The first Underworld movie was a project stuffed to the teeth with potential. I mean come on… at the time who didn’t want to see a movie about a war between vampires and werewolves with a hot as nuclear fire Kate Beckinsale wearing tight black leather?
The movie didn’t misfire… but at the same time it didn’t really come close to its potential either. I enjoyed Underworld, but I couldn’t help but feel it was something of a missed opportunity as well. Then came Underworld 2. Well… the 4 words giant, sack, of and shit all come to mind. What could have been their opportunity to build on the strengths of the first film, instead built on the weaknesses of the first film leaving us with nothing but a befuddled mess of plot holes, uninteresting characters and bland cliches.
However… even as bad as Underworld 2 was, you could still see the elements of a potential GREAT movie in there. The building blocks are all there. A terrific mythology to work off of, a smooth sense of style and some AMAZING characters (Viktor, played brilliantly by Bill Nighy is probably my all time favorite movie Vampire character). What they need, and what they have been lacking is some solid narrative to shape all these great elements into a memorable film. The narrative to this point has been weak… but the rich individual elements are still there… and so… I’ve always been open to the notion of another Underworld film. And here it comes…
Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans looks (on the surface anyway) like a film that will finally really play to the franchises strengths. Our good friends over at FilmJunk give us this:
Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans is going to be a prequel (couldn’t you tell by the word “Rise” in the title?), and neither director Len Wiseman nor his wife Kate Beckinsale are directly involved (although Wiseman is producing). Instead, creature FX artist/production designer Patrick Tatopoulos will be making his directorial debut, with Michael Sheen (Lucian), Bill Nighy (Viktor) and Rhona Mitra set to star. The story will focus on Lucian’s role in the Lycan uprising over their Death Dealer masters, shifting the perspective of the series to the werewolves instead of the vampires.
Call me naively optimistic, but this all sounds like they’re at least heading in the right direction. Does that mean the movie will be good? Obviously not, but the potential is still there. Even in the absence of Beckinsale, I think an Underworld movie focusing on the mythology of the war and the characters of Lucian and Viktor is a HUGE step in the right direction. I am not only optimistic about it… but excited about it too! Let’s see how it turns out.
Really Liked all 3 Movies 1st one best 2nd great sequel 3rd great prequel just hope to see prequel of fall of the lycans when Lucian is supposedly killed in the lycan castle.
Okay — I was wrong I thought she had a little girl with her in the first movie when she burned up but as I’m watching it now I see I was incorrect that’s why there wasn’t one in the third. I could have sworn – oh well ! Even if it’s a new director it’s a prequel so they have to hold to the movie line. Anything after EVOLUTION they can do what they want and have fun with it. SORRY for my mistake!! I LOVE THESE MOVIES!! I really hope they do at least two more.
NEVER REALLY BLOGGED BEFORE THIS IS KINDA FUN! THIS IS MY THIRD ONE, TO THINK OF ALL THE COMMENTS I MISSED OUT ON. WHAT A MOVIE TO START WITH AND I’M YOUNG! UNDERWORLD 1
UNDERWORLD 2
UNDERWORLD 3
UNDERWORLD 4
UNDERWORLD 5..6…7…8??
Where could it end! I know I’m getting silly but I have a really good imagination! KEEP UP THE BITES ON BOTH SIDES.
I hear you – I hope I did not SPOIL it for anyone I’m SORRY It was a ROCKIN movie! I want to see it again and the monster effects you won’t be disappointed. I’m a true VAMPIRE girl BUT I LOVE both sides. Rhona did a great job as the daughter I really like her. She is similar to SELENE. But NO ONE can take Selene’s place and yes guys she is gorgeous in respect. Not everybody can look like that no matter how HARD WE TRY, I hope I didn’t spoil to much! LUCIAN ROCK ON BABY!! I did miss SELENE AND MICHAEL BUT it is AWESOME don’t wait to long people. I HOPE a new FUTURE Underworld comes out to take it to the next step with both sides. In respect to BILL NIGHY he is a LETHAL ONE !! FANTASTIC actor take no prisoners WHEW!! Gotta watch True Blood it’s a good FANG BITER till something else comes along.
I LOVE TRUE BLOOD HBO TOLD YOU I’M A VAMPIRE GIRL!!
what rebecca says is well spotted but glitchy or not this film will be incredible, and when i see it tomorrow i kno i will love it.
besides it’s a completely different director and actors so they won’t kno it all so u gotta give them some credit, no offense though rebecca good point u made.
