Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

Viewer Rating:mart1n has rated Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans rating: 3 Star

Rise of the Lycans is the origin story of how Lycans, werewolves enslaved by vampires, freed themselves from vampire rule, and kick-started a feud that has lasted thousands of years, as seen in both Underworld and Underworld: Evolution. The story centers on Lucian (Michael Sheen), a werewolf, and Sonja (Rhona Mitra), a vampire, and their forbidden love which eventually sparks Lucian to break free from his vampire oppressors and start a war. I wouldn't start comparing Rise of the Lycans to other vampire romances like Twilight or Interview with the Vampire just yet, but the similarities to Romeo & Juliet are striking, as are the comparisons to other period flicks like Braveheart, and even Lord of the Rings, though it's not nearly as epic as those in its execution. With all this talk about forbidden love and romance, you'd think this was simply a romantic period piece, but it's not. No, Rise of the Lycans is about rising against oppressors, fighting for freedom, and showcasing some cool werewolf-versus-vampire fight sequences. The previous Underworld movies weren't my cup of tea, so my expectations for Rise of the Lycans were low. To my surprise, however, the film managed to entertain me for 90 minutes, thus blowing my expectations out of the water. The film featured plenty of exciting battle sequences, an interesting story, characters that I could actually root for, and plenty of red sauce for my liking. Bill Nighy provided a solid performance as Viktor, leader of the vampires, laying on the intensity thick with his creepy blue eyes and death-like sneer, while Mitra and Sheen were believable as star-crossed lovers, though not as believable as feuding warriors. Decent werewolf effects have had a shaky existence, but I was pleased to find the werewolf effects in Rise of the Lycans to be exceptionally solid, and not too overloaded with CG. There were a few moments when the CG did look fake, but those were few and far between and weren't enough to distract me or take me out of the movie. Though I can't say the same thing for the film's palette, which was so dark and moody that it made the cool effects difficult to see at times.Still, Rise of the Lycans was better than the previous Underworld movies, but not nearly as epic as Braveheart or as stylish as 300. It managed to entertain me with plenty of action and cool-looking werewolves, while at the same time providing a basis for the feuding-werewolves-and-vampires mythology. Beyond its entertainment value, however, the film had little else to offer. The action scenes weren't quite epic or memorable enough, nor did its love story have a lasting impression. It was simply just there. But if you liked the previous Underworld movies, or if you enjoy dark period flicks or flicks featuring werewolves and vampires, you'll probably enjoy Rise of the Lycans.

Review published on the 24 February 2009 20:45