Reverses the usual 'Hollywood' gender roles, but conforms to its genre in pretty much every other way.

Rating: 6/10 (30 August 2018)

'Underworld (2003)' reverses the usual 'Hollywood' gender roles in a relatively refreshing way, so it's a shame that it also conforms to the tropes of its genre in pretty much every other area, to the point that it's predictable essentially down to the letter and that some of its more extraneous plot elements feel as though they were included out of a false sense of necessity rather than out of a legitimate narrative need. Its tight, black leather aesthetic is very telling of the time in which it was made, a time when such faux 'gothic' stylings were considered 'outsider' and 'cool'. It permeates the entire piece to the point that it all feels fairly dated, though this 'sleek' style is so all-encompassing that it sort of becomes a signifier for the heightened reality of the flick itself - something that can be accepted almost as readily as its vampiric conceits - as opposed to a statement of its actual visual quality. There's enjoyment, albeit 'turn your brain off' and quite silly enjoyment, to be had during some of the action sequences and, even, some of the more high-strung melodrama. It's nothing groundbreaking, but I don't think it was ever trying to be. It's a decently enjoyable film when it's underway. 6/10