This sluggish hit of 2003, is definitely on my list of top vampire movies ever! My list however is not big at all.... : ), for obvious reasons...there haven’t been many good vampire movies made till date in spite of there being&; around 50 attempts. Of these, only a mere few fall into my good books. The rest as far as I’m concerned, are not even worth a yawn!!!... Women in white gowns screaming for their lives …getting charmed by the vampire’s irresistible personality? What on earth???....women getting converted, becoming loyal to the vampires ....others getting converted....some good guy destined to slay the vampire finally does it...Oh! great...clap ...Very exciting! a sure box office hit! .
Well, that is exactly why I like ’Underworld’.It is one of the very few vampire movies which takes itself seriously. It does away with the above mentioned bunkum and at the same time gives us an amazing blend of ’supernatural- conceptual- action packed greatness.’ Other than being an art movie , this flick’s got it all, you name it - forbidden love, truckloads of action, suspense , has a well defined plot in spite of being abstract.
THE CAST
Kate Beckinsale- aka Selene. Something of a cop in the vampire society. Her mission- to obliterate all Lycans ( werewolves ) from the face of this earth.
Scott Speedman- aka Michael Corvin. A human , subjected to a Lycan bite...and hence a Lycan . He is the unwilling victim of a number of mishaps, the person everyone’s after.
Bill Nighy- aka Victor. The oldest and strongest of all vampires, both a hero and a villian on different occasions.
Michael Sheen- aka Lucian. Treated as a villian throughout the movie, due to the induced belief in the audience.In my opinion, the best actor in the movie. Very well acted out role and good dialogues delivered by him.
Shane Brolly- aka Kraven.By far the most irritating specimen in the whole movie, an expedient , cowardly vampire whose lust for advancement is just too much for his own good. The movie couldn’t have been complete sans him.
Kevin Grevioux- aka Raze. A loyal Lycan Elder , very adept in Guerilla type of warfare.
THE BASIC PLOT
No spoilers, don’t worry....
Long back, centuries ago, due to a series of unfortunate accidents, the vampire and werewolf clans were created, from a common bloodline(not to be divulged now).The werewolf race thus created are violent and kill , ravage at will.The vampires are more intelligent in their approach , and they fear the acts of the werewolves could expose these 2 cursed races to humans who would leave no stone unturned to eliminate them.Fearing this, to protect their own, the vampires embark on a quest to eliminate all werewolves .That’s how the original war begins.
Kraven , a sly vampire is keen to advance up the ladder of the vampire social hierarchy and has a pact with an influential Lycan leader….Mr. X.(say).He asks Mr. X to lay low while he convinces the vampires that the Lycans were dead. The 3 vampire elders-Amelia, Victor and Marcus take turns ruling their 2 covens, - 2 asleep and one awake at a time. Kraven assures Mr. X that he would see to it that Mr. X could catch the vampire elders unawares to kill them , giving Kraven control of the covens and in return, a treaty with the Lycans. Mr.X wants to do this due to a certain injustice (not fair to disclose now) meted out to him long ago, for revenge.
Mr. X, meanwhile also wants to create a vamp-werewolf hybrid, stronger than both races to face Victor and Co. For this he needs the Corvinus blood To find the same, he searches for a human descendant of Corvinus. That descendant is ___. The Lycans want him to be the hybrid, the vamps want to prevent the process.( since they are something like the upper caste compared to Lycans).Selene, the protagonist, a loyal vampire smells Kraven’s deceit and awakens Victor to settle matters. But the turn of events are such that whereas she was initially hunting the concerned human, she eventually falls for him. The stage is set for twists and turns and a very unexpected ending. The rest is there for you to find out.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
1.Well, the thing that I like best is the modernization of this supernatural concept. No stakes through the heart, or crosses to kill vampires. Lycans use ultraviolet ammunition, daylight harnessed as a weapon against them, while their opponents use silver bullets, which not being very soluble in blood, can be dug out.So, later the vamps come up with silver nitrate bullets soluble in blood to negate the advantage.
2.Lycans and vampires have not been shown as some cartoon characters, comical in appearance.They have been shown as a cursed race of humans who have to hide their unfortunate history to survive.
3.The plot is believable and I guess it’d be fair to say, is complex. You miss anything, it’d not be entirely clear but still enjoyable, though.
4.Very fast and gripping story, will suck you in, cool in more ways than one.The special effects desrve a special mention.Was pretty good.Lots of heart stopping moments as well.
5.Considering this movie had a budget of only $22 million, a crew of 15 people, a first time director, first time action heroine, first time script writer, this movie rocks totally.Don’t know how they managed to do so much with such less resources.I understand the movie was shot in Budapeste.Dark background suits the supernatural mileu.
6.Kate Beckinsale’s character suited her big time! Before this movie, I never picturised her as an action girl. But boy! Doesn’t she deliver….With a typical British cold expression and at the same time an air of vulnerability, she pulled it off well.She is part of several breathtaking action sequences. If Keanu Reeves was born to play Neo, Pierce Brosnan Bond flicks, Kate was born to play ’Selene’.
7.But kudos to Michael Sheen for his excellent overall performance as ’Lucian’. The speech, the expression, movements everything just fit in perfectly for him. Similarly, another tour de force performance by Bill Nighy.
8. Is essentially an action movie, which makes use of supernaturally based concepts.Definitely not a movie for children, mind that.
9. If you are looking for an out and out action flick something like Van Helsing , probably not it. Much more complete as a film, has a bit of everything.
10. And , it has an unpredictable ending, something everyone craves for.
To cut a long story short , it is more than a decent movie which you should try if you are fond of fundas and action.Happy watching! Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Director: Len Wiseman
Script: Len Wiseman/Danny McBride/Kevin Grevioux