logic needs to get chucked out the window. Similarly, there's about as many sparks flying between Beckinsale and her love interest as there is between the mayonnaise and bologna in a bad deli sandwich. However the film does a surprisingly, almost effort-savingly good job of representing the various packs of night critters involved. The lycans impressively shape shift into massive, combat-oriented werewolves whenever angered (quite similar to another underappreciated recent film, 'Dog Soldiers'), and while the vampires don't do a lot of typically vampiric things like mind control or turning into packs of rats, they at least manage the 'gaunt and world-weary' thing well. You also get a sense of the hide-bound nature of their world, which is based on the endless rule of centuries-old elders and ancients, with newer vampires stuck in an immortality bereft of change or advancement. There are some great action sequences, a lot of fine back stabbing, and generally a great deal of enthusiasm on all sides when the fur starts flying. It really is almost enough to make up for the paper-thin plot and makes for a decent movie..open your head, remove your brian and replace it with popcorn....and just enjoy the ride.
Loved it!.......2008-02-14
There is something to be said for films that make you think, this is not one of them but I think that's why its so good to watch. Don't get me wrong I think the storyline is good and it throws you in at the deep end, there's no boring build up it just gets straight into the action and leaves the explanations for later, this works well as it allows for briefs lulls in the action before getting stuck in again. I love films with a bit of cinematic flair and this film has that in abundance, usually though when a film focuses on effects it forgets to throw in a good storyline, acting, script etc but when a film gets it all right (eg. The Matrix) you end up with something special. Now I'm not putting Underworld in the same class as the Matrix, just think of it as its illegitamet child!
As far as I can see everything in this film is a nice surprise because almost everything is better than you think it is going to be. Purists may not give this a 5 star but I just loved everything about it and would watch it again & again, its gothic, bloody, fast-paced and hopefully will one day go down as a cult classic - what more do you want from a vampire flick!? Plus Kate Beckinsale in tight leathers shootin up werewolves doesn't hurt much either!
Utter, utter drivel.......2007-10-23
I actually watched this movie twice to make sure I wasn't over-reacting the first time. Nope, I wasn't - this movie is absolutely, cringingly awful, and an utter and complete waste of time. If you're a fan of Vampire / Werewolf / Whatever roleplaying games, you might just be able to cringe your way through it, but otherwise, just say no.
Everything's awful about it, and also horribly derivative. It's as if the makers have ripped off all these other great movies (Matrix, Blade, Interview with the Vampire, etc, etc), and then *completely* missed the point. You have all the Matrix visuals, with none of the style and the humour; all the action of Blade with none of the attention to detail (come on - presumably even vampires use guns with a *finite* number of bullets...); and then some utterly po-faced pseudo-scientific plot which is as vacuous as it is incomprehensible.
Oh - and caring, sharing vampires with s&m fashion fetishes, laptops, and sports cars... huh? These guys are supposed to be SCARY, not yuppies.
Plus: acting, dire. Continuity, awful. Music - erm, gothic grunge... ALL THE TIME. All in all just sooo, sooo boring.
An Entertaing Dark Gothic Thriller.......2007-10-05
Underworld starts out with a long action sequence. Things do slow down enough for us to learn that our hero is a vampire by the name of Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, who has devoted her unlife to destroying lycanthropes. Selene stumbles upon a conspiracy between the vampire leader, Kraven, and the werewolf leader, Lucian, which involves a human named Michael, who is a host to a strain of some strain of plague that is never explained. Fearing that Kraven's actions may place the vampires in jeopardy, Selene does the unthinkable; she awakens the ancient vampire noble, Viktor so he can stop Kraven.
In the middle of the movie we move away from some of the action and we get our characters doing a lot of talking, plotting, and running through dark wet streets. We get all of our back-story of how the vampire/werewolf war got started in the first place via flashbacks. And there's a forbidden romance budding between Selene and Michael.
The movie looks sufficiently offbeat to be interesting, although the muted colors and lack of anything resembling bright light becomes does get a little old. Be nice to see what the vampires did when the sun was up. Kate Beckinsale does look dangerous and sexy in a skintight leather suit, but there is not much acting for her to do in this film. Scott Speedman doesn't need to do anything more than exude a primal wildness, which he succeeds at. And everyone else has to appear sinister.
