Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Bill Nighy. A lethal werewolf-hunting vampire finds her job becoming more complicated when she falls for a human who's caught in the crossfire-and then is bitten by a werewolf. 2003/color/121 min/R.

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The movie, as most of you probably know, is about a war that has been going on between werewolves and vampires. And it is THIS that is the primary focus of the plot (as opposed to the vampires and werewolves themselves). The werewolves have been researching their bloodlines and discovered a human who shares a common ancestor with both the werewolves and the vampires. The werewolves seek out this human, and this is noted by Selene (Kate Beckinsale), who decides to make it her mission to discover the importance of this particular human.

Unfortunately, the writers decided not to delve too deeply into vampire and werewolf lore. I was pretty disappointed by the fact that the supernatural abilities of these supernatural beings were not really emphasized. Instead, the writers chose to merely stick guns in the hands of the vampires and werewolves. In addition, the mythology was slightly different from what I've read and seen before in previous vampire and werewolf books and movies. I don't necessarily have a problem with that, but if you are going to change things from what people are used to, then it should be explained in slightly more detail.

Another thing that was a little disappointing were the effects. The previews led me to believe that the movie would be comparable to the "Matrix" in that department. Unfortunately, the best effects (with the one exception of the werewolf transformations) were all shown in the previews.

All of this aside, the movie was still pretty incredible. The plot was exceptional, which is not necessarily always the case with most action movies, and the action kept me entertained throughout the movie's entirety. The make-up and costumes were also outstanding, as was the acting. I actually saw this movie twice, and the second time around (once I got over the intial let-down of it being slightly different from what I expected) it was MUCH better. I anxiously await the sequel (and based on how the movie ended, there WILL be a sequel) as well as the DVD release!

33 of 41 found the following review helpful:

Underworld in SuperbitNov 25, 2004
By dcinDC "dcinDC"
I'm sure there are many reviews about this movie under the regular release. I'll comment a bit specifically about the superbit version that costs more for higher quality video and audio (without the extras on the disk). To really get any advantage here you need to have a digital TV (preferably HD but ED will probably work too), a DVD player that puts out a progressive signal (vs. interlaced), and a component or digital connection between your DVD player and TV. IMO if you don't have all three of these you won't get the benefit of Superbit and should save your money.

This was my first Superbit disk, so I had high expectations. I'd say there's good news and bad news here. The good news is that I do think the picture is visibly better. There is definitely more detail and you can seem more subtle features (texture, reflections, etc.) in the picture. This also helps some of the dark scenes (many in this movie) with more visible detail. The bad news is that there's so much more detail that you can see the grain of the film. I know that's normal for a movie shot on film and it doesn't really bother me (unless I'm looking for it). However, I do think it detracts slightly from the perceived quality of the picture. Compare this, for example, to a movie shot in digital and you'll see what I mean. I'm sure there's some debate over what defines good picture quality so YMMV here. Finally, the sound is excellent on this DVD, but I can't say that it's significantly better than on the original release over a Dolby Digital system.

So, in the end I'd say that Superbit is great if you really love a movie and want the best PQ you can get for it. I think that Superbit is probably better for older movies that they can clean up for DVD transfer than for newer movies with a decent original DVD transfer.

Remember that if you want all the extras you won't get them on Superbit. My one complaint about this specific DVD is that they used the theatrical release rather than the (now available) director's cut.

Hope this is helpful!

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Glad I made the purchaseJan 18, 2006
By Erin N.
I'm so glad I got this extended unrated version. I have the original widescreen DVD that came out first, but with this copy there were so many extras that I decided to grab it also. After watching both of the versions I've decided I'm going to keep both as they have different commentary tracks. The commentary on the extended version with Len, Kate and 'Speedman' was quite funny.

I usually would be very annoyed with having to own more than one copy of something to get all of the extras, but in this case I wasn't too urked, considering the great deals I got on both DVDs.

I picked my extended one from best buy for only $15, and it came with a movie ticket valid for up to $10 off of one ticket for Evolution (only at best buy). I believe the other one was around that cost also.

If you're a big fan who owns the original DVD of the movie I would definetly recommend getting this version too.

