UNDERWORLD


I certainly hope everyone involved in UNDERWORLD is prepared to attend conventions and answer vampire-related questions for the rest of their lives. This is one of those rare films that slips under the radar and delivers on almost everything, and what it doesn?t deliver is open to hours of debate. The film creates an entire universe to play around with, and no it's not the same universe as White Wolf's, even if there are similarities.

The first thing we see is Selene (Kate Beckinsale - PEARL HARBOR, SERENDIPITY) perched on a rooftop, letting the rain fall down on her. The wind causes her cape to billow and we get a few attention-getting glimpses of a perfectly sculpted backside through her black latex outfit. Selene tells us through narration that a thousand year war between vampires and Lycans (short for lycanthropes, a.k.a. werewolves) is almost at an end. The Lycans have been driven to the point of extinction now that their leader has been reportedly dispatched. Still, being a Death Dealer, the warrior cast of the vampires, Selene is always at the ready.

Before a word of dialogue has been uttered, a shootout occurs that raises Selene's suspicions. She finds out that the remaining Lycans are taking an interest in Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman - DUETS, the horrendous DARK BLUE), and it's not just because his name suggests he could be the next Crow. She tracks down Michael and discovers that the Lycans may not be as dead as previously thought.

The trick about a film like this is that there is so much going on, you have to know when to stop blabbering (hard for me, I know). You don't want to give away too much. Hence, I've left out tons of scintillating details from the entire body of this review. Suffice to say there are many side-stories that almost seem like mini-movies in themselves. There is Selene's boss, aptly named Kraven (Shane Brolly). He's what you get were you to cross Morrissey with a Young Republican, a bureaucratic slime who is violently fixated on Selene. Meanwhile, Erika (Sophia Myles - NICHOLAS NICKELBY, THUNDERBIRDS) is fixated on Kraven, a romantic triangle largely glossed-over in the film.

If anyone is expecting the vampires and werewolves to be chowing down on Londoners left and right, don't count on it. Maybe they could get away with that sort of behavior in the 19th century, but it's a new world now. It's a realistic touch that in the Information Age, neither race would survive long if they treated the English countryside as a moving buffet. Instead, the vamps survive on various plasma banks. As for the werewolves, well we are never sure. I imagine that there would be a shortage of sewer rats, the local butcher is doing killer business and if your kitty runs away, he's probably tender vittles by night's end. Both races also use guns. The vamps deal out silver bullets via automatic fire. What is new to the game is the use of lethal force in Lycan weaponry - the bullets now harness ultraviolet radiation of some sort. The action scenes are hence equal parts Hammer, Hong Kong actioner and James Cameron.

UNDERWORLD is a big test of some unproven talent. Len Wiseman finds himself in charge of a big feature film for the first time. His previous experience included music videos and serving as assistant on the Roland Emmerich films STARGATE and INDEPENDENCE DAY. Ditto screenwriter Danny McBride, a stuntman/actor turned screenwriter (He turns up on screen as one of the creatures). McBride has taken a very complex and ambitious story and done an amazing job condensing it into just over two hours. In fact, there is so much information being brought forth, it oddly feels like not much is going on in the middle of the film. In fact, it's just the opposite. It's a constant bombardment that almost reaches information overload. I realized only days after the screening that my issue is not with the length of the film but with how well the information is translated in the time allotted. This would be a daunting task for any screenwriter and McBride deserves credit for giving it the college try. In some professional reviews of this film, including a certain prominent figure from Chicago, the critics have demonstrated a shocking lack of story comprehension, and I'm sure they'll agree a lack of interest. That is hardly an excuse. There is a lot to keep track of and I won't play the high ground by pretending I got everything. It may take a while longer for that to happen. As it is, UNDERWORLD is structured like a film where you can watch it again and again to pick out things you missed the first time around. It should also improve on repeat viewings. I may like it now, but I expect I may love it by this time next year.

And I do like it. Wiseman must have paid awfully close attention on those sets, because he has shown a true mastery of the camera. There are sequences where every shot seems to match up perfectly. One climactic image comes to mind, as one character manages to glide from the upper right hand side of the screen to the lower left corner with perfect grace. He takes advantage of the Widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio and it's wonderful to see. I personally feel the marketing of Fullscreen DVDs is counterproductive. If they start selling a pan & scan UNDERWORLD, it will be downright criminal.

Although the pics here appear to be rather colorful, the film has been treated in post-production to a saturation process that bathes everything in grays and cool blues (see DevilMan's review for the finalized pics). This saturation certainly makes the film look more futuristic, which suits the alternate universe it occupies. Also, it adds urgency to the events, since many times people seem drenched in a cold sweat. However, the overall effect was not fully successful. For some reason, it always feels as though we are missing something. And while the saturation makes the film look more futuristic, I wonder if the original color scheme wouldn't have been more pleasing to the eye. As it stands, it feels as though we are looking at the film through the veil of a fever dream, just trying to grasp everything. This is aided by the boominf soundtrack (only part of which is reflected in the soundtrack CD reviewed on this site), which combines claps of thunder with loud orchestrated musical crescendos.