I loved both films and am really interested in seein the knu 1 which came out 2day, the trailer looks awesome and the girl is almost as gud lookin as kate so i have nothing to complain about.
plus i am a big bill nighy fan i think he is awesome and the best vampire actor i have ever seen.
hope u enjoy the film
OKAY- I LOVED the first two I miss Kate and Michael hope they continue on!! BUT I just saw the THIRD and it was exactly the way it was supposed to be EXCEPT!! Lucian says he took a bride in the second movie in this one he NEVER MARRIED HER!! Secondly my husband and I noticed another glitch in the second movie they showed she was blonde but besides that she burned up BUT she had a little girl with her, this movie does not show that and as my husband pointed out wouldn’t this little girl be a hybrid so she should not have burned up with her mom as in the second movie she did. Am I WRONG and why could they not hold true to these facts. Other that that I LOVE UNDERWORLD ALL THREE!! I love these people that say the movie is okay and have serious issues with the potential etc. PLEASE get over it, it’s a movie and it’s supposed to be entertaining guess what IT IS! You would think the writers would have taken a little XTRA time to get the story line syncronized with the others.
this sounds realy good can’t wait untill it comes out
I have to say I love the Underworld movies. The first two were awesome and I own them both. I know Beckinsale will not be in the 3rd but I just finished watching the trailer for “Rise of the Lycans” and it looks badass. I got chills watching it. Lucian looks awesome and we get to learn more about Victors daughter. You must see the trailer!!!!!
Well 2 me…the 1st movie:underworld raised a lot of questions but, by the end of the movie seemed to leave the viewer hangin lacking understanding. I do believe however that most of the questions developed from watching the 1st (underworld) was answered in the 2nd film:underworld evolutions. I’m also guessing here that was all done strategically by the writeers of the storyline to prepare us viewers for the next movie. I can’t wait to see how the next movie develops. I do believe that it’ll have some answers to give viewers of the 1st two movies…well we’ll see how everything turns out..
C DIZZLE
Well first, let me just say that I LOVE all the Underworld Movies for their quality graphics and special FX, while at first I hesitated to buy into it because I’ve always felt that the “classical monsters” would never have any need for weaponry – they ARE weapons, in and of themselves. Yet, when one monster battles another…there’s a believable need for weaponry – I later concluded – to give one of them an edge over the other.
I’m so tired of “b” budget, vampire & werewolf flix with accellerated jerky movements, or “buffy” type stories.
Some of my favorites were: Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula” and the “Blade” series. I also liked “Dracula 2000”. “Vanhelsing” wasn’t bad either.
Spare me flix like “Bram Stoker’s Dracula’s Quest” and “Vampire in Brooklyn”, and the sequal to “Lost Boys”.
Nothing worse than a comedy trying to be serious!
So…whenever the producers and directors out there hire some decent actors and script writers, spend the money on special fx and graphics on great vampire / werewolf stories – I’M enjoying every minute of it!
They only come along every once in awhile! The rest of the time vampire fans like myself have to suffer movies like the new “Twilight” movie coming out!
~L M~
Watch for the cameo guys. Can you pick me out? Just over three months to go. Who’ll be the fiirst to figure this one out? Hint: The eyes tell it all. Sorry I will not be able to make direct replies here. Just wanted to give you a ‘heads up’ and let you know this flick will not disappoint and I’m not just saying that for my husbands benefit. Ciao KB
i’ve watched the 1st 2 movies..and it was both cool..i hope it would be same with the 3rd one..I’m looking forward to see Selene & Michael since the 1st 2 stories revolve around both of them..
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i enjoyed these two movies, and hope kate will continue to star in the next movie as her character for me ties in the story for both sequels
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I loved both movies and my favorite character is Lucian. I was disappointed when he was killed in the first move. I’m thrilled they are making another move with Lucian as the main character and can’t wait to see it.
HI folk’s yes the first one was good and the second one was still good but that was only due to the strength of three of its actors. Sir Derek Jacobi, Bill Nighy and to a much lesser point Kate Beckinsale but she still has not reached her full potencial. the next had to go back in time if any of us would watch it because they had killed of with the exception of Kate any of the stars you wanted to see, with hope the third one will have more of
Amelia because I believe her character had a lot more depth that it could have been given as was shown in the first two that she was Victors Right hand person
Please take what Mactuck said into consideration. He made a very vaild point. His storyline of what the next Underworld movie should be is brillant!
I thought both films were great… I’m a big fan of both vampire and werewolf movies…I’m not a big fan of action which all changed once I viewed Underworld 1 and 2. Can’t wait for the third to come out! Please don’t keep us waiting for too long
I think the last of the 3 is the more idea way to connect with the story. Afterall you can’t leave the last tomb unchecked. It would be nice to see someone who was double crossed by his own kind. Sort of that Aurthurian sign. Victors older brother type thing. The first immortal that was neither vampire or werewolf. You know the young boy who watched the king and his men kill the love of his young wife cause the king couldn’t have her, almost Lucian like. Next thing you know a young boy wakes on a battle field with a sword through his chest, and viktor watches from the treeline as his older brother slaughters the entire city.
Next thing you kow Seline is found and they realize she looks just like his love that was killed by the king. In fear of his revolt and unability to control his brother they betray him and refuse to resurect him for over 700 years. A vampire conspiracy against what even marcus considered the most powerful of them all. I mean afterall they couldn’t allow a young girl to have control over the one man who could bring them all down. And the European council agree, Thats why Seline finds the story at the historians lair and her and micheal break in to do the job themselves.
