Movie Review - 'Underworld: Rise of the Lycans'

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Starring Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra, and Bill Nighy Directed by Patrick Tatopolous Rated PG-13

In early November of last year, I saw a breathtaking movie called Frost/Nixon. It details, as I'm sure you've heard, read, seen, or remember, the televised interviews between former President Richard Nixon and talk show host David Frost. It doesn't have any tricks or mind-blowing effects. It doesn't need them. The movie is primarily about the two performances by Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost, two heavyweights each employing his own style in search of a knockout. Fast forward a couple of months and there's a new movie in theaters by the name of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. It's a prequel to two other movies in the series about vampires, werewolves, half-breeds, and a war between them that has been raging for centuries. It does require tricks and effects, because it's telling a story about a world that doesn't exist, and it hides those effects under a veil of darkness that barely lets us see them function. Worse still, it almost buries the same Michael Sheen who is in Frost/Nixon. There is no doubt which of these two movies you should see. It's Frost/Nixon. But very likely, the Underworld movie will earn in its first week what the brand new Best Picture nominee will earn during its entire theatrical run. And that bothers me. That's not to say there aren't wonderful movies with effects if that's your jones, or even that there aren't great movies with vampires; seek out Let the Right One In for that. But Rise of the Lycans is just a 90-minute parade of settling for the easiest option. If there's a scene that needs a glower from Bill Nighy, he'll dredge up his best Lugosi behind electric blue contact lenses. If we need a lycan attack, we'll get one of those. And if a speech needs to be made, rest assured a poorly written speech will follow. So if the filmmakers have such little expectation for their own film, how can audiences go in excited? There is very little life here - to Sheen's credit, he is the only real daylight in this whole affair - although you'd think by tweaking the story of the Underworld universe, it would be more than this. Because Kate Beckinsale is gone (a casualty of the chronology of the prequel), there is a new British babe in tight leather, although Rhona Mitra helps prove that not all of Beckinsale's enormous sex appeal is just about how she fills a bodice. Mitra is emotionally immobile in this film. The plot is spelled out in the subtitle. Lucian (Sheen) is the first of his breed, a combination of werewolf and man, which leads to the evil Viktor (Nighy) breeding more lycans but slowly breeding the humanity out of them so they're easier to turn into slaves and fierce guardians of his kingdom. And then they revolt. Something about they can take a lycan's life but they can never take his freedom. And that part's all OK, at least in the pitch. The script is something else entirely. It doesn't help matters that there's a very uncomfortable romance between Lucian and Sonja (Mitra), which certainly mutes the impact of the lycan rise, because that has absolutely nothing to do with a love story the audience doesn't care about. How do I know they don't care? Because the 500 or so people I saw this with were audibly not entertained by the film's sex scene that didn't show boobs. The crowd couldn't have cared less about how the characters felt. And since Mitra couldn't show that much depth, anyway, it makes the Romeo & Juliet nonsense even less effective. A quick note about movie werewolves: Based on this evidence, the technology is no better now than it was in 1981, when An American Werewolf in London completely changed movie make-up. I mean, it's the reason there is a Best Make-Up Oscar. And, unlike this Underworld movie, it dared to transform a man into beast under the glare of interior lighting. You can't even see much of the transformation in this film, and the finished product isn't much to write home about. You wonder if there will be more of these. And you wonder why there would be. Neither the filmmakers nor most of the cast nor the audience that came out for a midnight showing seemed particularly interested in what was going on.

Comments

[Lengthy Johnson]

I'm not surprised.

The first Underworld felt like a fresh take on vampires and werewolfs. It was done on the cheap but it knew its limits and made the best of the effects it could afford by using good cinematography.

Underworld Evolution was a much inferior product. More expensive but less well-made.

With the changes in line-up for Rise of the Lycans, it's just inconceivable that it could beat any of the two previous films.

[Emo]

Very good point Lengthy Johnson. I was hoping this series could rebound from 2 to 3...looks like not. Too bad....I really liked the first one.

[Ripley112000]

The movie is rated "R" dumbass.

[appalachian95]

Well I had considered going to see this movie, but now I do not, I thought 2 and 2 were very good movie, especially the special effects, and you are correct the lighting was terrible in both 1 & 2 but I still enjoyed the concept behind the story, with Kate gone, I can see why the movie would not have the same effect and I am wondering if the Lycan that was in 1 & 2 is in this sequel or not, in the previews I could not tell, and if the movie is rated "R" then why was there not any tit shots as there were in 2 with Kate (granted not much a tit shot) but at least you got to see something, anyway I will probably go see the film just because I enjoyed 1&2 but I now have my doubts if I will be able to sit through the entire film.