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- Cert:
- Cat.no: EDV 9294
- Running time: 128 minutes
- Year: 2003
- Pressing: 2005
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 24 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English
- Widescreen: 2.35:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £22.99
- Extras: Creating Underworld (4 sections), Behind The Scenes (5 sections), Promos, Fang Vs. FictionDocumentary, Audio Commentary
Director:
- Len Wiseman
(Underworld, Underworld: Evolution)
Producers:
- Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg and Richard Wright
Screenplay:
- Danny McBride
(from a story by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman and Danny McBride)
Cast:
- Selene: Kate Beckinsale
Michael Corvin: Scott Speedman
Lucian: Michael Sheen
Kraven: Shane Brolly
Viktor: Bill Nighy
Erika: Sophia Myles
Singe: Erwin Leder
Kahn: Robby Gee
Dr Adam Lockwood: Wentworth Miller
Raze: Kevin Grevioux
Amelia: Zita Görög
Soren: Scott McElroy
Nathaniel: Hank Amos
Pierce: Rich Cetrone
At the beginning of Underworld,Selene (Kate Beckinsale, shown on the right in her movie form and below-right as she looks inthe real world) declares, “I am a Death Dealer – sworn to destroy those known as theLycans. Our war has raged for centuries, unseen by human eyes, but all that is about to change”.
No, despite many of the movie tie-ins out there, this isn’t a big-screen version of the classic 1980sZX Spectrum game (although that was called ‘Underwurlde’) but an action-adventure about the vampires versusthe werewolves.
So, as each day passes, Selene and her clan are out to spot those who are of a wolf-like persuasion deepdown and fill them full of lead. Well, normal bullets won’t suffice for obvious reasons so at some pointan element of silver has to be introduced into the proceedings so that they die a complete death, never toreturn… ever. Since if they do there’s going to be even more trouble. And as an early scene shows where,they go after one impersonating a huge black man, Raze (Kevin Grevioux), all hell breaks loose andmembers of the public dive for cover in an underground tube station and on the tube itself.
This sets a tone for the story which the movie then fails to live up to. We learn that there’s angstbetween Lycan leader, Lucian (Michael Sheen) and deputy Vampire leader Kraven (Shane Brolly),the latter’s boss, Viktor (Bill Nighy), lying in a not-quite-dead-just-entombed-without-blood stylewaiting for the day when he’s awakened, seeming to have left Kraven in charge for the time being, despitethe protestations of Selene who thinks he’s pretty useless and isn’t fighting for the vampire cause likea leader should be. At this point, she wakes Bill Nighy up a century ahead of his time, which isn’t the bestidea she’s had all day as we soon learn, but she’s a desperate girl in a desperate situation.
Also thrown into the mix is Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), a normal human who gets accidentallyentwined in the war when he’s attacked by Lucian and despite getting a stirring for Selene, who reciprocates,it’s a real bummer that he’s been bitten by a Lycan. At the same time, the Lycans are attempting to createa creature that’s half-Vampire and half-Lycan which would become more powerful than the two combined, butit’s no good Selene tucking in to him now she’s developed an attraction as that’ll either kill him or makehim strong enough to wipe out her race. Meanwhile, Sophia Myles sits in the background being cattyto Selene, talking to others in a sullen fashion and then being nice to them later. Not really the mostdeveloped of characters.
Like I said, the story fails to live up to expectations because it really drags as in-fighting reignswithin the Vampire clan and, despite the good first and last 30 mins, it’s the hour inbetween where there’stoo much driving around between the same locations and hammering home of the same conversations betweencharacters, filling in other characters of what’s been said between them along the way, which we could quiteeasily have surmised anyway.
I also expected more SFX from this, given that the start has plenty of action and clever use of CGI, but thissoon descends into thumping music in the background as the camera follows goodies and baddies stompingaround in big coats and rubber suits.
The sequel, Underworld: Evolution, is out at cinemas in January 2006 and I’ll take a look atthe DVD when it comes out but I hope they learn from their mistakes with this and I’ll be sure to checkout the shorter version next time.
Oh, and for those interested in celebrity lovelives, Kate Beckinsale has a daughter following herrelationship with Michael Sheen (Lucian), but after making this movie she dumped him and marriedits director.
The picture and sound are superb. There’s not a single glitch to be found on the 2.35:1 anamorphicwidescreen image, which seems to be film in a process similar to Super 35 as the 16:9 and 4:3 clipson many of the extras show extra screen height top and bottom with little or no cropping for non-CGIscenes. Soundwise, there’s both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 options, so I opted for the latterand there’s scores of chances to excel with it, as well as so much deep bass to be heard and rumbledacross the floor of your room. That’s one of the biggest joys to be found.
On disc one the only extra is an Audio commentary from Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedmanand director/writer Len Wiseman. On disc 2 appears a menu in rich, red colour, emulating theappearance of Viktor’s tomb, and is divided into four sections, totalling almost 2½ hours:
- Creating Underworld:This section is presented in 4:3, with film clips mixing between 4:3 and the original 2.35:1, and featuresvarious crew members, including the director, talking about Underworld’s creation. In DesigningUnderworld (11 mins), we’re shown how they brought the city within the movie to life from the mansionto the sarcophagus which houses Viktor, plus the creatures and costumers. In Look of Underworld(19 mins), the director tells us how he wanted to make “a living, breathing graphic novel” and expandson that.
The Making Of Underworld (13 mins) goes more for the kind of thing you’d get inbetween CD:UK and someother ITV Saturday output as a heavy metal soundtrack runs in the background while soundbites from key castand crew members are dropped over the top with film clips also mixed in. There’s nothing you won’t expect here.Finally, here, are five Storyboard Comparisons (6½ mins), so all running rather brief, takingin the opening segment, an encounter with Lucian, the resurrection of Viktor, one of Kate’s disappointingly-fewaction sequences and the result of the final fight sequence.
Behind The Scenes:Five sections here, starting with Outtakes (3½ mins), which does exactly what it says on the tin andhas a great selection of clips; Visual Effects of Underworld (10 mins) goes into detail about suchthings, even though in the middle hour any such things are fairly samey so don’t feel as impressive so often;then three featurettes about Creature Effects (12½ mins), Stunts (12 mins) andSight & Sounds (9 mins), which are all self-explanatory.
Promos:This section’s a shorter affair with two 30-second TV Spots in 2.35:1 widescreen letterbox formatand a music video that runs almost 3 mins by Finch, “Worms of the Earth”. Raucous.
Fang Vs. Fiction Documentary:And the final section, a documentary in five parts if you want to know more about all the nonsense depictedwithin Underworld and whether it might actually be true, including one bloke who thinks he is a werewolfand others who want to be vampires (when they actually need medical help. It’s presented in 4:3, with filmclips in 16:9, and runs for 47 mins, although why they couldn’t just run it as one piece and chapter itproperly is anyone’s guess.
The DVD menus on both discs have subtle animation with some great DD5.1 sound, there are 24 chaptersto the film and the subtitles are in English only. If you enjoyed the movie then you’ll want to findout much more about it and this disc will certainly provide.
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.