The production design is excellent. The art direction wonderfully creates a future-goth world where the streets are washed in torrential downpours and daylight is nowhere to be seen. The special effects are incredible, with some impressive non-intrusive CGI as well as exquisite latex effects and action set-pieces.

At a modest 23 million dollars, UNDERWORLD looks like it cost three times as much. THE RUNDOWN, starring The Rock, cost 85 million dollars and looks like a TV movie in comparison. It's a reminder that big money does not equal big movies, but big imagination does.

The actors do an admirable job here. Michael Sheen (no relation to Martin) is excellent as the head of the Lycan clan. His piercing eyes suggest an early Viggo Mortensen with just a touch of mania. His character is expanded upon wonderfully, and we empathize with him, due to a great performance. Bill Nighy is fantastic as a vampire lord. The supporting cast is solid across the board. U.K. readers will be happy to know that the film is set in London and no effort has been made to Americanize the surroundings. This extends to the talented European cast. Of all the performances, only Scott Speedman (the sole yank of the bunch) is lacking and that doesn't seem to be his fault. Speedman does his best with what he's given and a twist towards the end is amazing both on his part and the filmmakers?. However, he is thrust into this strange world so quickly, we never really get a chance to know him.

But as many reviewers have already said, the real star of the show is Kate Beckinsale. Her performance is nothing short of a revelation. I was burned by PEARL HARBOR when I paid my hard-earned cash to see it in the theatre. I hated the film and I remember saying some pretty cruel things about Beckinsale's performance. The phrase "mannequin acting out Danielle Steel-level romanticism" comes to mind. Well, no matter what her sins where there and in the schmaltzy SERENDIPITY from the same year, she has put that all behind her. She's amazing here, every bit the lone crusader. She comes across as a steely-eyed heroine, dedicated to one cause - some would say, to a fault. She is so assured and perfect in this part that no man or woman has personified a hero this badass in some time.

Some of the promotions have presented this as a ROMEO AND JULIET with vampires and werewolves, a pitch that has gotten Nancy A. Collins' knickers in a twist. To me, the film felt closer to KING LEAR than anything else from the Bard. The werewolves want the throne, Kraven wants the throne, but it is the good and virtuous Selene who has no ideas of conquest, that does what's right and is rewarded with the shunning from her family. It's a bit of a stretch, I know.

But if I fail to see the Shakespearean connection they tried to put forth, it's because I don't see the love story. For a moment, I thought it was just an advertising ploy, but interviews with Wiseman and Beckinsale have also brought up the R&J idea. I sure thought I paid to see the same movie, yet I did not see Selene and Michael fall in love. Hell, they don't have time. There is one moment that suggests attraction, but it could easily be read as something else. I never got the idea of "two starcross'd lovers" from this film. Instead, I interpreted the relationship as Selene's protection of an unwilling participant who could be the key to finding the truth behind a thousand years war. Frankly, I like my interpretation better, but that doesn't make it the intended message.

Still, despite its flaws, UNDERWORLD is a thoroughly enjoyable film. It features tons of beautiful art direction, fantastic scenarios and a wonderful story, all accompanied by an okay script. The filmmakers were wise to create a world and mythology (complete with Celtic-inspired symbols) that can be continually be built on. It's a good thing the sequel and prequel have both been cleared, because anything less would be a severe disappointment. You can safely expect loads of fiction, both fan-generated on the internet and professional paperbacks in the bookstores (paging Christopher Golden...). UNDERWORLD is not a perfect film, but it is very interesting, and one I plan to revisit more than once.

No matter what the final box office tally is, or what the critical response, UNDERWORLD's strengths and weaknesses will be debated for years to come. So, clear your schedule guys. You're going to have a lot of anxious fans to answer to.

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Want a second opinion? Then, read the UNDERWORLD review by our very own DevilMan!

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Don't ever say we never gave you anything. Enjoy these UNDERWORLD wallpapers, courtesy of Sony's Official Site!





- Scott W. Davis






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Links

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Official Soundtrack Site
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Trailers

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Taglines

  • An immortal battle for supremacy.

Trivia

  • Director Len Wiseman opted to shoot many of the action and effects sequences live, without computer imagery. In one scene a werewolf seems to run more than 50 mph behind a speeding car. The scene was shot using an elaborate rig towed behind a vehicle, with actor Michael Sheen doing the running.
  • White Wolf, Inc. and author Nancy A. Collins filed suit against Sony Pictures, Screen Gems, and Lakeshore Entertainment on 4 September 2003 for copyright infringement little more than a week before the theatrical release of UNDERWORLD, alleging 17 counts of copyright infringement, and claiming over seventy points of unique similarity between White Wolf's roleplaying games, VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE, WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE, and their creation,
  • Beckinsale left actor Michael Sheen during the filming for director Len Wiseman.
  • A sequel and prequel were quickly greenlighted by Screen Gems, after UNDERWORLD raked in 22 million dollars in it's first weekend.

DIRECTOR

Len Wiseman

CAST

Kate Beckinsale
Scott Speedman
Shane Brolly
Michael Sheen
Bill Nighy
Erwin Leder
Sophia Myles

RELEASE DATE

2003

REVIEWER

Scott W. Davis

REVIEW DATE

30th September 2003 - 7:20AM