Review of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) by Sarah J — 26 Jan 2012

Pretty standard for the Underworld series. It delivers on the blood, gore and violence, and even manages to try and have a message. Casting was good, can't really fault that, Sonja really did look like Selene, and they even managed to keep some of the original actors!! =O Though I can't help but wonder if Tallis was a replacement for Craven.

.. Craven should have been there right??? The few problems with Rise of the Lycans run like this: Graphics and special effects were noticably less impressive than the first two films, you can tell they're gonna date quickly - though this may have been because they were being more ambitious.

The script seemed a little contrived at times - Lucian's undying love and William-Wallace-esque "freedom" speeches being the most, erm, disjointed. Oh yeah, and the sex scene made me laugh, and they'd sooo taken a leaf out of 300's book.

Bill Nighy's acting was brilliant! As ever, but I did think that the storming of the castle left the vampires with very little left and, as it was only the beginning of the war, maybe they shouldn't have made that final battle so all-conclusive - but that's a small wiggle really.

Overall, good vampire pop-corn film - very true to the rest of the series, though a few very minor elements of the flashbacks seem to get a re-shuffle now they're in focus. Oh and the costumes were pretty, but so form fitting!! Wasn't this like, the dark ages??? Not that I mind too much, though it was funny that the Lycans put on like, a slither more leather when they were freed, ha ha, like that'll help!