Underworld – Blood Wars: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Selene (Kate Beckinsale) fends off brutal attacks from both the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her. With her only allies, David (Theo James) and his father Thomas (Charles Dance), she must stop the eternal war between Lycans and Vampires, even if it means she has to make the ultimate sacrifice.
With this being the fifth entry in the franchise and with Beckinsale back again in the role that made her famous, I was really looking forward to checking it out. Beckinsale IS Selene and she’s extremely good at what she does in these films but I do feel like this movie suffers from the same fate as the Resident Evil movies do. The story has become so confusing at times that, just like the RE films, they have decided to recap the events prior in the beginning of every film to catch people up. Which in retrospect is a good thing for newer viewers but people that have watched the films from the start may feel like it’s a bit overkill. I did like the main story element of the vampires going to war against the Lycans and seeing them battle it out again got me super pumped. I love me a good vampire or werewolf movie and the fact that this franchise has both has kept me on board. It’s a bit predictable in certain aspects because there’s only so many things you can do with the characters but they make due and make it pretty fun to watch. The one thing that didn’t like however was the overuse of wirework. I don’t mind when it’s used but if it starts to become a crutch that’s when the film takes a hit. It’s not a terrible film by any means but it’s definitely not my favorite of the franchise. That honor still goes to the original which will forever be the one that everyone compares to any other film in the series. I suggest checking this one out if you’re a fan of the other films. At least to continue on with the storyline. If you’re jumping into the films with this one I think you’ll probably be left with a sour taste regarding its quality. Either way you’ll be entertained in one aspect or another watching it so why not give it a shot. 6/10
Special Features:
The Evolution of Selene – A retrospective that looks at the franchise’s main character.
Old & New Blood – A look at the characters of Thomas, David, Vidar, and Lena.
The Evil Evolved – More character profiles. This time it includes Cassius, Semira, Varga, Alexia, and Marius.
Building a Blood War – A Behind The Scenes feature that goes into everything from production design, costuming, the director and much more.
Underworld: Blood Wars Graphic Novel – A really cool graphic novel that you can flip through while it being set to music.
