Review of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) by Julian T — 11 Dec 2011

I was very excited for this one upon seeing the trailers and being a fan of the original films. However, I was quite underwhelmed. It has its positives, but for the most part, its just too wrapped up in itself.

First of all, I can't say I cared awhole lot for the medieval throwback angle. I would have been more interested to see where the story went after the 2nd installment. The acting is typical of the series, as Sheen does the best he can with the mediocre script he's given.

While I would usually complain about Beckinsale not being around, if its possible, Mitra looks even better. She is jaw droppingly beautiful, and she can act a little bit too. I felt the story was very uneven, as parts that could have been far more powerful were glanced over, and parts that really weren't very appealing were given too much.

High on my list of complaints with this movie is the most RIDICULOUS sex scene I have ever seen. I was embarassed for this movie. Everyone in the theatre was laughing, and that was not what director Tatopoulous had in mind, so an epic fail there.

Other than that, I thought the plot was slow moving. It had random and brutal bits of violence and fight scenes dispersed throughout, but alot of which accomplished nothing for the story line, and the action was often just too over the top and unbelievable.

I will say however that the castle seige scene during the climax might be the best action sequence of any of the 3 films however. All in all, I give it 3 stars partly for my affection of the original, its faithfullness to its predicesors, above average action and because of its slick production.

However it is a very far cry from its roots.