Underworld: Blood Wars - directed by Anna Foerster
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Charles Dance, Alicia Vela-Bailey, Tobias Menzies, Bradley James, Lara Pulver, Daisy Head, Trent Garrett, James Faulkner, Clementine Nicholson
The Underworld movies for me have always been entertaining bits of fluff.
They are akin to watching a music video stretched out to 90 minutes - slick, loud and easy to watch.
I didn't care for the last one but otherwise I have always had fun with them.
I don't love them but they aren't boring and occasionally have some pretty decent action.
I went in with no expectation beyond this with the latest in the series (there'll be more... trust me) and I had pretty much exactly the experience I expected.
For those not familiar with the series to date and where the increasingly fragmented story is up to there is a nice recap of the previous four movies with narration from Selene herself - Kate Beckinsale.
This opens the film and leads into a sequence that appears to be inspired partly by "The Dark Knight", partly by "The Matrix Reloaded".
Selene hurtles through a city at night on a motorcycle.
She wears her traditional PVC bodysuit and utilises her weapons of choice- dual, modified Beretta pistols to fend off pursuing foes.
In this case it is Lycans- werewolves.
She is hunted by Vampires also and as she has lost the love of her life Michael and doesn't know the whereabouts of her pureblood daughter she is a lone figure.
A pariah she tells us.
Her narration continues to tell us that she has lived just about long enough anyway and death would not be unwelcome.
It is not forthcoming here however as she fends off the Lycan foes even as they appear to have her trapped and subdued.
There is help from David (Theo James) the son of Vampire Elder Thomas (Charles Dance)
As is usual there is a hell of a tangle of double crosses and betrayals and all is not what it seems when the Vampire clan forgives Selene and asks that she helps train them in the fight against the Lycans.
Honestly the plot is almost secondary here.
So long as one scene follows logically into the next and the aims of the major players are clear (at least eventually) this sort of movie only needs to add some nicely executed action and we are away laughing.
German director Anna Foerster has worked closely with Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day", "The Day After Tomorrow") as a cinematographer and visual effects technician and her experience well employed here.
The action is well directed and nicely edited.
There are several shots that are very effective as well.
The long tracking shot following Marcus (Tobias Menzies) from behind as he strides through a Lycan controlled railway station preparing to deploy hundreds of well armed soldiers is a gem.
Foerster keeps the camera fixed on his shoulder as he moves in amongst the Lycans and in and out of railcars before finally sliding around in front to reveal the man who will be the main villain of the piece.
I say main villain because there is another.
Anyone who has seen the tv show "Sherlock" starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman will recall the work of Lara Pulver in the best episode of the three seasons we have had to date.
"A Scandal In Belgravia" is the first episode of season two and playing dominatrix and Sherlock love interest Irene Adler Pulver is terrific.
Pulver excels playing strong, ambitious women and she has a hell of one to play in "Underworld: Blood Wars".
The vampire Semira is looking to overthrow the vampire council.
She orders around her lover/second in command Varga snapping lines like "Don't think - you'll hurt yourself" at him.
I'm a huge fan of Pulvers and enjoyed this film most when she was allowed to let rip.
Yes - some of the dialogue doesn't fly as well as it is intended too but even those shaky moments are made better for coming from Pulver.
Semira is a deliciously conniving uber-bitch who proves to be a dab hand with a sword too.
Of course Kate Beckinsale's Selene is no slouch either and we are treated to plenty of gunplay, swordplay and splattery finishing moves.
Everything is well shot and while the script delivers those occasional howler I mentioned (odd that a film would misuse the term mise en scene) it is hard not to get swept up in this one.
It is certainly never dull with its huge quotient of violent deaths, pounding score, scantily clad women and testosterone fuelled vamps and wolves.
It is every bit as silly as it sounds but this counts as a positive.
Beckinsale still looks great in the role and Pulver and Tobias Menzies provide suitable figures of loathing.
I liked the new snowy setting and the introduction of a community of pacifist elf-type folk allows for not only a nice environment for a bullet riddled shootout but also a very convenient out clause late in the film that you should spot coming a mile away.
But all in all this is a bunch of fun.
Dumb fun and probably very forgettable to be sure but definitely still fun.
