Underworld, starring Kate Beckinsale, strives to change the storytelling basics
of horror movies, and it succeeds nicely. Not only is the storyline itself
unique--vampires battling werewolves, here called Lycans, in a centuries-old
conflict--but also the manner in which is it told (in a "Dracula-meets-The
Howling-by-way-of-the-Matrix" style), is entertaining. Beckinsale plays Selene,
a warrior vampire known as a Death Dealer, who, with her brethren, hunt down and
kill the Lycans in their never-ending war. Their battlefield is a sprawling,
unnamed city that provides an imposing gothic landscape for this grim tale (the
streets of Hungary ably lend an air of Old-World decadence to the proceedings).
On one of her search and destroy missions, Selene discovers that the Lycans
appear to be hunting down a specific human, played with a somewhat mellow
demeanor by Scott Speedman. It turns out that Speedman is indeed a valued prize
of the Lycans, but not for so banal a reason as lunch; no, he is needed for an
insidious plot that threatens to end this centuries-old conflict and overthrow
the very vampire hierarchy itself.
For those who may know Kate Beckinsale only as the token romantic lead in
Michael Bay's insipid "Pearl Harbor", her turn as the single-minded, relentless
vampire assassin Selene might come as a pleasant surprise. Ms. Beckinsale is a
fine actress with plenty of screen presence, who can easily handle the gun-toting
super heroics that Underworld requires of her. And, I must say that she looks
pretty damn hot doing it, too! Bill Nighy delivers another standout performance
as the Vampire Master Viktor, who is as commanding as he is creepy. Director Len
Wiseman keeps the action moving at a fever pitch, revealing unexpected plot
twists and turns without sacrificing the film's exhilarating pace. The battle
scenes--with vampires and werewolves blowing each other away with high-tech
weapons--may annoy some horror purists, but in a conflict like this, it makes
sense for both sides to choose the most efficient methods of killing (which,
sadly, has also been the case in human warfare over the centuries). However,
there are moments when both vampire and werewolf engage in the traditional
hand-to-hand (or claw-to-claw?) combat scenes that are reminiscent of horror
films of old.
The new, recently released uncut edition of Underworld is worth buying just for the extras alone. You now
have a second disc of special features, along with a new audio commentary that
has Kate Beckinsale on it, as well. There is also a 48 page comic book, and a
16 page booklet of production art from the movie. The DVD case itself has a nice slip cover that
slides off. The film itself has added scenes, bringing the original 121 minute
running time up to 134 minutes in length. Rather than distract from the story,
the added scenes add to it by filling in some blanks. The DVD
comes with a commentary track by the filmmakers, and various "making-of"
featurettes that cover the film's production. The music video "Worms Of The Earth"
by Finch, is also included. Although Underworld wraps up its main storyline in a
satisfying fashion, there are still some major threads that have been left
hanging for a sequel. Bring it on, I say! Any excuse to see the sleek Selene in
action once more is fine by me. --SF