Underworld (2003)

Director:

Len Wiseman

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Grevioux (story) and
Len Wiseman (story) ...

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

An immortal battle for supremacy.

Plot:

Selene, a beautiful vampire warrior, is entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races. Although she is aligned with the vampires, she falls in love with Michael, a werewolf who longs for the war to end.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Love | Death | Werewolf | Blood

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Kate Beckinsale	...	Selene
Scott Speedman	...	Michael Corvin
Michael Sheen	...	Lucian
Shane Brolly	...	Kraven
Bill Nighy	...	Viktor
Erwin Leder	...	Singe
Sophia Myles	...	Erika
Robbie Gee	...	Kahn (as Robby Gee)
Wentworth Miller	...	Dr. Adam Lockwood
Kevin Grevioux	...	Raze
Zita Görög	...	Amelia
Dennis J. Kozeluh	...	Dignitary (as Dennis Kozeluh)
Scott McElroy	...	Soren
Todd Schneider	...	Trix
Sándor Bolla	...	Rigel

Also Known As:

Underworld (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore and some language.

Runtime:

121 min | USA:133 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | Germany | Hungary | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

USA:Not Rated (extended version) | France:-12 | Malaysia:18SG | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Iceland:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) (also director's cut) | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | Brazil:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 (original rating) | Germany:18 (director's cut) | Mexico:B15 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Trivia:

Kate Beckinsale first met future husband Len Wiseman on the set.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Lucian's scientist is mixing Michael's blood in the beaker to find out if it is pure, the amount of fluid in the beaker changes between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Selene: [voiceover] The war had all but ground to a halt in the blink of an eye. Lucian, the most feared and ruthless leader ever to rule the Lycan clan, had finally been killed. The Lycan horde scattered to the wind in a single evening of flame and retribution. Victory...

Movie Connections:

Edited into Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

Soundtrack:

Bring Me the Disco King (Loner Mix)

Can't wait for the sequel!

I have just watched Underworld for the second time, and I was gratified to discover that it was every bit as good as I remembered - if not more so. No two ways about it; this is one terrific movie.

The action scenes and some of the special effects could be better, but the movie has utterly superb style, mood, plot and acting! The story itself is probably the best vampire-slash-werewolf story I've encountered (though admittedly I don't know many, as I'm not really a horror fan), and the ending is just fabulous.

I also just love the thing about the chief vampires sleeping for predetermined periods of time, and are then revived - this is incredibly cool.

And the whole thing is borne aloft by the great skill of the British lead actors - particularly hard-hitting cutie Kate Beckinsale, wild-eyed Michael Sheen and that late bloomer of a genuine acting icon, Bill Nighy, who gives an unflinching performance.

It won't be long now till Underworld: Evolution comes out - and I'm just thrilled at the prospect of seeing more of this stylish world! If they can fulfill my expectations of the sequel, I will be making an upward correction of my rating of this movie from 8 to 9, because then we'll have a larger universe which makes sense in a larger context. That's how a good movie franchise should function.

Crossing fingers!