UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS Review

This is a damn good prequel and I don’t often say that about prequels. UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS is a Romeo and Juliet story with a significant twist, if that isn’t obvious already. Those who choose not to keep their hopes up will be surprised by… how well acted and well written this movie is. Michael Sheen and Bill Nighty give their all even when they know it’s not an Oscar worthy gig. Some feared that Rhona Mitra would not live up to how stunning Kate Beckinsale was in the first two installments but Mitra holds her ground and plays her part.

“Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.

Watching UNDERWORLD Movies is one of the few guilty pleasures of life. You go to theater to be entertained, whether it’s going to be good or bad, your curiosity takes over and satisfaction guaranteed. I really thought this one was going to be just awful, I expected the worse but it’s proved me wrong. I really enjoy the lines that the characters get to say. The dialogue doesn’t try too hard to be profound and yet profundity is what we get. What a very interesting story. It’s not a new concept and I’m sure some of us could somewhat guess how each scene might turn out but even so, everything is cleverly executed, it’s a wise thing director Patrick Tatopoulos had the previous director Len Weisman by his side as the producer and adviser.

Excellent job on the visual effects…mindblowing! The way the humans turn into lycans was incredible, an absolute jaw-dropping sight to behold, it strikes fear into the heart of those who dare to see it happen. This movie doesn’t shy away from its ability to deliver the most graphic, strong violence possible, strangely enough, it’s so violent and bloody it becomes sorta like an eye-candy, you wanna see it more and more and if it does anything less, it pisses you off. The fight scenes were well-choreographed. After watching this movie, you might come out seeing everything in dark blue but you wouldn’t mind at all.

Bill Nighty who plays Viktor, the head of the Vampire covenant, is a veteran actor who’s still got some ammo left and he’s firing on all cylinders. One of these years, Michael Sheen will get recognized for his consistency in giving the best possible performance in whatever gig he does. As Lucian, the lycan who falls in love with Sonja the Vampire, he displays anguish mixed with anger unlike any actor has ever one in this particular genre.

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