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August 19, 2003
By Veronica Mixon
The dark gothic world of the eerie
action adventure Underworld
is seen strictly from the point of view
of two warring factions of Vampires
and Lycan (werewolves). They exist mainly
human among humans but have been fighting
for a thousand years and as the film
opens, a firefight explodes on the platform
of a subway sending the few humans ducking
for cover. A Vampire warrior, Selene
(Kate Beckinsale) discovers a Lycan
plot to kidnap a young human doctor,
Michael (Scott Speedman). The leader
of the aristocratic Vampires Kraven
(Shane Brolly) dismisses Selene's notions
and wants her to stand by him as his
bride. Undeterred, Selene shadows Michael
and forms a close bond with him. And,
when she's discovers that the Lucian
(Michael Sheen), the legendary Lycan
leader is still alive, she breaks all
of the rules by awakening Viktor (Bill
Nighy), the supreme leader of the Vampires.
Underground
has a cool sleek look of a gothic comic
book. Everything is blue black and the
lovely Kate Beckinsale, best known for
her role in Pearl Harbor, struts
and does magnificant jumps clothed in
dark leather pants, boots and a long
coat reminiscent of The Matrix.
The gun battles with a tough, single-minded
Beckinsale shooting rapid-fire weapons
and flinging razor-sharp silver knives
at the Lycan are intense and graphic.
But, the poorly armed, brute Lycans
have cool weapons too. They kill Vampires
with bullets that contain daylight trapped
inside. The problem is that despite
the wonderful flashbacks that present
the history of the two factions, the
story lags and plods along.
The Vampires are rich and decadent.
Warriors like Selene keep them safe
while the Lycans, who used to live side-by-side
with them all fight. They are seeking
revenge for past slaughters but also
for a new kind of freedom. Selene spends
too much time speeding around town in
fast cars and she climbs staircases
like Michael. There is very little "vampire"
stuff to marvel the audience. When Erika
(Sophia Myles) discovers that Michael
is a Lycan, she leaps to the ceiling,
clinging there baring her fangs in fear.
Very cool but not enough! Selene flies
a bit during one epic fight at the end,
but mainly she drives and struts.
Furthermore, the love story between
Selene and Michael is thin and chaste.
They barely kiss and there is little
heat between them especially when compared
to Kraven's lust for Selene. Scott Speedman
is best known as Ben for TV's Felicity
and he's slowly branching out in films
like Beckinsale. Director Len Wiseman
wisely chooses two young performers
who aren't big names and that's good
because it doesn't get in the way their
performances. However, I'd only wished
that he'd made Underworld
less of a soap opera when there are
any battles. Wiseman and his creative
team have all of the elements in place
- attractive cast, creatures that are
favorites with movie audiences and a
cool creepy look and atmosphere. It's
a shame that the story just doesn't
have enough punch to get the audience
intrigued for a couple of hours!
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