DVD review (region 1)
Directed by Len Wiseman
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy, Martin Sheen, Shane Brolly, Sophia Myles
Release date Out now
A centuries-old war rages between vampires and werewolves. Selene (Beckinsale) is one of the top vampire warriors. But when she stumbles across a werewolf plot to kidnap a human named Michael (Speedman), new conspiracies and ancient secrets come to the surface…
Twiglits. Robbie Williams. Playing the recorder. Many things are obviously rubbish yet inexplicably popular all the same. Underworld can most definitely be added to that list. There’s very little that's innovative or cool about Len Wiseman’s movie, but it’s been successful enough to warrant two follow-ups and there are even rumours of a TV series. What on Earth is the attraction here?
Admittedly, Kate Beckinsale does look hot in a leather catsuit. But the catsuit seems to be Seline’s only defining trait; she’s otherwise a hopelessly dull character that it’s virtually impossible to root for. She jumps and falls about in gravity-defying slow motion, but, like everything in Wiseman’s movie, she’s just there to look pretty; there’s no depth or soul. At least old hands Bill Nighy and Martin Sheen add a little hammy colour to proceedings, otherwise the movie would be in danger of sinking under its own portentousness.
From the stylised ultra-violence and flowing trenchcoats to the liberal use of flo-mo (remember flo-mo?), Underworld is heavily influenced by The Matrix (with a touch of Blade Runner – Nighy’s Lucian even declares “Time to die!” towards the end). But it contains none of The Matrix’s boundary-pushing ideas or fun cod philosophy, and the endless gun-blasting, variable CGI and simplistic dialogue (including an idiotic voiceover that’s inserted at random moments) swiftly becomes tedious – especially in this interminable extended cut.
The 2006 sequel, Evolution, is at least an improvement of sorts. It’s still over-stylised, under-developed and takes itself far too seriously, but the film is marginally more coherent, and the pacing is much better. Tony Curran’s flying demon Marcus also looks pretty impressive, especially in one terrific set piece in which he gives chase to the ute-riding heroes.
Both movies feature enlightening commentaries by Wiseman (accompanied by the leads on the first movie, and by the production designer and editor on the second) and useless outtakes, while Underworld features a disposable Beckinsale-narrated “documentary” (essentially a promo) looking at legends of werewolves. Matt McAllister
VERDICT
Underworld: 4/10
Underworld: Evolution: 5/10
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