A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Underworld

Date Viewed: 10/18/03

Details:

Kate Beckinsale

Scott Speedman

Michael Sheen

Shane Brolly

Bill Nighy

Director: Len Wiseman

Score: Paul Haslinger

Creature design: Patrick Tatopoulos

Score: 1/2

The Review: Two races of immortal are engaged in a blood feud for reasons (perhaps best?) lost in memory, and as viewers (and as mortal humans), we unknowingly walk into the middle of the crossfire. Apparently there's been a war raging for nigh on 1000 years and the human race has not yet taken notice (duh...!!!) -- a war between the vampires and the werewolves. A lot of untraditional mythology gets introduced, thus providing a rich back-story with direct motivational relationships, but ultimately this is an ultra-violent cross between "Romeo and Juliet" and Laurel Hamilton's worst nightmares. Neither your typical vampire nor werewolf flick, and perhaps worth a gander if only for that.

For the first 20 minutes, I spent much too much time saying to myself, "OK, this is about vampires and werewolves, but why have the blood-suckers named their opponents for lichens? Is this a bizarre, not so subtle insult?" No, it was my spelling sense lagging far behind my sense of hearing: Lycan, as in lycanthrophy. No offense intended to quiet, subtle, symbiotic relationships.

Dark, darker & darkest: filmed with a surfeit of Hungarian darkness -- yet again, someone did not pay the light bill. Loud, louder & loudest: the Paul Haslinger music works, but it is insanely loud, comprised mostly of heavy metal (including Renholder, David Bowie, Perfect Circle). However, both the specialized weaponry and ammo are curious and conceptually "well designed."

(20-Oct-03)

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