Even though, I found Underworld be an entertaining view. The big battle at the end is fun, although the final scene seems to be an introduction for a sequel. So get your popcorn, and watch the movie. You will not be sorry...though it is no one I will be watching multiple times.
A COOL VAMPIRE VS WEREWOLF FILM.......2007-08-06
Fighting a war for eons, vampire Selene, (Kate Beckinsale) takes an interest in human Michael Corvin, (Scott Speedman) which her werewolf adversaries do as well. Unable to figure out why leader Kravin, (Shane Brolly) doesn't follow up on the confrontation, she rescues him from a further attack by werewolf leader Lucian, (Michael Sheen) and tries to understand his importance. While they spend the next few days making various plans for a return for their elder, Viktor, (Bill Nighy) Lucian prepares an all-out war, and with Michael as the key, the vampires race to stop him.
The Good News: There are some really nice things in here. The fact that it mixes so many different areas and ideas into it that it appears to be pretty clever. To be plunked down in the middle of a centuries long war between the two sides is nicely played out, and the few encounters between the sides are pretty much the main reason to see this. From the opening shootout that really goes where it doesn't expect it to go all the way to a slaughter among a train and the drag-down conclusion, there's a lot of action scenes in here. The assault at the apartment is really interesting, with some really innovative ideas and a really fun appeal. One of the main fascinating sequences is the car chase. Starting on a really interesting notion and continuing on inside the car, it's a fun watch with some really interesting and drives off enough of the action film chase scene clichés to get some excitement at the end. The ending is really great about it, and that features some more great parts about the chase. The slaughter on the train is really fun to see, as the overall action and high gore make it a really great scene. That also helps it out when it shows it, as there is some pretty good gore scenes in here. From being impaled with razor-bladed throwing discs, gunshots, scratched open across the face, part of the face sliced off and a very brutal bite on the shoulder, this isn't a gore-fest but it didn't have to be and has just enough for it to be decent enough and appeal to ones who'll really enjoy it. The werewolf design isn't all that terrible either, with a large imposing body, long powerful limbs with vicious claws, and a smaller proportionate head than usual, but it still somehow works for the design. Nowhere near the upper echelon of designs, but it works and that's what matters. The fact that they're actually live and not CGI is a huge plus, as they look more real and have a bigger degree of realism than other types. The all-important transformation comes back into play here, and the fact that they are also done in real time makes it all the better. It's not that terrible, and can feature some good moments when it has to.
The Bad News: There are several problems with the film, with the biggest one being that it's just a long bore-fest at times. Apart from a couple of scenes, there's no real action here and consists of long conversation scenes that just wear on and on. This is mostly present in the middle of the movie, which has only one action scene to break things up, and after it's over, there's a long period of discussion going on. Considering that the two sides are supposedly at war with each other, why so much time is spent on talking is rather curious, and would've been far better had this been a really all-out war. That aspect of the story isn't all that well built-up either, and rather than showing the two sides really going at each other with an intense hatred, the confrontations aren't that heated until the end and the ones that happen in between are really lackluster when compared to how a war is supposed to be. The CGI is also a factor, since it always looks so obvious and most of the time can be very noticeable. It's mostly used for what should've been big action scenes, and it really detracts from what's going on. The over-glossy look to the film is one of it's biggest distraction, and it can be a detriment since, out of nowhere, there's this incredibly stylish shot that does nothing really for the film. Instead of being of importance to the film, it's just there because it can be done. There's really no value for them being there. One of the greatest damaging factors is that, since it plays like an action film, there's very little actual horror to it. With no scares or an aura of mystery surrounding everything, it really loses on the horror aspects. These elements really hurt the film.
The Final Verdict: There's enough here to like, but there's also a lot to really get irritated about it. If you can get around the negative parts and accept that it's a long, drawn-out action film with monsters as the two sides, it should provide some entertainment value. It's worth a watch, but it's not as great as what's been said about it.
UK DVD:
- Underworld - Evolution [2006]
- Videodrome [1983]
- What Lies Beneath [2000]
- Wrong Turn [2003]
- 1408 [2007]
- 28 Days Later ... [2002]
- 28 Weeks Later [2007]
- 30 Days Of Night - Special Edition 2 DVD set with 48-page Graphic Novel & Slipcase [2007]
- Audition (Collector's Edition) [1999]
- Bram Stoker's Dracula (2 Disc Deluxe Edition) [1992]
UK DVD List
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