A well-balanced and well made film

Rating: Null/10 (27 September 2003)

"I've never looked back," says Selene, the protagonist of this story when explaining the origins of who she is at present. The same could be said about the mood of 'Underworld.' Almost right away, it hooks the viewer with action and proceeds to further examining the current situation of the story, taking little-to-no time for humor and other distractions while pursuing its goal -- which is to present the audience with a very engaging movie. It's a mission that's very much successful. As the film progresses, we watch Selene bust some skill as she hunts, investigates, and narrates, all while fighting on the side of her fellow vampires in the (seeming) final days of a very long conflict between them and the lycans (a clipped form of lycanthrope -- or werewolf). She's a highly determined and highly aware soldier who's got the attention of several members of her kind, and gradually gains the sympathy of the viewer by staying logically open-minded and having a heart that seemingly defies her cold exterior -- to an extent anyway. Watching Kate Beckinsale (who gives a great performance) long enough in this movie, it becomes kind of funny and weird to remember that this is the same woman who once played the far different Ethel in 'Royal Deceit.'
But it's not all about action, nor is it all about Selene. Between the ambitious Kraven, legendary Viktor, reserved Michael, and mysterious Lucian, there are several diverse are entertaining personalities in this story, and when one character claims to have taken a lot but given so much more, it serves as an example of the self-delusional excuses one can always find to defend selfishness -- or in other words, an example of how the vampires and lycans can't entirely escape their humanity.
There are several others. As the background plot begins intermingling with hints dropped in the foreground, 'Underworld' reveals itself as a fairly emotional picture, with several much-appreciated close-ups of Beckinsale's dark and brooding good looks (and when considering those, it's rather charming to recall that she and the director reportedly became romantically involved).
Here's the thing about the ending: in films, the anticlimax is something that's perfectly respectable if the story isn't over when the movie is. But in the case of 'Underworld,' it's a little difficult to know how to feel about this, since there's no guarantee that the tale will get a chance to continue (Hollywood economics, of course, will probably always come first). Hopefully the rumors of a sequel or two are true, though. This is a mix of quality storytelling and cool special effects that's very deserving of a follow-up.