If it doesn’t go something like that the movie will probably not do real well.
I enjoied both underworld movies and still watch them today. I was hoping to see the next one to be continued from Underworld Evolution now that Marcus and William are dead and Selene being changed by the blood of Alexander Corvinus. I just hope that this prequel turns out to be as good as the first two. After they are done with this prequel I just hope that they will finally continue on with Selene and Michael’s battle with the remaining Lycans and Vampires being hell bent to destroy them for what they have done, and the battle between the species.
Just as Ricci had said the Mythology and secrets have all been explained in the first two movies, and they should be breaking new ground for the Underworld Trilogy.
I agree with 9.Doug I’m a big fan of The Underworld franchise…but a third well maybe beating a dead horse story. Anyway the first two, myself being a special effects and makeup fan,I thought were outstanding and I’m kind of partial to Kate Beckinsale she is… wow! Looking foward to the DVD.
always lookin forward to Underworld Movies, loved the first & second, but the opening text starting the 2nd could hav been in the 1st instead of the 2nd to make more sense, just the opening text not the voices during the opening text, but it’s cool, over and it’s done wit , but seriously looking forward to the 3rd and others to come in the years to follow
i thought victor was dead
I really enjoyed both movies and think UW2 was a great sequal.
This 3rd flick leaves me thinking, ‘Whats the point’ we had the narrative and small ammount of screenplay in UW1 & 2 that tell us exactly what happened in the setting of this new flick, we also now know the outcome. There seems to be no secrets, no mythology left to find out, because it was all carefully explained in the other films, it all seems like a huge waste of time, telling a story we have already been told.
Now that may seem a moot point, as were often told stories we already know, and we still flock to the cinemas to see remakes and prequals, but for me I wouldnt waste my time with this one and would probably wait for it to be on cable before I watched it.
But then again, viktor may sway me as he certainly was the best vamp Ive seen.
I love both movies. Yes, both could have been so-o much better but then again it’s Hollywood. That being said when I saw the title of this article I was pretty happy. Then I realized that it was a PREQUEL.
Prequels so very, very rarely work that I’m now worried they will destroy the franchise. What I would love to see is a sequel that takes all the potential you mention in the article and pushes it all forward. Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one worn out and tired of Hollywood’s obsession with remakes of classics (too often ruining them for a new generation), pulling material from TV, and bloody prequels. So much for imagination…
Big fan of both movies and looking forward to a 3rd.
I always thought the opening scene in Underworld 2 was excellent and wished they did more with that…now they will. At least Bill Nighy will be back. He was great as Viktor.
i kinda agree with jay e….underworld 2 really wasnt as bad as some people say it was……i was entertained…..the story was pretty decent…..kate was lookin good, and the action was pretty cool……the acting was a little crappy and the story DID have a few holes…..but not bad, i hope this one will be better……
I like both Underworld movies. They are entertaining, decent stories, and decent characters.
That said, the 3rd one better have a new hot chick in leather, or it is going to have issues putting butts in the seats. While people who read movie blogs (us), may be a little more discerning in what we want to see in Underworld 3 (i.e. – digging deeper into the mythology). Underworld has built a name on having Kate in skin tight leather, and unfortunately that is what their broader audience is going to expect.
I’ll probably get crucified for this, but I found Underworld 2 to be one of the “best” sequels in terms of execution. Sure, the movie wasn’t the best movie in the world, but it did things that I wish all sequels would do:
1. It was a direct follow up story-wise, not some tacked on sequel with the same characters. You can tell the basics of the story were written during the first film. Watching the movies back to back feels like one large story; literally the last frame of the last movie can begin the second one.
2. They kept the same actors, even if the character was killed in the first 5 minutes. *Spoiler* When the second-in-command bad guy from the first film shows up in the beginning, I thought he would play a major role in this one. He does, but its due to his very early death.
3. They use flashbacks to the first film, and even flashbacks alluded in the first film to help further the story.
Too many “sequels” are just the same main characters in a new situation. Non-returning characters absences are either not explained, dealt with by a casual one-liner, or briefly replaced with a new actor for a bit part. So many sequels pretend the prequels never existed. So to have a action movie sequel that feels a part of an overall story and that tries to keep the same actors even if they don’t play large roles is a breath of fresh air.
Not to mention the fact that the special effects were a combination of practical effects, models, and then CG. Too many movies rely only on expensive CG effects, and these movies blended them in well and only used CG where absolutely necessary.
The second one was far from a giant sack of shit; it was a decent movie, yet easy forgetable. In fact, if you check IMDB, you’ll see that both movies have a 6.6 rating – which means that most people thought they were decent movies, not as different from one another. I think the first one was slightly better, though.
It’s a good idea to change it up and bit and give us the perspective of the werewolves, but, still, I’m not that interested… I only liked the first one.
meh
The first one was a Hot Topic kid’s wet dream and nothing more. The second was even worse.
This sounds like it has potential for a great movie, I agree. Hopefully it does. I have enjoyed both movies, first one most of all.