Let's be honest, Underworld isn't Oscar calibre material but it is good fun. Underworld awakenings on 3D and 3D IMAX is just that...fun, however this go round it was a little underwhelming.
The story starts quite quickly with a recap of the previous 3 movies in a non linear mashup of images and voice-over. It actually makes the second one seem like a good movie.
Awakenings is set 12 years or so in the future. Selene has been put on ice...if you've seen any of the trailers you know this and should not be a spoiler. She "awakens" to find a new world where humans have become aware of both vampires and werewolves, and due to shear numbers have nearly wiped them out. What I felt was lacking in this plot point, was that they made it seem like the 12 years made the world seem almost alien, when reality is there wasn't a tangable difference. To me that part of the story was forced, and un-needed. Wake up and kick ass is all that's needed to make this entertaining.
At first I started to liken this film to Daybreakers in that there is a drug company trying to "cure' the vampire and werewolf virus. Where Daybreakers was stylish and had built it's own world around vamipres, Underworld quickly loses any similarity. The CGI was fairly good in this but nothing really new. Same blue eyes, same werewolves...only bigger... I'll get to that.
If we recall that Selene was pregnent at the end of the second film it's not a huge surprise that there is a Hybrid child (again trailers tell it all), Selene and Michael's child, who must be found and saved at all costs.
Found by a coven of vampires Selene is shunned, and viewed as a traitor. Queue human - er - Werewolf attach and bring in the big boy. A Lycan the size of a bus. If you saw Priest (not likely I know) you will recall a scene where they were underground and there were "larger" Vamipres. You couldn't really tell any significant difference other than you were told it was bigger. This one was sort of like that. Yeah it looked bigger but that's really the only thing it had going for it. This was supposed to be a selling point in the movie (again in the trailer)but it was lack luster.
I should point out that prior to being found at the covent werewolves were thought to be almost exstinct and living underground, mangy and diseased. The weaker versions of the Lycans made me think of this awesome series of books call "Skinners" - see my review of Skinners. They looked like what I imagine "half breeds" to look like. Not to give away a plot twist, however, I will say that after you see the werewolf attack on the coven it's clear that they are not as weak or exstint as the vamipres think.
While Selene is trying to keep her daughter alive she is also trying to find Michael.
Looking back on the other 3 movies we have 2 that include Michael (Scott Speedman) The first one featured him for a good part of the film. The second one he was unconscious for most of the film and not on screen, This one he was on screen (at least we think it's him) for about 2 seconds. My thought is that the character can be played by anyone. Seeing Scott on film looked funny to me. He looked too thin and clearly must know someone to continue to even be a part of these films.
If they do future films they should, in my opinion, move towards the "Daybreakers" scenario of a world populated with Vamires and Werewolves. Forget about the Michael angle. How can both creature live in a world that has been overrun by both? I think this this a logical conclusion to this series.
I really don't think there will be another sequal to this film, unless it does like 200M world wide, which I don't think it does. The end does set up for a sequal but, to be honest these films are starting to turn into the likes of Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street sequals. We all love the lead but the rest of the movie sucks.
Originally this was a kitchy stylized movie with a foreign flare. Now it's running and explosions.
The best part of the film is Kate Beckinsale by far. She still brings the character to life. For someone who seems very sweet and giddy in real life she certainly has a badass living inside her.
I give Underworld Awakening 3 Hell Yeahs out of 5
It is a bummer that it's only in 3D