Romeo and Juliette in Underworld

Rating: 9/10 (28 December 2008)

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. It is not your regular vampire movie, yet it is not your regular teenage love story film either. It is a bit of both, spiced up with some spectacular fighting sequences for those who were nodding off.
The cast is really sweet, there are some familiar faces and some fresh new blood. The acting was OK, keeping it real and quite believable. Especially the two leads, both of them looked misplaced and confused, but in the movie they actually both are which make it look absolutely natural and creates a dark cold atmosphere of constant tension and anticipation. This is a love story bear in mind.
I have to admit there were some daft expressions and illogical actions. And generally the vampires' qualities are a bit different; like their exposure to sunlight. Every well informed vampire fan knows that kills them, but not in this movie here they just sparkle like they are covered in glitter. It is all so very romantic and so American. The baseball game scene was absolute blast, Muse's Supermassive Black Hole was on the background and the game was the baseball version of Shaolin soccer, quite entertaining. The vampires are people after all and you get few decent laughs every now and then.
And the love story between Bella and Edward is so pure blooded metaphorically and literally speaking that you can read in it far beyond the vampire element. It is love that is forbidden, impossible, and incompatible if you wish. Drop the fictional vampire moment and you'll see a very familiar human prejudice.