Review of Underworld (2003) by Nathan M — 19 Feb 2012

Almost breaks through to be the genre reviving shot in the arm that Blade was five years prior, but casting and character inconsistencies deny director Len Wiseman's debut that honor. Although its flaws are bluntly apparent when viewing this film from a serious critical perspective, what it does succeed at is presenting a broadly conceived gothic world with very cool gritty sets, with slick costumes and props, with a story that is derivative, but not unoriginal in its particular combination of elements.

It's also true that this film channels a bit too much of the goodwill that The Matrix earned in its own right, but the story is actually interesting enough to rent that film's aesthetic without leaving garbage behind in it.

The majority of the primary actors were well cast with Beckinsale's cold competence, Speedman's soft psyche, Sheen's sympathetic Shakespearean pathos, and Nighy's relish. It should not be underestimated how much Sheen's character legitimizes the otherwise paper-thin brutes that most other Lycans are.

Without his complete devotion to the character, the vampires would monopolize all positive sentiment, destroying the tension within the story. Where the problem arises is in Shane Brolly's completely unsympathetic and poorly acted villain.

Every time that man is in a scene, a curious aroma of manure overtakes the room and he personally dumps a tablespoon of fecal matter into the otherwise tasty punch. Len Wiseman's background as a prop man shows in this film's almost fetishistic treatment of props, as well as the main character Selene's battle suit.

It all really looks quite good, with the grungy Eastern European shooting location enhancing the gothic subject matter and style. While it generally has more moments than flaws, it showed more than anything that Len Wiseman was a director with potential, a director with a distinct style and some interesting ideas.