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Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Reassessmerrrgghhggg*werewolf mode*
I don't know what I was really saying about the CG in this movie earlier. I think it's serviceable, but it does oscillate in quality the closer the werewolves are to the camera, and likewise it's pretty obvious when they're using practical effects puppets/costumes instead.
Overall, a movie like this really does benefit from a brisk pacing and relatively safe, if unsurprising, storyline because I find little to complain about.
The sorta nitpicking that comes to mind would stuff like "Where do the extra keys come from?" Lucian is a "blacksmith" which explains how he made the first key, and the Vampire Advisor character gives him a second key, which ISN'T, apparently, the one key to the cell he was one, but even ignoring that, the same key prop just seems to appear in various characters' hands at different times to conveniently remove neck locks or open cell doors, and either there's some thought out path that this key travels between characters that isn't clearly emphasized in the movie, or these are just Deux Ex Keys manifesting themselves.
Either way, this definitely isn't one of the strongest movies I own, which is why I'm reviewing it, but I can still see myself revisiting it in the future.
Final Verdict: [Pretty Good]
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Action Drama / English / 2009
WHY'D I WATCH IT?
Reassessmerrrgghhggg*werewolf mode*
WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
Horses.
Here's another movie which gets incredibly negative reviews, which I would argue is even more flawed than National Treasure, but I would also argue is more fun.
When people tell me that Twilight is a good movie, I balk at them, they don't get the hint, I ask them why, and they say "because I like vampire movies", I respond "Underworld 3". I mean hell, you got an interspecies romance with lots of contact lenses and shirtless werewolves, how can you not love this?
Underworld 3's world is precisely what I think of when I think of vampires and werewolves. A grimdark fantasy setting set somewhere in medieval Europe and featuring the thematic hallmarks you come to expect from such a setting. Gothic political covens, beasts of the forest, it's exactly the kind of backdrop you want to a movie like Underworld.
While Underworld went for a lot of gore-for-shock value type stuff along with an incredibly unengaging plot about hybridizing vampires and werewolves (to create the Blue Man Group), Underworld 3 ignores the awful sequel, Underworld 2, in favor of a prequel which presents to us the events which kick off the entire series vampire/werewolf feud.
The secret is it's actually just Romeo and Juliet, except Juliet dies in the sun and Romeo makes Lord Capulet eat a zweihander.
Naturally given that it's a romance, it dares not breath into existence without at requisite kissing scene and even a sex scene, BUT the romantic development isn't an actual problem in the movie by virtue of the development having happened offscreen before the movie started.
Oh. Okay, well that's fine then. ( ^ ^)b
And the sex scene is brief and tasteful? Astounding.
Basically the plot has Lucien, our werewolf slave underdog try and run away with... uh... ummm... SONJA! Sonja. And Sonja's father, Viktor keeps watch over the developing struggle between master and slave.
I think even the regular dialog is pretty interesting and virtually no lines are spared for trivialities which I like. Bill Nighy as Viktor is pretty intimidating, much in the way that Davy Jones was and I really dig that, he's just a great villain and I'd argue he does a better job playing with drama in this movie than in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Michael Sheen also returns as Lucien as a much more likeable primary protagonist.
Hrhrhrhrwhoa~ hello there... my my my, aren't you a sexy animal?
Except you are. Yeah, that's a definite grievance on my part. Lucien distinguishes himself from feral werewolves because he's a special breed that retains his humanity and does so by saying he's not an animal. *SIGH*
The action's pretty Matrix-y, and the CG somewhat idles between pretty good and gratuitous, but I have to give a fair bit of credit: The werewolves themselves are frequently practical costumes and they look good save what mercifully brief moments of dismemberment and body-horror transformations we get. Any movie that gives me flashbacks to Helm's Deep from Lord of the Rings is doing something right.
All told, I can think of a bunch of problems that would distract your average movie goer like, "Are they making continuity errors with the contact lenses? Since when does sucking blood allow vampires to read memories!? WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP ADJUSTING THE VOLUME HIGHER TO HEAR THE DIALOG!?" and whatnot.
It's even got a couple moments of genuinely cheesy overacting and it can't help but feature the never-not-a-cliche line: "This isn't the end, this is just the beginning." BUT YOU KNOW WHAT??? I think Underworld 3 earns that line, because it retroactively improves my opinion of the first Underworld movie which it flashes forward to at the very end.
This is what I'm looking for in these kinds of movies: Interesting drama, interesting characters, not a lot of blood, not a lot of gore, and THEMATIC AS HELL.
You can lock this in as one that I know has a butt-ton of problems, but just can't help finding myself watching it again and again.
Final Verdict: [Pretty Good]
REWATCH UPDATE 3/9/24
Damn, it's been 8 years since I reviewed this, but I gotta say, my opinion really hasn't changed much.
This is a movie that doesn't waste any time getting to the central conflict of the story, and development follows rapidly from there. Bill Nighy chewing scenery the whole way is great and it really the movie feels like it's more about him than Lucian and Sonja.
In fact it feels more about Lucian than Sonja too. Of course this is necessary to some degree because only Viktor and Lucian appear later in the chronology, but these are also the only characters of the three that seem to see any sort of development.
