HELLRAISER meets THE MATRIX by way of THE HOWLING

Rating: 4/10 (25 February 2005)

UNDERWORLD
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Sound formats: Dolby Digital / DTS / SDDS-8
The ongoing conflict between vampires and werewolves reaches its zenith following the discovery of an unwitting human (Scott Speedman) whose bloodline could prompt the genesis of a vampire-werewolf hybrid...
Len Wiseman's grandiose offering has plenty of flash-bang-wallop but not much sparkle, and Danny McBride's disappointing script buries an imaginative premise beneath the dictates of a 'blockbuster' mentality. The film's big selling point is lead vampire Kate Beckinsale (PEARL HARBOR), clad in form-fitting leather trenchcoat (no slobbering at the back there!), who holds her own against an army of monstrous adversaries. Most of the supporting characters are played in broad strokes by an otherwise talented cast, including Michael Sheen (BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS) as the werewolf leader who struggles to contain the aggressive tendencies of his bloodthirsty minions, Sophia Myles (Lady Penelope in 2004's THUNDERBIRDS) as the ambitious young beauty who struggles to emerge from Beckinsale's shadow, and sexy Shane Brolly (DEADLY SWARM) as a misguided vampire who forms a clandestine alliance with the werewolves, leading to all manner of complications. However, industry veteran Bill Nighy steals the show as a vampire-lord woken from his centuries-long slumber by Beckinsale, precipitating a violent escalation in the conflict.
The soap opera plot gets lost amid a string of ostentatious set-pieces, most of which involve vampires and werewolves pursuing each other through a Euro-Gothic landscape (Bruton Jones' superlative set designs are the film's trump card) and firing endless rounds of ammunition at one another, a scenario repeated (with minor variations) throughout the course of the film. It isn't frightening, or even remotely profound, merely noisy and excessive, which is par for the course these days. Production values are top-notch throughout, though the full-body werewolf suits (designed by GODZILLA's Patrick Tatopoulos) are a little too rubbery-looking, and the transformations from human to lycanthrope - though impressive - are clearly computer-generated, which rather spoils the effect. A sequel is currently in the works.
NB. Though credited as 'Digitalscope' in the closing titles, the movie was actually photographed in 3-perf Super 35 and subsequently transferred to high-definition video, where it was completed in the digital domain before being reprinted to 35mm for theatrical release. Sadly, Wiseman and cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts don't make much use of the 2.39:1 frame, so the technology is largely wasted.