Underworld Awakening (2012)

Featured Audience Ratings

• EightThirty .

  
  17/02/2012 (ONLINE)

• Mike S

  
  Selene is back and this time she's a mommy (or I think the proper term is vampire MILF). Now, while there wasn't really a need for this addition to the franchise, it does supply a sufficient amount of action and is reasonably entertaining overall. Rapid in pace and… More
  Selene is back and this time she's a mommy (or I think the proper term is vampire MILF). Now, while there wasn't really a need for this addition to the franchise, it does supply a sufficient amount of action and is reasonably entertaining overall. Rapid in pace and competently directed, it threw boredom out the door and refused to let it back in. It's also astonishing how well Kate Beckinsale has kept her gorgeously sexy figure, looking as smoking hot as she did in the original. Where the movie is lacking though (hence the mediocre rating) is in the writing department. Bland dialogue and a substance-devoid plot, leaves the brain suffering and begging for a scrap of intelligence. But it's unfortunately the same throughout its entire course. A far-from-fresh installment, though an enjoyable diversion if all you want is some mindless fun.

• Justin Y

  
  It takes a combo behind the camera in Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, but <i>Underworld: Awakening</i> is high-octane vampire action.<p>The story, while connected to its predecessors, also feels a bit separated from them as well. It doesn't even reach 90 minutes… More
  It takes a combo behind the camera in Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, but <i>Underworld: Awakening</i> is high-octane vampire action.<p>The story, while connected to its predecessors, also feels a bit separated from them as well. It doesn't even reach 90 minutes and there really isn't all that much to it. There are a lack of details behind a few of the plot pieces, which helps this picture zoom by in a heart beat.</p><p>Now wherever this picture lacks, it makes up for in action. The highly stylized action is eye catching, explosive, and plentiful. It is also brutally violent with some passable CG effects. By the time the end credits roll around, <i>Underworld: Awakening</i> feels more like an action adventure than anything else.</p><p>It's hard to complain when Kate Beckinsale is a vampire warrior strutting around in a slick black outfit for much of the film and she gets the job done. The rest of the supporting cast is passable, although the characters themselves aren't that great.</p><p><i>Underworld: Awakening</i> delivers heavily on the action and enough everywhere else.</p>

• Thomas A

  
  Underworld 3 is entertaining and any fans of the series will enjoy it. The problem is that if you are a fan of the series, you will notice it doesn't hold up to the first 2. The plot goes into the future with humans finding and exterminating the vampires and werewolves, which is… More
  Underworld 3 is entertaining and any fans of the series will enjoy it. The problem is that if you are a fan of the series, you will notice it doesn't hold up to the first 2. The plot goes into the future with humans finding and exterminating the vampires and werewolves, which is pretty much the only logical way to follow underworld evolution which wrapped up nicely. Overall it just feels like they had less of a budget and it shows. It was nice to reference Micheal and include the character but they didn't bring back Scott Speedman which is disappointing. There are really only 3 main settings for the whole film so it just feels like an excuse for action. On the bright side the action is great, nice and bloody. It doesn't go for the pg-13 like a lot of studios. So long story short its way better then rise of the lycans, Underworld is about guns, and the action is great, the main flaws are that it feel cheap, had it had a bigger budget and time it would have much better.

• A.D. V

  
  I'm not a huge fan of the series but I really enjoyed this entry. Mindless, non-stop action, super violent and makes good use of 3D. Well worth the matinee price I paid.

