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Underworld (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:153
Fresh:46
Rotten:107
Average Rating:4.7/10
Consensus: Though stylish to look at, Underworld is tedious and derivative.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong violence/gore and some language
Runtime: 2 hrs 26 mins
Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy
Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2003 Wide
Box Office: $51,483,949
Synopsis: In UNDERWORLD, a dark and Gothic monster action movie, vampires and lycans--an ancient form of werewolf--are at war. While the vampires inhabit a gigantic castle that houses their ancestor's tombs,... In UNDERWORLD, a dark and Gothic monster action movie, vampires and lycans--an ancient form of werewolf--are at war. While the vampires inhabit a gigantic castle that houses their ancestor's tombs, the lycans live underground in a dilapidated sewer cave. Both teams are equipped with big guns, and they are constantly innovating deadlier bullets to gain advantage over each other. On the vampire side, the leather-clad death agent Selene (Kate Beckinsale) delegates teams of vamps to attack the lycans. But when she discovers that the lycans have kidnapped a human medical student, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), she knows the worst is on its way. Against the orders of her superior, Kraven (Shane Brolly), who is obsessively in love with Selene, she awakens the most powerful vampire of all time, Viktor (Bill Nighy) and prepares for a massive feud against lycan leader Lucian (Michael Sheen). Director Len Wiseman offers a tough, fast, and gory addition to the horror-fantasy genre with UNDERWORLD. Impressive special effects show the lycans transforming from humans to werewolves, and the lycans' ability to squeeze silver bullets out of their skin is also rudely fascinating. Beckinsale is captivating in the role of the lead vamp, with her leather corset, pouty expressions, and double-fisted pistols perfectly communicating the glam-action mood of the film. [More]
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Danny McBride, Shane Brolly, Erwin Leder, Robbie Gee, Sophia Myles, Kevin Grevioux
Director: Len Wiseman
Director: Len Wiseman
Screenwriter: Danny McBride
Producer: Richard S. Wright, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Robert Bernacchi
Composer: Paul Haslinger
Studio: Screen Gems
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Reviews for Underworld
Leather-clad Kate Beckinsale is smokin' hot in this stylish, action-packed showdown between the denizens of the dark.
About 30 minutes into Underworld, I began to wonder if someone on the set forgot to pay the electric bill or if they ran out of light bulbs.
The vivid look of the film, coupled with Kate Beckinsale’s renegade vampire, will likely make horror fans let the movie’s flaws slide...
Overwrought, Overexpository, and Overlong - While its slick action scenes make it worth seeing once, once bodies stop hitting the floor, there's not much reason to care.
Underworld is a profoundly disappointing movie with nary a good performance and saved only by its bounty of eye candy.
Why supernaturally endowed creatures of the night would even have to resort to using guns at every opportunity is one of the movie's nerdier concepts.
For all its poor pacing and chopped up editing, Underworld does have something on its mind besides matching up its throbbing rock soundtrack to slow-motioned action sequences.
... not just a kick-*** monster free-for-all, but also a vampire film with unexpectedly political bite ...
The astonishing achievement of Underworld is that it's a movie without a single good moment, and they still managed to make one helluva trailer.
Overall, Underworld is a cinematic treat you can really sink your teeth into.
Such an awful wreck of a movie that there must be a good, fun-bad movie lurking in there waiting for a good editor to dig it out.
All told, it looks sumptuously deceased and enticing, just like Beckinsale, who owns this sternum-rattlingly loud film from start to finish.
Definitely a highly-stylized, Gothic, ass-kick fest first and foremost.
In the end, when the pros and cons are weighed, the picture’s straight-faced telling of this potentially harebrained tale is where it garners its most praise.
Latest News for Underworld
August 14, 2009:
Beckinsale Returning for Underworld 4? ![]()
Is Kate Beckinsale returning for the fourth installment of "Underworld"? According to Bloody Disgusting's sources, the answer is yes. More...
April 02, 2009:
Five Favourite Films with Bill Nighy
There can be few actors better suited to starring in a film about the golden age of British rock and roll than Bill Nighy. No wonder, then, that he's front and centre as part of... More...
January 21, 2009:
RT Interview: Bill Nighy talks Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
RT travels to New Zealand onto the set of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans to chat to star Bill Nighy about the complexities of fang wearing etiquette, wet, velvet, 'battle' skirt... More...
July 28, 2008:
New Underworld: Rise of the Lycans Stills Released ![]()
The first photos of Rhona Mitra in Underworld action have been released -- and Entertainment Weekly has posted them for your enjoyment. More...
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