Underworld - Rise Of The Lycans

...the third film in the Underworld series, which is a Vampire vs Lycans, which are a form of werewolf, the previous two films were ‘Underworld’ (2003) and ‘Underworld Evolution’ (2006). ‘Rise of the Lycans’ is the prequel to the two films. I can’t actually remember if I have seen either of the previous films, and I hadn’t heard of this film being released.

So, I sat down to watch the film, my head slightly throbbing, and my stomach just ...
...The film opens with narrative from Sonja, explaining the birth of Lucian the werewolf born in human form, the first of the Lycans, and how Viktor used him to create an army of Lycans to defend the Vampires in the daylight hours.

The titles roll..

The Vampires have promised the Humans in the area, protection from the wild werewolves which fill the forests, in return, of course, for a fee. On the day that the nobles are coming, ... more

Yet another film that I have the privilege or reviewing not too long after it’s cinema release date and also keeping in tune with many of my other film viewings, it was watched with me suffering from the usual hangover, but in the comfort of my friends living room (Yay for downloading..) ‘Underworld – Rise of the Lycans’ was released on January 23rd, and is not currently in the cinemas anymore (well, not at my local ones!), it is however due on DVD on 18th May.

For those who don’t know, it is the third film in the Underworld series, which is a Vampire vs Lycans, which are a form of werewolf, the previous two films were ‘Underworld’ (2003) and ‘Underworld Evolution’ (2006). ‘Rise of the Lycans’ is the prequel to the two films. I can’t actually remember if I have seen either of the previous films, and I hadn’t heard of this film being released.

So, I sat down to watch the film, my head slightly throbbing, and my stomach just about settling…

The Plot

The film opens with narrative from Sonja, explaining the birth of Lucian the werewolf born in human form, the first of the Lycans, and how Viktor used him to create an army of Lycans to defend the Vampires in the daylight hours.

The titles roll..

The Vampires have promised the Humans in the area, protection from the wild werewolves which fill the forests, in return, of course, for a fee. On the day that the nobles are coming, Sonja, Viktors daughter, rides out to protect them as they enter the Vampire stronghold, of course the werewolves attack, and Lucian rides out to protect Sonja, and the other Vampires, something he was never allowed to do, and which results in Lucian being imprisoned, like the other Lycans. The film then progresses, as could perhaps be guessed by the title, to the rise of the Lycans.

The Cast

The film stars Michael Sheen as Lucian, who played the same character in the previous two films. He is a pretty good actor, and gives a good performance, nothing superbly impressive, but nothing that I could complain about.

Then of course, there is Bill Nighy, playing Viktor, again the same as in the previous two films. I think he gave the strongest acting, and was definitely the best, his character was conveyed well, and was the most believable.

Rhona Mitra played Sonja, and again gave a good performance, but similarly to Sheen, there was nothing massively impressive to write home about.

The Filming

Being set in the Middle Ages, the sets were incredibly realistic, the film is mainly set in the stronghold of the Vampires, which was probably filmed in some old castle or something, stone walled, stone floored. It looks convincing. The filming is done in very dark conditions, with blue tinged lighting, this further adds to the look of the film, and the medieval feeling.

The werewolves themselves, are some of the most realistic looking I have seen… hmm that sounds silly doesn’t it? I mean, if there was such thing as werewolves, I think that is what they would look like; they aren’t stupidly CGI made and mix wolves and humans very well giving a great effect.

My Opinion

As I said, I didn’t actually know the film was released, so I had no preconceptions, and having probably not seen the first two films, I didn’t know what to expect. So I just sat there, hoping for a good action packed film. The film was surprisingly short, at just under an hour and a half, although, and this isn’t a criticism, it felt like much longer.

The acting was good, and the characters were well evolved, the overall plot was interesting, but would perhaps have held more significance had I seen the original two films, which I intend to do as soon as possible. It shows how Raze and Lucian meet, and other small details. One thing, I have read which people don’t like is that it doesn’t star Kate Beckinsale’s character, Selene – since it is set before she was bitten.

The action scenes were pretty good, but the camera moved around a lot, probably to make it look more exciting, but sometimes this had the effect of being disorientating. I think the sound people did a great job, the soundtrack music was pretty good and contributed to the atmosphere, but strongest was all the odd clankings and bangs, they had a strong, echo to them, which really firmly gave the impression of it being set in the Middle Ages, and added some realism to the film.

I would definitely recommend the film, it has the basic ingredients of a good film, plenty of action, a good little bit of romance, and the cinematography was very good, except the fast movement of the action scenes. I have read some people complaining about the darkness of the film, but I think that had it been shot in bright lit conditions, it would completely lose the atmosphere.

While I wouldn’t say it is one of the best films out so far this year, it probably falls in the top five or so, and is something I could easily watch again, and as a stand-alone film (ignoring the fact it is part of a series) it contained a solid story. On that basis, I recommend it to anyone who likes this genre of films.

 

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