• Matt G

  
  Selene: For 12 years I was held captive by the humans. The world I once knew has changed. Vampires and Lycans are now the hunted. Unnecessary is the term I would use to describe the latest entry in the highly successful Underworld franchise. Prior to viewing Underworld Awakening, I… More
  Selene: For 12 years I was held captive by the humans. The world I once knew has changed. Vampires and Lycans are now the hunted. Unnecessary is the term I would use to describe the latest entry in the highly successful Underworld franchise. Prior to viewing Underworld Awakening, I had not seen any of the previous films, so I went into this fairly fresh. To my surprise, it turns out that you must be a devoted fan to fully enjoy this franchise. The action sequences are undeniably well-handled, and 3D is put to fine use. What we have here is an emotionless Kate Beckinsale reminding audiences that Kristen Stewart is not the only glum face around, an abysmal plotline wrapped around an unimpressive script, which all sounds pretty normal for a film with a January release. Read the whole review at creedsdelight.com

• Jason R

  
  Not great, but certainly not awful. A lot of action, very little story -- but honestly, isn't that what I wanted when I bought my ticket? Fun stuff.

• Crash E

  
  great improvement in the story, it's not only about the stunning return for Selene and the incredible Underworld 3D experience , it laso about finding out Selene and Michael hybrid daughter, and how the humans involved in the war between vampires and werewolves... waiting for the… More
  great improvement in the story, it's not only about the stunning return for Selene and the incredible Underworld 3D experience , it laso about finding out Selene and Michael hybrid daughter, and how the humans involved in the war between vampires and werewolves... waiting for the next one hoping to see Michael in it

• Bradley W

  
  Underworld Awakening is another just installment in the series and it progresses the story of Selene, the Death Dealer in a war with a race of werewolfs called Lycans, and although its a major improvement over Evolution, I still liked Rise of the Lycans the best and this was very… More
  Underworld Awakening is another just installment in the series and it progresses the story of Selene, the Death Dealer in a war with a race of werewolfs called Lycans, and although its a major improvement over Evolution, I still liked Rise of the Lycans the best and this was very disappointing. I liked the idea of bringing humans into their war so that was one postive thing about the film, but I just felt the whole time that it was just another excuse to add to a series that just needs to be concluded already. Even I will admit I enjoy the action in these films, but its not an excuse for its boring an not needed complicated story that just adds on to the ridiculous storyline in this series. The last installment Rise of the Lycans is currently the only installment that I enjoyed because they paid attention to backround and finally gave a full explanation of the history of the characters (with the exception of Selene and Michael), but this is based after Evolution which was so boring that I forgot most of he story for and so this movie brought back some memories so I still was able understand the story and remember the characters, and they give an entirely new cast in this film (besides Kate Beckinsale). I don't consider myself a fan of the series so you may enjoy this more than I, but I still found it boring even with some fun action scenes. The story again follows Selene (Kate Beckinsale) who is now in a war with both Lycans and humans. When she is captured by humans and held in a cryogenic chamber for 12 years, she discovers a group of doctors are going to a mysterious hybrid child named Eve (India Eisley) to find a antidote for this disease of vampires and Lycans. But this may be just a cover for something much bigger when Selene discovers that these doctors may not be human at all, and may be using this antidote for something much bigger. The story starts off showing us a slideshow of the past films and what happened in the events of Underworld and Evolution. This was smart movie to give the audience of a reminder of what happened before this one, but it does not save the film from being overly complicated once again. You must have followed this series very close to understand a lot of this mubo jumbo that they talk about, and its hard to remeber all the mutations and why they need this young girl in the first place. But this is me complaining about a series I have not particuarly enjoyed so do not take my word on it. As for the characters, what can I say about characters who spend over half the movie fighting. Selene is still the creepy but sexy vampire who is just here to be hot and kick ass, and everyone else is just here to add some story and nobody really cares about them. Overall this story did not interest me, but if you have enjoyed the Underworld movies so far then you should not take my word for it. The cast was pathetic if youy ask me, you can never get the full feel of someones performance in an action movie, and the Underworld films have proved that to me over and over. Kate Beckinsale is an attractive actress, and that is why they picked her for these movies, but with all honesty, one of the reasons I liked Rise of the Lycans was because she was not in it, she may be good looking but nothing has proved to me in her career that she is a great actress and this series just keeps lowering the bar. Micheal Ealy was not bad but he really did nothing to make me remember him. India Eisley was a good addition I think, mosly because of her character but her innocence I think maked her likable instead of some of the jerks in this film. Well nobody saw this film for a cast but I at least want to see a little effort people. Underworld Awakening has some great action, I have gotten used to the gore and cheesy violence this film brings and that is the main reason I watched the film. But other than that this film has nothing much to offer the audience much like the past installments. I am not a fan of the Underworld series unless somehow when they make a fifth film that can change the stuff I dislike about the other films. If they can make it have a interesting story that focuses more on that, a cast that is actually memorable, and keep the same gory action that I enjoy then maybe it will be saved, but I do not see that happening any time soon. If you enjoyed the other Underworlds then i encourage you to go eat your heat out, as for people like me, I say steer clear of this film.

