Movie Review: Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Redundancy spells doom for this immortal sword fight through a blue filter
Photo: Screen Gems
NOTE: Screen Gems did not screen Underworld: Rise of the Lycans for film critics, which is the reason for the delay in publishing of this review. I saw this film at a matinee on opening day.
When I saw the first Underworld film in 2003 I was a bit disappointed. The fact vampires and werewolves were battling it out with bullets didn't necessarily bowl me over, despite the fact Kate Beckinsale was strutting around in skin-tight patent leather the whole time. However, since its release I have come to be quite fond of the first film and even had fun with the second film thanks to its gruesome ending. Now we come to Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which ventures back into the past to tell a story we have already heard and thus defining its demise as it embraces redundancy and never feels all that original.
The cast includes Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra and Shane Brolly. For more information on this film including pictures, trailers and a detailed synopsis choose from the following menu.
Review
"Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" is a Screen Gems release, directed by Patrick Tatopoulos and is rated R for bloody violence and some sexuality.
No, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans won't be in line to receive any Best Picture Oscars despite the fact it includes award nominated British thesps such as Sheen and Nighy — as if it were expected. But to say it didn't have a chance to be any good wouldn't be fair either. Sword fights between vampires and werewolves still have a chance to be entertaining, that is if it wasn't so damned redundant.
Sit back and watch as Lucian is born, enslaved, whipped, imprisoned, escapes, imprisoned, whipped and escapes. Seriously, it's like this film was on a loop as the same things happened time and time again. Mitra's involvement is limited to one of the corniest sex scenes you will ever see in an R-rated film and her endless arguments with daddy. This film was written as if the three screenwriters had written acts one, two and three separately but somehow managed to write the same thing. If someone had just said, "Hey, didn't he just get whipped?" we might have ended up with a much more intriguing film on our hands.
Even as an Underworld apologist I cannot recommend this film outside of a one night rental. It isn't an absolute travesty, but you are getting nothing new and the repetitive nature of it all only equates to about 30 minutes of seemingly original storytelling — if that. Logic is abandoned and what ultimately seems like a forced film ends up disappointing.
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I liked the original, but didn't like the sequel at all. I won't be seeing this (I generally don't head out to see new movies in theatres in January….it's all crap).
This is the funniest review I've read I a while. I also liked the first one, thought the sequel was so-so, and had high hopes for the third one. I'll will probably still see this one in the theaters.
I am just gonna wait and rent it out.
It definitely was not great and left me with a few questions but I was quite impressed with the acting. It is true they were not given much to work with but for the last few years you just can't go wrong with Sheen and Nighy. For me, worth seeing in theatres.
i enjoyed watchin sheen getting a big role in the film as the leader of the lycans true, in that it was very repetitive, i somewhat enjoyed it but the lack of realism in the lycans appearance was a little bit of a turn off. with the technology we have today, the lycans should have been a little bit more believable!
omg! rise of the lycans was totally awesome!! i cried a lot too.
so sad but i <3d it.
<3<3<3
go vamps!
I liked these movies, 2 was big sfx, loved it. 3 filmed in NZ, could be interesting. I liked 30 Days of Night too.
I liked all 3 movies. I too agree with the movie review that this movie seem out of place. It would have been more believeable if this movie was 1st instead of 3rd. I am trying to figure out how they are going to work this movie into part 4. In part 3, it looks like all the powerful vampires and lycans are died… so what will happen next! I'll give this movie a C+.
I hope the writers watch all the prior movies before going into 4. It has to make sence and keep the audience quessing and wanting more.
Side Note:
I hope Lycan leader Lucian (Michael Sheen) isn't really dead along with Viktor. I want Kate Beckinsale to be pregnant with Micheal's baby. Because everyone knows, she drank Alexanders' blood. He said she is the furture. I can't wait until part 4. Please make this happen within a year. Don't let 3 or more years pass.