Underdeveloped, but not bad

Rating: 7/10 (29 September 2003)

As I left the theater, I overheard bad comments coming from behind me- "I couldn't get into that story" "Man, this movie kinda sucked" "I don't know what that was all about" It's true that the same flock of people that came in expecting "Blade" like flick, or perhaps "The Matrix" of vampires and werewolves, would probably be disappointed. The movie doesn't stay on one concept, it's lower budget (23 million) gives it less CGI and smaller, reused locations, and the touted romance between main characters Michael (Scott Speedman, kinda boring) and Selene (played well by Kate Beckinsale) never really has time to develop. But if you take a closer look at the story, you'll find some interesting aspects.
Vampires and werewolves have fought for many centuries, with the vamps having the upper hand. They live in large mansions above ground, while the werewolves live in underground sewer-like conditions. The war between them is about to become worse, and in the thick of it is Selene who suspects a conspiracy, one that may eventually lead to an attack by the werewolves. Lucian (Michael Sheen), is the leader of the werewolves. His rage is one that will lead to secrets that unfold later in the movie. As they hunt down a human who carries what is needed to create super 'werevamps', Selene has to deal with the clan at home. No one seems to believe her that something very nasty is about to happen. Which is too bad, since, in this movie, everyone here seems to go with their gut feelings and fantastic insights on what other people are thinking and doing.
Acting wise, everything is as expected, but Shane Brolly, who plays Kraven, the leader of the vampires, does a rather poor job. He did not convince me, as an actor, that he was a leader, and when he gets upset, he looks like a little kid who had his blood candy stolen. Kate Beckinsale and Michael Sheen are quite good, however.
Action sequences were a bit mixed. There was hi-tech gun play, and there was plenty of it, but the actual confrontation sequences left a lot to be desired. Usually what you saw when it came to the hand-to-hand shots were closeups of the werewolves teeth... cut to the next smoke filled fight scene, wash, rinse, repeat.
Rules of how vampires get killed were changed a bit. In here, they can die rather easily in comparison to other vamp movies like this one. But water doesn't hurt them, that's for sure, since half the movie is drenched in rain. Perhaps to balance the werewolves weaknesses? Roleplaying games, books and movies have gone through various different ways of rules that can be applied to how vamps and wolves function, so this is a moot point.
SFX department- with Editor Martin Hunter and several dozen visual effects techs didn't do a bad job. With hardly any CGI in site they manage to do a bang up job with the werewolves' changes. The locations where the movie was shot, Prague and Budapest, give the movie a very authentic feel.
Overall, the movie had more potential then what you see, perhaps a little more on the romance side? Better characters? But hey, I still liked it.
Just don't expect oscar winning performances, mind-blowing CGI sfx, or originality. Just sit back and enjoy the film for what it is.
7 out of 10