Disappointing and Boring

Rating: 3/10 (22 September 2003)

Two of my favorite genres are action and horror, and considering UNDERWORLD was werewolves vs. vampires, I did not expect to be falling asleep in the theatre! I could hardly keep my eyes open! This movie was a big disappointment for me. The previews made it look action packed. But in reality, the movie was overlong and only had a couple of action sequences. Don't go to this movie expecting to see MATRIX type action or something like BLADE. BLADE and THE MATRIX are millions of times better than UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD is not even in the same class.
It's a real shame, because I think UNDERWORLD had a lot of potential. I am sure most people who saw the movie would agree with me.

The movie was shot well. The production design was great and the overall look of the film was fantastic. But the script fell short. There was a lack of tension in the movie. The audience does not really care for any of the characters. The "love" story between Selene and Michael was non-existent. They fall in love with eachother after only meeting for a few seconds. And, in that time, Selene constantly has a gun in Michael's face. Ridiculous. Also, there is no RISING ACTION in the movie. The writers failed to RAISE THE STAKES. That is a basic element of good screen writing, and it is absent in this movie. And for the most part, none of the characters are developed.
There are two characters in particular that really annoyed me. First, Kraven was terrible. I will be amazed if the actor who played Kraven EVER works in a real film again. Through out the entire movie, he is trying to act "intense" and "angry." But he just constantly breathes heavily through his nose! He didn't convince me at all! The other character that really bugged was that black guy who was the werewolf with the SUPER deep voice. That was just silly. Obviously, they are trying to test him out as another counterpart to Vin Diesel. Vin has a low voice, but the joker in UNDERWORLD sounds like a cartoon character. He was trying to be all serious and everytime he opened his mouth I was laughing out loud! You really have to hear this guy's voice to appreciate how stupid it sounds. You can't hardly even understand him. But believe me, it isn't worth sitting through the entire movie just to hear this stupid guy's voice. Just take my word for it, it is silly.
The movie is technically done pretty well. It is definitely a case of atmosphere over substance. I really wanted to like this movie, I really expected to be thrilled by this movie, but instead I was just bored. I will go watch BLADE 1 and 2 again.
But in closing, I must comment on Kate Beckinsale and how she is incredibly HOT! She is very hot. And even though the movie was boring, at least I got to look at her most of the time. She looks better when she is not all gothed up.