No classic, but a fun sci-fi/action/horror hybrid

Rating: 6/10 (24 November 2016)

For starters, UNDERWORLD is a hugely derivative film, and that's one of the biggest things working against it. The vampire vs. werewolf plot might not be too familiar – after all it's been a long time since those Universal monster flicks – but most of the scenes in the film bear the influences of other, better films. For instance the vampire society/hierarchy recalls BLADE, the clothing/action recalls THE MATRIX, and even the scene in the car in which the werewolf guy is pushing spikes through the roof is a rip on TERMINATOR 2. Despite these lame moments and lapses of originality, and the fact that the film is saddled with an unlikeable heroine, UNDERWORLD ain't so bad. The story has a few interesting things to say and director Len Wiseman holds things together well, inserting lots of style into the proceedings; suddenly I'm not so disheartened about him directing DIE HARD 4, after all.
The film is packed with shoot-outs and battles and, while Kate Beckinsale's two-pistol posturing is frankly embarrassing, the violent werewolf attacks are cool and the silver/daylight bullets add some fun to the events that play out. The script, although derivative again, flows along quite nicely and, aside from the central heroine, there isn't really much to dislike. I found this film to be efficient if unoriginal. There's quite a decent cast here, with newcomer Scott Speedman acquitting himself reasonably well as the human caught up in the chaos, and Michael Sheen stealing all of his scenes as chief werewolf, Lucian. Kate Beckinsale is sometimes good – in HAUNTED, for instance - but I couldn't stand her here; she's trying too hard to be 'cool' but never escapes the fact that her character is nothing more than a Trinity-from-THE-MATRIX knock-off.
Elsewhere, Bill Nighy camps it up as an evil age-old vampire and Kevin Grevioux nabs the best character in the whole film, a hard-ass, hulking werewolf who redefines the meaning of cool. Sophia Myles looks stunning, and I couldn't help wishing that she'd taken the leading role instead of Beckinsale. As to be expected/hoped, the special effects are fantastic, with CGI work coming up trumps throughout. The werewolves themselves aren't great – they recall the fuzzy shapes in AN American WEREWOLF IN Paris a little too much – but the transformations are astonishing and the head-slicing at the end, while too much like BLADE, is a triumphant moment. The film is surprisingly gory for its rating/audience which is also a pleasant surprise, making it that bit more palatable for adult audiences. Followed by UNDERWORLD EVOLUTION, this is a fun flick, not a classic but a watchable film at least.