Sonja's just kinda there as the pre-established love interest, whereas we get a bit of a montage of Lucian's life and his eventual turn into a rebel leader for the lycan slaves. We also get mixed glimpses into Viktor's sympathetic side, while also his cruel and racist totalitarian side to the point where he genuinely seems unpredictable at times, which of course makes him more enjoyable to watch."If devils you call us, rest assured, better the devil you know."
Horses.
Here's another movie which gets incredibly negative reviews, which I would argue is even more flawed than National Treasure, but I would also argue is more fun.
When people tell me that Twilight is a good movie, I balk at them, they don't get the hint, I ask them why, and they say "because I like vampire movies", I respond "Underworld 3". I mean hell, you got an interspecies romance with lots of contact lenses and shirtless werewolves, how can you not love this?
Underworld 3's world is precisely what I think of when I think of vampires and werewolves. A grimdark fantasy setting set somewhere in medieval Europe and featuring the thematic hallmarks you come to expect from such a setting. Gothic political covens, beasts of the forest, it's exactly the kind of backdrop you want to a movie like Underworld.
While Underworld went for a lot of gore-for-shock value type stuff along with an incredibly unengaging plot about hybridizing vampires and werewolves (to create the Blue Man Group), Underworld 3 ignores the awful sequel, Underworld 2, in favor of a prequel which presents to us the events which kick off the entire series vampire/werewolf feud.
Naturally given that it's a romance, it dares not breath into existence without at requisite kissing scene and even a sex scene, BUT the romantic development isn't an actual problem in the movie by virtue of the development having happened offscreen before the movie started.
Oh. Okay, well that's fine then. ( ^ ^)b
And the sex scene is brief and tasteful? Astounding.
Basically the plot has Lucien, our werewolf slave underdog try and run away with... uh... ummm... SONJA! Sonja. And Sonja's father, Viktor keeps watch over the developing struggle between master and slave.
I think even the regular dialog is pretty interesting and virtually no lines are spared for trivialities which I like. Bill Nighy as Viktor is pretty intimidating, much in the way that Davy Jones was and I really dig that, he's just a great villain and I'd argue he does a better job playing with drama in this movie than in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Michael Sheen also returns as Lucien as a much more likeable primary protagonist.
Hrhrhrhrwhoa~ hello there... my my my, aren't you a sexy animal?
Originally Posted by Lucien
We are NOT ANIMALS!
The action's pretty Matrix-y, and the CG somewhat idles between pretty good and gratuitous, but I have to give a fair bit of credit: The werewolves themselves are frequently practical costumes and they look good save what mercifully brief moments of dismemberment and body-horror transformations we get. Any movie that gives me flashbacks to Helm's Deep from Lord of the Rings is doing something right.
All told, I can think of a bunch of problems that would distract your average movie goer like, "Are they making continuity errors with the contact lenses? Since when does sucking blood allow vampires to read memories!? WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP ADJUSTING THE VOLUME HIGHER TO HEAR THE DIALOG!?" and whatnot.
It's even got a couple moments of genuinely cheesy overacting and it can't help but feature the never-not-a-cliche line: "This isn't the end, this is just the beginning." BUT YOU KNOW WHAT??? I think Underworld 3 earns that line, because it retroactively improves my opinion of the first Underworld movie which it flashes forward to at the very end.
This is what I'm looking for in these kinds of movies: Interesting drama, interesting characters, not a lot of blood, not a lot of gore, and THEMATIC AS HELL.
You can lock this in as one that I know has a butt-ton of problems, but just can't help finding myself watching it again and again.
Final Verdict: [Pretty Good]
REWATCH UPDATE 3/9/24
Damn, it's been 8 years since I reviewed this, but I gotta say, my opinion really hasn't changed much.
This is a movie that doesn't waste any time getting to the central conflict of the story, and development follows rapidly from there. Bill Nighy chewing scenery the whole way is great and it really the movie feels like it's more about him than Lucian and Sonja.
In fact it feels more about Lucian than Sonja too. Of course this is necessary to some degree because only Viktor and Lucian appear later in the chronology, but these are also the only characters of the three that seem to see any sort of development.
I don't know what I was really saying about the CG in this movie earlier. I think it's serviceable, but it does oscillate in quality the closer the werewolves are to the camera, and likewise it's pretty obvious when they're using practical effects puppets/costumes instead.
Overall, a movie like this really does benefit from a brisk pacing and relatively safe, if unsurprising, storyline because I find little to complain about.
The sorta nitpicking that comes to mind would stuff like "Where do the extra keys come from?" Lucian is a "blacksmith" which explains how he made the first key, and the Vampire Advisor character gives him a second key, which ISN'T, apparently, the one key to the cell he was one, but even ignoring that, the same key prop just seems to appear in various characters' hands at different times to conveniently remove neck locks or open cell doors, and either there's some thought out path that this key travels between characters that isn't clearly emphasized in the movie, or these are just Deux Ex Keys manifesting themselves.
Either way, this definitely isn't one of the strongest movies I own, which is why I'm reviewing it, but I can still see myself revisiting it in the future.
Final Verdict: [Pretty Good]