A trip down to the Underworld 2021 - #3 of 5
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Prequel time...with no Kate Beckinsale, nor Len Wiseman. This doesn't really matter that much, as we get Rhona Mitra as the heroine, and Michael Sheen is back playing Lucian.

The directors' chair, that Wiseman vacated, was taken over by a production designer named Patrick Tatopoulos. How wise that was is another story, but since he worked on both Underworld and Evolution, the change is not noticeable at all...visually.

Rise of the Lycans does a good job in telling the story of how the Lycans rose up to their masters, and if you have a well-developed imagination, you can draw certain parallels to RL history. It is, however, a bit long drawn. The bits between the action might even be called a bit boring.

The visuals are again rather appealing, and the action as visceral as the first two installments. The acting, on the other hand, seems a bit forced. Maybe a bit lacking in direction?

Anyway...Rise of the Lycans is a decent enough movie and does a good enough job fleshing out the mythology of the Underworld universe. Although it's certainly not my favorite in the series, it kept me mostly entertained throughout its 90 minutes of running time.

I should have crushed you under my heel the day you were born.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is the prequel to the previous two Underworld films. It tells the story about what led to the werewolf/vampire feud, with bloody energetic results.

In core essence this is Braveheart/Spartacus, only in CGI laden horror/action form. Michael Sheen buffs up into Karl Urban, who as Lucian (bad ass Lycan) leads his species to a bloody revolt, and Kate Beckinsale has made way narratively for Rhona Mitra, who sexes things up. The action is pulse raising and the Gothic designs and atmospherics are first rate, while the battle royale finale is fit to crown any genre film of its type.

Problems are evident, though. The constant flow of CGI blood becomes irritating after a while, and Bill Nighy (in spite of being a franchise regular) is still looking miscast! But it has proved to be a series with hairy legs and fangs that refuses to die, a popcorn munchers dream. So enjoy the spectacle and the screenplay homages, and I'll have a bag of tortilla chips and a choc ice please. 6.5/10

No idea why the rating for this flick is hovering just above 50"%. As far as prequels go this one is brilliant. The first movie left a lot of gaps in the story, where did Lucian come from, what started the war, how did he get to be the lover of the King's daughter in the first place. While there is a lot of epic battles with the gore that goes with, this movie is easily the best movie in the franchise, which is minor heresy on my part since Kate Beckinsale is the quintessential vampire in my book. Rhona Mitra throws down hard as the rebellious daughter of the King, and her haughtiness and disdain are completely believable to the point we think that Lucian's love for her is unrequited. I can't go into it any more without spoiling the movie but if Evolution let you down a bit, Rise of the Lycans will restore you faith in the franchise.