Underworld (2-Disc Extended Cut, Unrated) (2003)

Total Film
"...Wiseman creates some neat comic-book visuals dipped in blue-grey hues. The climax is action-packed..." 11/01/2003 p.97

Premiere
"Leather-clad Kate Beckinsale steals the show..." 03/01/2004 p.96

James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
Vampire movies aren't what they used to be. Gone are the days when a cape, fangs, a cocked eyebrow, - James Berardinelli
 
San Francisco Chronicle 7 of 10
The plot is pretty standard, with a twist at the end that is a pleasant surprise considering the plo - Peter Hartlaub
 
Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
Brendan Gill, the distinguished writer for the New Yorker, offered a definition of pornography that has stood the test of time. A porno movie, he said, is a movie where you become acutely aware that the characters are spending too much time getting in and out of cars and walking in and out of doors. Gill's wisdom came to mind when Todd McCarthy, writing in Variety, observed of "Underworld" that "there may be more openings and closings of doors in this picture than in the entire oeuvre of Ernst Lubitsch." That is not the sort of detail that should occur to you while you're watching a movie about a war between werewolves and vampires...But "Underworld" is all surfaces, all costumes and sets and special effects, and so you might as well look at the doors as anything else. This is a movie so paltry in its characters and shallow in its story that the war seems to exist primarily to provide graphic visuals. Two of those visuals are Kate Beckinsale, who plays Selene, a vampire with (apparently) an unlimited line of credit at North Beach Leather, and Scott Speedman as Michael, a young intern who is human, at least until he is bitten by a werewolf -- and maybe even after, since although you become a vampire after one bites you, I am uncertain about the rules regarding werewolves, Hold on, I just Googled it. A werewolf bite does indeed turn you into a werewolf, according to a Web site about the computer game Castlevania..."Underworld" is the directing debut of Len Wiseman, an art director ("Stargate," "Independence Day") who can stage great-looking situations but has few ideas about characters and plots. It's so impossible to care about the characters in the movie that I didn't care if the vampires or werewolves won. I might not have cared in a better movie, either, but I might have been willing to pretend. - Roger Ebert
 
ReelViews 7 of 10
Vampire movies aren't what they used to be. Gone are the days when a cape, fangs, a cocked eyebrow, and a menacing glare were enough. By today's standards, those things are quaint. Underworld, from first time director Len Wiseman, is an example of a vampire movie for the new century - stylish, gothic, gory, and loud. The plot may not be irrelevant (in fact, this movie requires too much exposition to clarify the situation), but character development is. And, as a bonus, not only do we have vampires, but werewolves as well. In fact, they're at war with each other, and have been for about 1000 years. You would think that even with a pathetically slow kill rate, they would have wiped each other out by now...Style over substance seems to be Wiseman's mantra. The entire movie is filmed in a metallic monochrome that makes things appear depressingly dreary. The look is a combination of Blade and The Crow. The soundtrack features some jarring heavy metal music, something that is becoming popular with "hip" movies these days. Nothing like numbing the mind by assaulting the ears, I suppose. Still, the movie looks sufficiently offbeat to be interesting, although the muted colors and lack of anything resembling bright light becomes a little wearisome before the proceedings are over...The film stars Kate Beckinsale, but it doesn't require much in the way of acting from her. All she has to do is look dangerous and sexy in a skintight leather suit...Had Underworld been shorter, it would have been more fun. As it is, there are dead stretches in the middle where it seems to be spinning its wheels. The big battle at the end is fun, although I felt cheated by the final scene, which promises a sequel. Fans of Blade and other gloomy, bloodthirsty action movies will probably be entertained. Underworld captured my attention sporadically, but not consistently. - James Berardinelli