Promising stuff from leftfield!

Rating: 6/10 (25 September 2003)

For those of us who have long watched and loved vampire movies, from the sublime to the ridiculous, now we have Underworld. It seems to have been shot entirely in Hungary, or otherwise eastern european location, giving it a lovely, gothic look, as well as a neutral setting. (My only gripe here would be the product placement for Bacardi! How does that fit in with this crazy flick?)
A convoluted plot posing vampires against werewolves in an eternal battle between races of immortals greets us here. The action is fairly well staged, and the VFX, while maybe a little cheaper than what some of us are used to, nevertheless gives the movie a style and look that many more expensive pictures miss out on. The acting is a little ropey sometimes, as is the slightly bonkers script, but overall the movie works - and Beckinsale holds things together when it seems all is lost.
If you like Blade, Buffy and The Matrix, then this is a fine way to spend the evening. Ciao!