Review of Underworld (2003) by Cris L — 18 Jan 2012

For all the hype from the entranced fans of this monstrous (ha, pun) start to the Underworld franchise, this film isn't the best execution of a story involving vampire/Lycan warfare. The style of this film is dark, brooding, rain soaked, tawdry and deep.

The sun no longer shines, and these animalistic species are the forebearers of the Earth. I suppose this is some form of evolution on its own. Humans live their lives as if nothing has happened and they still don't know these creatures exist, which is suspect since the sun is out, and the two warring species have public shootouts in the subway stations.

The tone, the action, and very subtle (almost nonexistent) romance between Selene and the changeling known as Michael was enjoyable if not substanceless and lean. The more we get into this story of revenge, the more convoluted and irritably shallow it all is.

Instead of this being a simple vendetta against a clansman it's an all out war, which makes little sense as the entire reason it happened was one side's matriarch's fault. That said the characters are also annoyingly simple and none of their baser instincts or the reasons they are fighting at all make any sense.

Because their actions made no sense I found Selene to be dull, Michael to be vacant body to pin as a romantic lead, and the elder vampires and Lycans just misinformed idiots. Though I liked the tone and the art direction, this film is so obviously overhyped for its use of intense gunplay between the two sides and the Romeo and Juliet vibe of the Selene/Michael romance.

Their romance, by the by, is almost nonexistent. They don't speak to one another for more than a breath and the one time they kiss it's a way to trap him. I didn't find anything enjoyable in the way of character development, and if it weren't for the fact that vampire films rarely have substance or that the tone wasn't so moody it would seem like this film neither made any sense to make nor watch.