I already know what will happen once Evolution comes to DVD: I will run out and buy it immediately, only to buy the new extended, unrated version a year later. ;-)

14 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Cool, fun and one heck of a wild ride!Oct 07, 2003
By Marcy Gomez
I wanted to see 'Underworld' since I heard that Kate Beckinsale was attached to it. I admire her as an actress and its premise of a Romeo-and-Juliet-meets-vampire-vs.-werewolf movie intrigued me. As a fan of genre films like 'The Matrix,' 'The Crow,' 'Blade' and 'Equilibrium', I was keen on watching this film. My expectations were high and I'm glad to report that I came out of the theater wanting to see the movie again. From the first few seconds when Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is introduced, I was hooked. This was one heck of an exciting and immersive ride indeed!

Highlights for me include:

- Main characters (with a couple of exceptions) did a great job - particularly Selene (Kate Beckinsale), Michael (Scott Speedman), Erika (Sophia Myles), Raze (Kevin Grevioux) and Lucian (Michael Sheen) ' and were well cast. The vampires are elegant and sophisticated while the lycans are husky, rough and brooding.
- Scott Speedman ' I never watched 'Felicity' but I didn't realize he could be such a hunk!
?? Very cool costumes ' I just love those vampires in their sleek black skintight leather outfits, which bring to mind Trinity from 'The Matrix.'
- The storyline ' this is really much more than a vampire vs. lycan, Romeo and Juliet type film. It goes deeper than just the themes of love and hate. Themes of oppression, tolerance, deception, revenge and survival are also explored. And there is even a history which goes back to the Dark Ages (which we will see more of in the sequels) and is briefly explored in this film.
- The action sequences truly rock. I hate to sound like an MTV commercial but this really is the best way to describe it. Every time the lycans and vampire clash is just sooo cool. 'Equilibrium,' 'Blade' and 'The Matrix' come to mind but it is particularly awesome to watch Raze, Lucian and Selene fight. The last 20 minutes alone are worth the price of the movie ticket. It is one heck of ride!
- Contrary to other reviews, the special effects are quite good. CGI/stop motion effects has come a long way with portraying werewolf transformations since 'American Werewolf in London,' "The Howling" and 'Silver Bullet.'
- The brooding, dark backgrounds remind me of 'The Crow.' Very atmospheric and works well with the somewhat gothic mood.
- The ending is satisfying but also leaves room for a sequel. And for those who wonder why there are a couple of loose ends; well, the filmmakers intended this to be a trilogy. It still doesn't do away with the fact that it has a very exciting and satisfactory conclusion. I'm looking forward to revisiting this story again and again on DVD.

Low points:

- I wasn't crazy about Shane Brolly (Kraven) and Bill Nighy (Viktor) - they looked the part but played off too much to the camera. They could use acting lessons on subtlety. Michael Sheen, who gave a poignant performance as Lucian, could give them a few pointers.

- There was a small bit towards the end was a bit 'cringe-inducing.' It reminded me too much of the end of 'Equilibrium.' This particular one involved Viktor and Selene.

A couple of things to remember before going to see 'Underworld': 1) This is not a scare-fest. Just because it features vampires and werewolves does not mean that this is your typical jump-off-your-seat thriller. Go watch or rent '28 Days Later' or 'The Howling' if you want a scary film. 2) This is not a 'The Matrix'-type film. Even though some of the action sequences and costume design are borrowed from 'The Matrix,' this is not a sci-fi film. There are very strong comic book / graphic novel influences but this is probably closer to 'Blade' and 'The Crow' than it is 'The Matrix.' If you can get over these 2 main preconceptions, then you are set to have a good time. And if you enjoyed any of the films that I have compared it to in this review, then don't waste any more time and go see it for yourself!!

14 of 16 found the following review helpful:

Superb Blu-ray Hi-def releaseSep 24, 2007
By Javabear
The film is stylish and highly entertaining. Kate Beckinsale gave a stellar performance in this movie.

Besides many included extra, this Blu-ray release features superb AVC video encoding and outstanding uncompressed PCM 5.1 soundtrack.

You'll enjoy this must buy Blu-ray release.

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