Chix Chat on Film review: Selene gets back to basics.

Rating: 8/10 (23 January 2012)

This installment of the Underworld series was the only sequel to premiere this weekend. I have grown to expect a great deal from sequels because my thinking is that if it gets green lit it should also get better funding. Better funding typically translates into better imagery. Underworld: Awakening was one of the best of the four Underworld stories and Rise of the Lycans was the worst, possibly because it was the only one sans Selene (Kate Beckinsale). The trailer tells us that now the Vampire and Lycan threat is that of the humans, based on their discovery of the existence of the underworld beings, but fortunately for the story line the plot thickened. Otherwise this would have been the second movie this weekend for which the trailer unveiled too much. This story was infused with some new blood, Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy) is added, I appreciated being given insight into his alliances and why. Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea) is a new player in the battle whose motivations are not known until late in the story. David (Theo James) is also a new character who I immediately thought would add to Selene's evolution from Death Dealer to Day Walker to Cougar, not saying that's what happened but it crossed my mind. The final newcomer was a very clever addition although I find it so corny that whenever a female character is introduced in a story, who is somehow extraordinary that she has the name Eve (India Eisley), we get it already, there's no law against being creative with a name. I wasn't overly impressed with the look of the Lycans they had the projected look seen in old sci-fi B movies, but the over-sized giant Lycan seen in the trailer was a decent special effect. The best special effects were Selene in action doing what she does best, dropping from tall buildings in her signature stance, dealing out death with a graceful ease to the Lycans as well as to the new human enemy all while consistently wearing that signature pout and taking on the world in her plastic cat suit, although the look in the cat suit is all her no effects needed. The story stayed true to the series, it made sense and was none stop action from the beginning until the end. I like the creativity of these types of tales and with all the pretty supernatural and natural folks to focus on it was a viewer's win-win. I give it a green light.