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.

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Rhona Mitra Responds to Catwoman Rumors

There is no stopping these Batman casting rumors. I mean, even when he denies that Two-Face is alive, some websites think Aaron Eckhart is hinting that the character will be back in the third movie. When Philip Seymour Hoffman completely denied he was even interested in playing The Penguin, there were mock-ups of what he would look like in the role months later.

And then there's Catwoman. She's been connected to Angelina Jolie, Cher, and a couple other actresses in the past six months, including Rhona Mitra. Of those women in contention - if we can even call it that - Mitra may look the best in a catsuit but would have the most difficulty with the drama. And, because it was there, Sci-Fi Wire asked Mitra, star of the new Underworld Underworld prequel, whether or not the role of Catwoman interests her. "I wouldn't say no," laughed Mitra, who admitted hearing her name come up on the rumor mill.

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New 'Underworld: Rise of the Lycans' Photos

It's hard to say there's been a ton of support for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. The prequel doesn't star Kate Beckinsale, and Mr. Kate Beckinsale - director Len Wiseman - isn't shouting action on this one. Wiseman is still a producer on the film, but he's handed the camera over to special effects guy Patrick Tatopoulos.

Filling the leather bodysuit this time around is Rhona Mitra, who's kind of like a hard-edged Kate Beckinsale, anyway. She was pretty good in Doomsday, which wasn't. And she's certainly a reliable, sexy female action star. I doubt she'll ever be on the A-list, but she's well-suited for roles like this.Here are a few new pics from Rise of the Lycans, featuring Rhona and the esteemed Bill Nighy, who must really enjoy making these movies, because he should probably be doing far more important stuff.

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Trailer - 'Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans'

Here's my Underworld scorecard: The first movie was a pretty good action flick about vampires. I'd seen better, I'd seen worse. The second movie was crap. It was your basic "Hey, we made money on the first movie, so we're cashing in with a sequel!" sequel. Some of the action was OK, but the story was full of holes. And that's by the standard of the first one, which is by no means a tight screenplay.So what are my expectations for the prequel? Surprisingly, I think this could be entertaining. The pressure's off, nobody's expecting anything, and with a new director and new star (Rhona Mitra), Underworld: Rise of the Lycans will probably have a totally new vibe. Plus, I think they've recognized what the first two films did not, that Michael Sheen is actually a very good actor (The Queen, the upcoming Frost/Nixon), so writing more words for him is a good thing. Oh sure, it still looks as silly as hell, but I'm giving this one a chance.Check out the trailer and see if you agree.
Trailer Addict - Home of the WhopperThe Lycans will rise on January 23rd, so hurry up and waterproof your finest leathers.

Batman Rumor #247 - Another Name Surfaces for Catwoman

Catwoman: Is she in or out?

We won't know for a while what the make-up of the next Batman movie looks like, but even though there have been dozens of rumors followed by dozens of denials, we can presume a few things without getting ourselves into trouble: Christopher Nolan will direct, Christian Bale will return, as will the principal players from the past two films.Beyond that, we really have no idea. I tend to believe Batman co-writer David Goyer, in statements he made months ago, about the villains in the third movie. In essence, he said that there are a vast number of great bad guys in the annals of Gotham City, and to just do The Penguin and Catwoman. He never said they wouldn't be in the threequel, just that he disagreed that they needed to be used.My vote is and always has been Black Mask, and since someone mentioned his name on a message board in July, my vote to play Black Mask has been Guy Pearce. You simply can't have a better villain, or a better choice for that role.Now, if we're talking Catwoman, which is fair game, certainly, the name everybody mentions is Angelina Jolie (except for the strar forum fanatics who are under the misguided impression that Alyssa Milano can hold her own in this movie). Jolie is a damn good choice on a lot of levels, but I don't think that's going to happen. I really doubt Christopher Nolan wants superstars. That's just my instinct. And, like the Joker, he may want to take Catwoman in a completely new direction if he decides to use her.

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