This prequel to the Underworld films explains the eons-old antipathy between the vampire and werewolf clans depicted in the earlier entries starring Kate Beckinsale, 2003's Underworld and 2006's Underworld: Evolution. Not really a horror movie (gore and monsters notwithstanding), filmmaker Patrick Tatopoulos' Underworld: Rise of the Lycans fuses a Gladiator-type epic with sword-and-sorcery fantasy. During the daylight hours—before they become hairy and run around on all fours—the werewolves are sweaty, hard-bodied slaves to the vampires, but eventually they grow weary of their captors' brutality and start planning a rebellion. In a most unlikely bit of casting, British actor Michael Sheen—who played Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen and TV host David Frost in the recent Frost/Nixon—stars as Lucian, a sort of lycanthropic major domo to head vampire Viktor (Bill Nighy), whose warrior-queen daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra) is Lucian's secret lover. When uncovered, this apparent interspecies betrayal sparks a war between the bloodsuckers and the lycans, soaking the earth with blood and littering the countryside with severed body parts. Once the battle begins, the action is almost nonstop as the film races to its conclusion unimpeded by subplots or subtleties. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by director Patrick Tatopoulos, producers Len Wiseman, Richard Wright, and Gary Lucchesi, and visual effects supervisor James McQuaide), the production featurettes “The Origin of the Feud” (20 min.), “Re-Creating the Dark Ages” (13 min.), and “From Script to Screen” (9 min.), the music video for “Deathclub” by William Control, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are an interactive map, a “Behind-the-Castle Walls” picture-in-picture track, and the BD-Live function. Also included is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven prequel.] (E. Hulse)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Sony, 92 min., R, DVD: $28.98, Blu-ray: $39.95, May 12 Volume 24, Issue 3
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
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