Director: Anna Foerster
Distributor: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Duration: 91 minutes
Underworld Blood Wars (Blu-ray) – Movie Review
Underworld, the movie that first seemed like a one-trick pony has become an entire franchise that has been running for about 14 years now. After four movies, the story still hasn’t been told, and now that the fifth movie has reached our editorial desk, we also learned a sixth one is in the making. Nonetheless, while the previous movies have always been somewhat run-of-the-mill, they always were crowd pleasers, even with the story being dragged out further and further. We can’t say we thought this fifth movie broke any records, but we still had the same pleasant feeling when watching this fifth movie of the Underworld series, Blood Wars.
Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a once proud Death Dealer, who killed her share of Lycans in the war between Vampires and Lycans, is now a pariah, who is being hunted by both species. She came into this situation when she learned that the vampire that ‘fathered’ her, actually killed her family and simply used her for his own sake. Nonetheless, over the years a lot has happened, as Selene has taken out a vampire elder, has copulated with a hybrid vampire werewolf, which resulted in a child that is to be considered a pure hybrid. Nonetheless, everyone wants to find the child, to use her blood and evolve into more superior beings as well. Luckily, Selene made sure she would not be able to find her own child, thus making sure she remains safe. Sadly, she is once again alone, running for her life, as everyone is out to get her, in order to find her daughter.
Now Selene finds herself being invited back to her coven, in order to train new Death Dealers, as the lycans will surely make their move soon. She and her only ally David (Theo James), the son of Thomas (Charles Dance), a leader of a coven, accept the invitation, as it could perhaps nullify the vampires chasing her. Of course, things are too good to be true, and Selene is only being used for her blood, to make Semira (Lara Pulver), an ancient vampire who wants to rise above the rest of the council, a superior being. The hunt is on once again, and it’s unsure if Selene will ever find a safe haven.
Even though this movie only spans around one hour and a half, it never feels rushed, and the pacing is actually rather slow, which allows you to let everything sink in properly. If you’ve only watched the first movie, or even none of them, you can still put the pieces together, as you’ll get a proper introduction on who Selene is and what transpired during her transition from being a well renowned Death Dealer, to the pariah she is today. The latter is a very commendable feature, as it makes this movie accessible for everyone that has an interest in the genre, but didn’t run into the franchise up until now. That being said, the movie mixes up action more than enough with informative parts, making sure the story value is still high enough to offer some development for the fairly slow red thread that runs through all of these films.
Kate Beckinsale may have aged 14 years since the movies started, she still looks quite stunning in her role as the serene Selene. Kate plays her role of weathered vampire quite well, but she is supported by great actors in the process. Theo James plays a proper sidekick in this story, while Charles Dance also puts down a formidable performance as a true family man, which is the exact opposite of his role in Game of Thrones. The villains of this movie, portrayed by Lara Pulver and Tobias Menzies are also convincible, even though both characters have totally different goals.
There are a few special features to be found on this Blu-ray edition of Underworld Blood Wars, namely how the character of Selene evolved over the different movies she has appeared in of the Underworld series. Another feature handles how the series evolved and how they keep ‘updating’ the movies with new information. The evolution of ‘evil’ is also dealt with, how the lycans are pack ‘animals’ versus how the vampire world works. Last but not least, there’s a bit of a ‘making of’, showing where the series ended up today, and what key points were further explored to make this movie happen.
Conclusion
Underworld Blood Wars is one of those rare movies that keeps offering the same quality as the earlier movies of the franchise, making it feel like one big movie that is being dragged out over more than a decade. Nonetheless, fans of the series will certainly find a lot of pleasure in watching this one, as the story slowly develops towards the finale. Those who haven’t watched one of these movies yet, will also find their pick of the litter, as you can jump right in, and enjoy this action packed war between vampires and lycans.
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