Underworld (2003)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

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

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:

A kiss between Michael and Selene (when she unchains him in Lucian's lab) appears in the trailer but was not included in the theatrical release or on the DVD, but it is on the unrated version of Underworld.

Goofs:

Continuity: The shooting gallery scene: in close-ups of the statue targets, bullets are slamming into them at a high rate, as if from a machine gun. When the shot changes to show Selene, she is actually seen to be using a semi-automatic pistol, and firing at a much slower rate.

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:

References Alien (1979)

Soundtrack:

Judith (Renholder Mix)

Expect Nothing, get a little more

I enjoyed Underworld. I expected it to be absurd, awful, plot-less and pointless. While it is certainly not the most brilliant and original story, nor does it teem with insight about the human condition, its not awful, its plot heavy, and it really isn't pointless. It's just a tad absurd, though.

This is the story of a human (Scott Speedman) entangled in a six hundred year old war between vampires and werewolves, and the vampire death dealer (Beckinsale) whose compassion for him permits her to seek the truth in ways that few of her species have before.

The acting is of variable quality. Kate Beckinsale is wonderfully cute, and does a pretty fair job of acting when she's not doing a Keanu Reeves/Neo impression. Michael Sheen provides a great supporting performance. Shane Brolly isn't really up to the task, in my opinion.

The script is good, although it's full of clichés. The editing and directing are both impeccable, and help to move everything along at an entertaining and brisk pace.

This is a fun action-oriented film, with stylish darkness and enough originality to make it worth seeing. Mildly recommended for vampire and werewolf fans.