Underworld on DVD
Vampires. Werewolves. Cool weapons. Kate Beckinsale in tight leather.
How could you go wrong?
Underworld has a great idea, and enough potential for ten movies. It delivers
pretty much what you expect from it, too, but for some reason you still feel
unsatisfied.
Selene (Beckinsale) is a bad-ass vampire whose job is pretty much to kick the
crap out of the rival lycans (werewolves). When she notices they seem to be
following a human, Michael (Scott Speedman), she goes deeper into the underworld
to figure out why.
Most of us can probably figure out that the two begin to fall for each other,
but their love is forbidden - not only because shes a vampire, but also
because Michael has been bitten by a werewolf, and will soon become one.
Together, the two have to figure out what started this centuries-old war between
the species, while trying to protect themselves and the ones they care about.
Initially, you cant imagine how Underworld could possibly not be a phenomenal
action movie. But as it progresses, it all becomes unfortunately clear. Not
to say that it isnt still entertaining enough in its own right, but you
expect so much more. It tries to be dark, but isnt as dark as it should
be (or tries to be), and most of the action scenes dont deliver anything
new at all.
Kate Beckinsale was an excellent choice to play Selene. Shes equal parts
brash, naïve, vulnerable, and strong. Shes not bad to look at, either.
Scott Speedman is just handsome enough to pull off his role, but he seems more
of a way to keep the story hanging together than an actual major character.
Newcomer Len Wiseman has put together an impressive debut. He and screenwriter
Danny McBride created a neat little world similar to that in Blade, but original
enough to not get sued. Underworld is a fun little action movie thats
worth a rental, but get ready to be perpetually thinking: This could be
so much better!
The movie was a moderate success at the box office, and a sequel was greenlit
even before it was released in theatres. Columbia Tristar has thrown together
a pretty good special edition, available in separate anamorphic widescreen and
full screen transfers. Unfortunately, we were sent the full screen version,
which is not what any self-respecting DVD reviewer wants.
Picture quality is excellent, nearly flawless, with very well done detail,
even though theres very little color other than black. Fleshtones are
good, there is no halo effect, and not a single ounce of dust or grain. Audio,
in Dolby Digital 5.1, is also excellent. Theres plenty of action to give
all five speakers a good workout, with the surrounds doing almost as much work
as the fronts. Gunshots, howls, growls, cars, subways, and a whole whack of
other sound effects fill the room and engulf you in the action, while the subwoofer
rumbles away. Many action movies suffer from volume fluctuations that can be
irritating if youre watching at night, but Underworld stays fairly consistent,
which scores it a few extra points.
Len Wiseman, Danny McBride, and Kevin Grevioux (helped with the story and also
plays Raze, the big, black lycan with a voice deeper than Michael Clarke Duncans)
provide an audio commentary for the film. The trio discusses the origins of
the story, development of the project, and their great admiration for Kate Beckinsale
(and who can blame them?). The second, more technical track, features visual
effects supervisor James McQuade, creature designer Patrick Tatopoulous, and
sound designer Claude Letessier. It does get more technical and isnt as
entertaining, but its great for aspiring filmmakers.
With a total length of just over 45 minutes, the four featurettes are entitled
Creature Effects, Stunts, Sights & Sounds
and The Making of Underworld. All are fairly interesting and informative,
the best being Creature Effects, which talks about the various methods
to avoid CGI in order to keep the budget down. There is also a music video,
storyboard comparisons, and a series of trailers.
Underworld, from Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment
121 minutes, full screen (1.33:1), Dolby Digital 5.1
Starring Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly and Bill
Nighy
Produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright
Screenplay by Danny McBride, Directed by Len Wiseman
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