Underworld (2003) [2003]
Director: Len Wiseman
Actor: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Wentworth Miller
After a lot of debate surrounding this film, and it’s supposed great likeness to Vampire: The Masquerade, I decided I wanted to see it, despite the bad reviews it got among some of my friends. Of course, living in Europe, I had to wait a couple of months to do so, and so patiently I waited. Until a couple of days ago, in a fit of boredom, I downloaded the DVD rip and watched the film.
I’m definitely going to see this film in the cinema. (RIAA, I also downloaded that big bastard of a file, so don’t come a-huntin’, please) I don’t think my puny computer monitor did the “visuality” of the film any justice. It looks awesome. I mean…perfect. This is exactly how I want these type of films to look. Blade was different, but equally brilliant in that respect – the second film was so-so, but the first one had something cold, steely and very menacing about it. I was talking to one of my friends about the film – one of the ones that gave it such a bad review – and she wholeheartedly agreed that the film looked nice…
…but that the acting and story simply sucked ass. The acting wasn’t that good, true. I got the feeling that they tried to make up for it with cold, angsty, brooding stares and English accents, but it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t Syngenor or anything.
The story was, I think, befitting of the first of a series of films, which, I think – depending on the amount of money Sony ends up making off of this – will be the case. The entire story is, though a bit cliché here and there, not entirely bad and from what I could see not filled with contradictions and logical discrepancies that usually plagues films like these.
Kate is hot, in fact, I think all the people in that film are very good looking, and looks very good in her rubber and latex outfits. Oh! Oh! I almost forgot; God, do I love the fact that, physically, werewolves are much stronger than vampires. Cool! Cool! Cool! Suddenly, vampires aren’t the almighty uber-creatures that they always get made out to be in films. Also, kuddos for the accent on age being a determining factor in strength. Very well done.