RATING: 70 / 100
CONCLUSION: Nicely shot with some terrific casting this delivers exactly what the series has always promised (and mostly delivered) - slick action in a very palatable form
Screenplay: Cory Goodman
Music Score by: Michael Wandmacher
Cinematography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Cinematography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited by: Peter Amundsen
Running Time: 91 minutes
Language: English
Rated: R16 - Splattery Violence
Running Time: 91 minutes
Language: English
Rated: R16 - Splattery Violence
They are akin to watching a music video stretched out to 90 minutes - slick, loud and easy to watch.
I didn't care for the last one but otherwise I have always had fun with them.
I don't love them but they aren't boring and occasionally have some pretty decent action.
I went in with no expectation beyond this with the latest in the series (there'll be more... trust me) and I had pretty much exactly the experience I expected.
For those not familiar with the series to date and where the increasingly fragmented story is up to there is a nice recap of the previous four movies with narration from Selene herself - Kate Beckinsale.
This opens the film and leads into a sequence that appears to be inspired partly by "The Dark Knight", partly by "The Matrix Reloaded".
Selene hurtles through a city at night on a motorcycle.
She wears her traditional PVC bodysuit and utilises her weapons of choice- dual, modified Beretta pistols to fend off pursuing foes.
In this case it is Lycans- werewolves.
She is hunted by Vampires also and as she has lost the love of her life Michael and doesn't know the whereabouts of her pureblood daughter she is a lone figure.
A pariah she tells us.
Her narration continues to tell us that she has lived just about long enough anyway and death would not be unwelcome.
It is not forthcoming here however as she fends off the Lycan foes even as they appear to have her trapped and subdued.
There is help from David (Theo James) the son of Vampire Elder Thomas (Charles Dance)
As is usual there is a hell of a tangle of double crosses and betrayals and all is not what it seems when the Vampire clan forgives Selene and asks that she helps train them in the fight against the Lycans.
Honestly the plot is almost secondary here.
So long as one scene follows logically into the next and the aims of the major players are clear (at least eventually) this sort of movie only needs to add some nicely executed action and we are away laughing.
German director Anna Foerster has worked closely with Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day", "The Day After Tomorrow") as a cinematographer and visual effects technician and her experience well employed here.
The action is well directed and nicely edited.
There are several shots that are very effective as well.
The long tracking shot following Marcus (Tobias Menzies) from behind as he strides through a Lycan controlled railway station preparing to deploy hundreds of well armed soldiers is a gem.
Foerster keeps the camera fixed on his shoulder as he moves in amongst the Lycans and in and out of railcars before finally sliding around in front to reveal the man who will be the main villain of the piece.
I say main villain because there is another.
 |
| Lara Pulver - deliciously nasty |
"A Scandal In Belgravia" is the first episode of season two and playing dominatrix and Sherlock love interest Irene Adler Pulver is terrific.
Pulver excels playing strong, ambitious women and she has a hell of one to play in "Underworld: Blood Wars".
The vampire Semira is looking to overthrow the vampire council.
She orders around her lover/second in command Varga snapping lines like "Don't think - you'll hurt yourself" at him.
I'm a huge fan of Pulvers and enjoyed this film most when she was allowed to let rip.
Yes - some of the dialogue doesn't fly as well as it is intended too but even those shaky moments are made better for coming from Pulver.
Semira is a deliciously conniving uber-bitch who proves to be a dab hand with a sword too.
Of course Kate Beckinsale's Selene is no slouch either and we are treated to plenty of gunplay, swordplay and splattery finishing moves.
Everything is well shot and while the script delivers those occasional howler I mentioned (odd that a film would misuse the term mise en scene) it is hard not to get swept up in this one.
It is certainly never dull with its huge quotient of violent deaths, pounding score, scantily clad women and testosterone fuelled vamps and wolves.
It is every bit as silly as it sounds but this counts as a positive.
Beckinsale still looks great in the role and Pulver and Tobias Menzies provide suitable figures of loathing.
I liked the new snowy setting and the introduction of a community of pacifist elf-type folk allows for not only a nice environment for a bullet riddled shootout but also a very convenient out clause late in the film that you should spot coming a mile away.
But all in all this is a bunch of fun.
Dumb fun and probably very forgettable to be sure but definitely still fun.
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