Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Refreshing Prequel is a Gloomy, Visceral Experience Built around a "Romeo and Juliet" Backdrop, January 25, 2009
First off, let me just say that I am a fan of the "Underworld" franchise and I do think that Kate Beckinsale is one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Plus, I am also a sucker for tales about vampires and werewolves. That said, this newest installment of the franchise "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" doesn't have the previous two films' director, (although Len Wiseman still has credits for the story) and the absence of Beckinsale is of course to be expected (she is also married to Len Wiseman) considering that this film is a prequel and has taken place before Selene's timeline. Seems like Hollywood have listened to the "cries" of die-hard fans of the franchise, and delivered a fun installment in a gothic period.
In an undisclosed time in the past, the coven of vampires ruled the land, using slaves in the form of Lycans to protect their empire. Lucian (Michael Sheen) may well be the first Lycan to be able to turn into human form at will, and for reasons of his own, vampire leader Viktor (Bill Nighy who reprises his role from the first film) decides to spare him and keep him as his "favored" slave. However, things get a little complicated when Lucian develops an undying love for Viktor's daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra) and dreams of freedom for his Lycan brethren. Now, the lines have been drawn, and the war between Vampires and Lycans is about to begin....
Patrick Totopoulos is now in the helm as director of "Rise of the Lycans" and while I'm not very familiar with his work, I have to say that Totopoulos does know how to make an effective monster feature. The werewolves looked very nasty and feral, even downright dirty, while the vampires have those blue contact lenses and wears fancy medieval armor. The screenplay does stay true to the mythos of the original, but it also nicely blends hyper-kinetic violence, with a Shakespearean "Romeo and Juliet", medieval backdrop in quite a modern fantasy film about the roots of the struggle between the mythological creatures. This prequel does take a life of its own, and while fans are in very familiar territory, the film doesn't exactly alienate new viewers.
The filmmakers does stay within the style and feel of the original film with the gloomy cinematography, bluish muted color schemes and the action sequences carry quite a bit in blood and gore elements--and those scenes are nicely placed. The action in "Rise of the Lycans" consists mostly of swordplay--beheadings are aplenty, limbs are torn and bodies are mutilated. Amid the CGI generated set designs, I was somewhat pleased that this prequel didn't exactly build upon the franchise's past mistakes but it develops a fresh angle on the "Underworld" mythos. There are familiar characters to be seen in the film, and there are subtle hints of things to come. The film also enforces a gothic element that wasn't fully realized in the first sequel, and the screenplay does give room for its performers to have touches of melodrama, complete with very cool, moody posturing.
I supposed the film's main strength will have to come from the effective performance of its cast. Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy does give a very heartfelt performance. Their chemistry as leaders of opposite sides are very nice to be privy to, as their interactions prove to be the film's central focus--a good move by the director since it proves to be a credible plot device to get the franchise's established formulas and romantic tragedies' groundwork. Rhona Mitra is a refreshing presence and proves convincing enough as Sonja, the one major catalyst for rebellion of the Lycans. Of course, fans of the franchise knew exactly what happened to her, and the film just fleshes out her relationship between Lucian, her father and the other vampires.
The film also touches on the vampires relationship with the humans living during this time, and as to how the humans managed to become the dominant species in our present time. The Vampires coven's "Death Dealers" were supposedly the guardians of the human populace, who protect them from the beastly werewolves. Apparently, werewolves are those infected with no ability to change back to human form, and in this manner the commentary on social status is reinforced. Werewolves are to be killed on sight while Lycans are used as slaves. There is also some commentary on the politics of this mythical world, vampires rule, Lycans serve and humans provide silver. Werewolves are the outcasts. The vampires would do anything to hold onto their power base.
"Underworld Rise of the Lycans" may indeed be better than "Evolution" and the film does succeed as being a passionate period horror adventure. There is very small window of opportunity to further build on its mythos and it does do so quite well. The film's weakness may well be that being a prequel, it is difficult to offer that many surprises, if there are any at all. The film is a fun experience and highly entertaining to fans and even to those not familiar with the franchise. "Underworld Rise of the Lycans" is a bloody, stylish, visceral, melodramatic installment to further develop the war between vampires and werewolves. It awakens the senses that this franchise is very much alive, and left me wanting more.
