At the Theater - Underworld: Awakening- Although it's cool to see Kate Beckinsale back in black, form-fitting latex, this particular entry in the series is the shortest (88 minutes) and decidedly weakest of the lot- there's more of a reliance on CGI than ever (some of it quite dodgy) and the prior-installment acting talents of Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen and Derek Jacobi are sorely missed. This whole series has been a guilty pleasure of varying degrees with this sequel being the most guilty.
Much like the previous volumes in the franchise, this is entirely devoid of humor- once again, it would have been nice if these films weren't so self-serious and made a bit of an effort to break up the bloodletting with a stab or two at self-acknowledging fun. That said, I'm thankful that there's still plenty of blood, gore, bullets, explosions and all-around R-Rated carnage on display- it's what one should expect in a futuristic Vampire Vs Werewolf tale.
Beckinsale is once again solid in the role, though I couldn't help but notice that closeups of her face were a bit harsher on her than in the last film I saw her in (Contraband)- the 39 year old is still very attractive, though she's not quite as curvy as I recall. Stephen Rea (The Crying Game) is merely serviceable in a major role while Charles Dance (The Last Action Hero) seems awkward in little more than a cameo as the head vamp of a coven. Others might recognize Michael Ealy (Takers) as an understanding detective, Kris Holden-Ried (The SyFy Channel's Lost Girl) as a villainous sort with a big surprise and Sandrine Holt (24) in a wasted role. You'll probably see more of newcomers Theo James and India Eisley in future movies.
Although this is a bit better than last year's Priest and admittedly superior to awful bloodsucker hunter films like Blade: Trinity and Van Helsing, it doesn't compare to Blade or Blade 2.
I would recommend it only to fans of the series and to those who can't stand the insipid Twilight nonsense.
6.5 out of 10.
FWIW-
Underworld- 7.5
Underworld: Evolution- 8.0
Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans- 7.0
No comments:
Post a Comment