Underworld: Pretty But Undercooked

When Underworld 3 hit theaters a little over a year ago I made a mental note to go back and watch the previous two movies in the Underworld series. Months later and I have finally just finished watched the first Underworld movie. Let me explain my viewing procrastination- it is not so much that I was dreading watching Underworld, so much that it entirely slipped my mind. After viewing the movie, funnily enough, that about sums up my opinion on the overall show- I cannot actively dislike it, as it was mildly enjoyable, but I can't get excited about it either.

The events of Underworld are set up unceremoniously with a quick voice over at the beginning. Basically vampires and werewolves (aka Lycans) don't like each other and they have been fighting for a very long time. Yeah there's a little more to the plot than that, but really that's about all the set-up you need to know. About two hours later from this initial plot exposition, we are given another abrupt voiceover that attempts to tie up the plot quickly. Unfortunately, these two instances are great examples of the lack of grace and subtlety with which plot advancement is treated in the land of Underworld. After this speedy intro is delivered to us with appropriate angst by protagonist Selene (Kate Beckinsale) we dive underground for a shootout in a subway station. With virtually no foundation as to who the shooters are, I felt totally emotionally disconnected from the action. Sure, it looks relatively pretty, but even the visuals here weren't exceptionally novel. The look in many parts of the movie, and especially in this subway scene, is particularly reminiscent of The Matrix. This wouldn't be a bad thing (hey, who doesn't like The Matrix?), but, first off, everything Underworld tries to do like The Matrix is something Matrix did better, and, secondly, when Underworld calms down on the leather trench coats and shades it takes on a moody gothic style, which I found much more appropriate for the film.

One visual that worked for me, in particular, was the emaciated, corpse-like vampire elder Viktor (played by Bill Nighy). Seeing Viktor, pale and ghastly, sitting in an elaborate, spacious, and elegant room was a wonderful contrast, and my favorite moment of the movie.

Unfortunately, we can't all be Viktors, and not all of Underworld's visuals can match the strength of this image. While I understand that this movie is from 2003, I just couldn't get behind the computer-generated werewolves. Yeah, I know that's how it was done in '03, but there were moments of CG werewolves going wild that made me cringe. Their transformations were decent, but way too quick, and would have benefited from more extended periods of bone-crunching. The most notable werewolf transformation sequence occurs in the back of the police car. The beginning of this transformation is excellent, as the soon to be werewolf writhes in the claustrophobic, moving space. Unfortunately, as soon as the character is about to transform and attack the two police officers, the movie cuts away to brooding Selene. I can understand where another film might do such a thing to create suspense, but, come on, you're Underworld, no one is watching you for an expertly executed exercise in suspense- we just want to see pretty images.

When Underworld succeeds is when it delivers on the pretty images. When it failed for me was when it tried to become more than just a slide show of shiny things. Underworld completely overestimates the appeal of its characters and storyline. Plot points are revealed in utter seriousness, without hints of irony or humor. This would be forgivable if I was watching a gripping drama with complex characters, but I'm not. Underworld seems to forget that in order to care about these people we need to know who they are beyond the absolute basics, and that these characters need to be more than the most basic character types.

Take our heroine Selene as an example. She is a female vampire warrior with a steely gaze, a rebellious streak, a strong sense of honor, and a (yawn) tragic past. While she's not unlikeable, she's not a particularly fascinating, or even memorable, character. The werewolf (or Lycan, I should say), side of the film is even more glossed over. While we at least get glimpses of the vampire society (another part of the movie that I thought worked), we get virtually no sense of the way the Lycans live. I understand that the vampires were the main parts of the movie, but I think more Lycan development would have made the story more compelling.

That said, Underworld is still not a bad way to kill two hours. It's fun to look at, and, while the mediocre plot takes itself way too seriously there are a fair amount of stretches in the movie where there's not a lot of talking.

I plan on watching and writing about the next two Underworld movies as the summer progresses. Stay tuned.