Underworld is...UNDERWHELMING
Kate Beckinsale is back as the vampire death dealer Selene in the latest chapter of Underworld.
The story picks up after the end of Underworld: Evolution. Selene and Michael head into hiding, but the world has changed drastically. Humans know of the existence of both species and begin “the cleanse.” That is where the story goes wrong. The government begins going door to door and wiping out both vampires and Lycans (werewolves). Selene is captured and frozen for twelve years. The question everyone asks is, where’s Michael? We will answer it and you might not like the answer you get.
Selene awakes and finds that she and Michael have a hybrid daughter and the running begins. We get introduced to some new characters. David, a vampire caught up in the legends of the Death Dealers and a human detective. They along with Selene set out to protect the hybrid child and get to the bottom of the conspiracy.
What worked? Kate Beckinsale is great as Selene. She is one of the best female action leads in quite some time. She went from being cold and bent on revenge in the first two movies to being broken hearted and protective in this installment. All of that, but she is a believable vampire bad ass. The idea of a hybrid daughter is cool, but I think it could’ve been done better. The new characters are ok, but not enough back stories. They never become more than accessories. The 3-d was also fantastic. The right amount and very well done. The timing was also great. The movie didn’t drag. 90 minutes. Thanks for watching.
What didn’t work? Several things, let’s start with the villains. Victor and Marcus were both fantastic villains. The owned the screen and were the right balance of charismatic evil. The evil scientist and “hulk” type lycan just don’t do it for me. The scale of the movie seems too small for the entire human race to be exterminating both species. The story lacks. The first to movies told a great story and brought you into a very cool world. This would have been better left to the vamps and wolves. Keep the humans out. What was the biggest flaw? Michael. He is acknowledged by name, but Scott Speedman said “no” to a role reprisal and we are left with a fill in and some bad C.G.I. These movies are notorious for taking the second most powerful character in its universe and weakening him. I hope they do him justice at some point.
Will there be another? It’s left open, but it depends on the box office take. It’s not the strongest of the series. I didn’t hate it, but I was left wanting something better. It’s a good popcorn flick, but it might be getting by on fan boys alone this time around. The best word to describe awakening would be underwhelming.