A good romp.

Rating: Null/10 (21 February 2004)

I'm sometimes sceptical about watching movies of this nature. The Blade films didn't really do it for me. I'm not sure why - I think I just prefer the way Underworld is shot.
I really liked Kate Beckinsale in this. It's so far beyond the characters she portrays in Shooting Fish and Pearl Harbour and proves she's incredibly versatile. I think she would have made a great Lara Croft, although I'm glad she didn't because it may have wrecked her career (I have a low opinion of the Tomb Raider genre). She wears leather/PVC and motorcycle boots throughout the movie and looks fantastic.
I was surprised to see Robbie Gee in this. His role in Snatch was a comedy stance so I found it a little difficult to take him seriously because of this, but he pulled it off well. Bill Nighy was a surprising choice but he played his part convincingly. I look forward to him in The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy though.
The plot started to get a bit confusing, but after watching the entire movie, it made sense and I understood who everybody was and where they stood within the story. It's probably worth a couple of viewings, but that's it.
There's always a danger that movies of this kind are thought to be cheesy and clichéd. It's hard not to produce a movie that isn't. It's not supposed to be believable - it's supposed to be convincing for a couple of hours - then you're back to reality.
I thought Kevin Grevioux's voice was modified, but after listening to the DVD commentary it turns out that it's his ACTUAL voice. Unbelievable! He was ideal for this role!
Overall, I enjoyed it. It's a good romp, everybody's got a good screen presence and it's well shot - using the usual unsaturated gothic look. Beckinsale is set for future success, with a couple of movies out in 2004.
I give it 7/10. Could have done with a better soundtrack.