Recommended! [4- Stars]
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45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Perfect Date Movie ... for Goths, February 19, 2009
Seeing current movies these days is a challenge with a very active toddler. When Valentine's Day came around, we dropped our son off with my parents and I let my wife pick the movie. She of course picked the "vampire movie." Which is why I love my wife.
As a big fan of Kate Beckinsale and the World of Darkness role-playing game, the Underworld series quickly became a favorite. It featured big budget special effects, lots of PVC and leather, and plenty of pouty vampires. It also featured a battle between vampires and werewolves, a concept that was so prominent in White Wolf's World of Darkness series that it sparked a lawsuit.
Despite the lawsuit, Underworld continues to forge its own path, such that it now has prequels. You know your movie franchise has made it when executives are willing to pay to produce what is essentially a history book. Fortunately, this bit of history is actually worth watching.
Werewolves and vampires have always been a bit of a mixed bag in Hollywood. The fact that Dracula could turn into a wolf seems to be one of the less plausible aspects of vampirism that were dropped in favor of the Ricean pouty goth. Thus the ability to transform into a wolf is exclusively the domain of the werewolf. But it wasn't always this way.
The vrykolakas, draws its name from "vryk," meaning "wolf" and lakas, meaning "fur" in modern Slavic languages clearly meant "werewolf." Vrykolakas in other countries, however, is used to describe vampires. This is because of the aforementioned ability of a vampire to turn into a wolf, which can be strictly interpreted as meaning that all vampires are actually werewolves.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans turns this confusion into a plot. In short, vampires and werewolves are descended from the same bloodline, but the vampires have risen to the role of aristocrat while werewolves are little more than beasts. Or at least, that's what the vampires believe. To that end, Viktor (Bill Nighy) the vampire lord treats domesticated werewolf Lucian (Michael Sheen) as his foster son, giving him blacksmith duties that ensure werewolves don't transform with inward-pointing spiked collars. But Viktor's benevolence has limits, and when he discovers that Lucian is having a dalliance with his daughter Sonja (the delectable Rhona Mitra, who still isn't quite Beckinsale but comes pretty darn close), he teaches Lucian a terrible lesson. What Viktor underestimates is the kinship that Lucian has with his wilder brethren, a kinship that will spark class warfare.
Rise of the Lycans is basically what you get when you give a serious goth injection to the elves from Lord of the Rings, rehash the plot from Romeo and Juliet, and steal the feudal arrangement of vampires and their human "cattle" from the World of Darkness series. Nobody speaks in contractions. Everything is viewed through a dark blue lens. And lots of limbs get hacked off.
The real story here is the werewolves. It's their class struggle, after all, and the movie never shies away from the dire consequences of the characters' actions. There is a high enough body count on both sides to make Shakespeare proud.
Vampires. Werewolves. Vampires and werewolves killing each other. Two star-crossed lovers bound by their family allegiances and the curse of their blood. What more could you ask for in a Valentine's Day date movie?
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A worthy addition to the Underworld Franchise, March 25, 2009
This movie is the realized back story for the movie "Underworld". There is nothing revelational about this movie to the storyline of the franchise except for Lucian being the source of the modern day Lycans (ability to transform back into human form). This movie is basically about his development from childhood into the leader of the Lycans and also the love story between him and Sonia (Victor's daughter). The tie-ins of this movie to the other two were very well written. While viewing "Rise of the Lycans" is not necessary in order to make sense of the other two movies in the franchise, it definitely enriches them and basically adds more seasoning.
The action and battle sequences were exciting and very well done. But, while I enjoyed the movie, it lacks the plot twists and suspense of the original "Underworld". The acting is good, although I wish Victor would have had some better dialogue. Rhona Mitra was SUPERB as Sonia. Her resemblence to Kate Beckensale makes the viewer realize why Victor took Selene under his wing (instead of killing her along with her family). Selene is absent from this movie except for the final clip which happens to be the opening scene to "Underworld" (a good transition). IMHO, this movie ranks 2nd in the franchise. While "Underworld Evolution" was enoyable in its own right, the creatures of this franchise look more comfortable (and believable) in midieval times than in the modern day. If you own the other two movies on DVD/ Blu-ray, you'll definitely want to add this to your Underworld library.
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