• Dann M

  
  Underworld: Awakening tries to take the series in a new direction, but goes about it in the worse possible way. Without Danny McBride the writing turns to shit, as exemplified by this catastrophe. Awakening resets the story by jumping 12 years into the future and goes… More
  Underworld: Awakening tries to take the series in a new direction, but goes about it in the worse possible way. Without Danny McBride the writing turns to shit, as exemplified by this catastrophe. Awakening resets the story by jumping 12 years into the future and goes post-apocalyptic; setting itself after a number of Vampire & Lycan purges that has nearly eradicated both species. The storytelling here is just awful, with numerous plot holes and no character development. And Kate Beckinsale is way off her game, delivering a dull and lifeless performance. Underworld: Awakening is a terrible film that fails on every level.

• Jeff B

  
  Awakening tired material best left in its already comatose state, Underworld 4 is definitely the resident evil at the box office this week. This reviewer can remember where and with whom he's seen every movie...except Underworld. Perhaps, it's because the female led… More
  Awakening tired material best left in its already comatose state, Underworld 4 is definitely the resident evil at the box office this week. This reviewer can remember where and with whom he's seen every movie...except Underworld. Perhaps, it's because the female led horror-cum-chop socky flick proved to be such a true confection-glossily packaged but utterly forgettable mind snack food. Well, moviegoers COULD have blissfully forgotten it if the producers would stop churning out mind-rotting follow-ups. Moviegoers have seen the style and structure of this monstrously bad sequel so many times that even it's redundancy is redundant. Just as the Twilight Saga makes audiences increasingly despise teen romance AND horror with each succeeding chapter, this franchise now does the same for action and horror. In this PG-13-rated fantasy thriller, vampire warrioress Selene (Beckinsale) escapes from a cryogenic prison into a world where humans are hunting bloodsuckers and werewolves to extinction. Ironically, a trailer for the latest Resident Evil flick preceded this future-dwelling dominatrix-clad lesson in camp-ire (think: Vamperella). These franchises share the same DNA. Unlike Evil, Underworld isn't based on a video game but it does have the same gnat's attention span CG-generated execution. Moviegoers can easily trade Milla Jovovich for Beckinsale and zombies for Lycans (read: poorly animated werewolves) and save the $9 ticket expense. Granted, the leather-clad Beckinsale does a fine job of selling through blood gushing while generating some blood rushing too, but - thanks to the 11th Hour set-up for another obligatory sequel - it's doubtless she'll ever graduate to Aviator or Serendipity-grade material again. Bottom line: Bloody well wrong.

• Nathan C

  
  Yes, Underworld has made a fourth installment. Some might say the series has overstayed its welcome, but maybe this film has something we are not seeing. But does it really? First of all, in terms of a story and character development standpoint, you shouldn't really pay too much… More
  Yes, Underworld has made a fourth installment. Some might say the series has overstayed its welcome, but maybe this film has something we are not seeing. But does it really? First of all, in terms of a story and character development standpoint, you shouldn't really pay too much attention; this film has a short run time and not a lot of it is meant for these sort of things. So much of the film consists of action sequences, and some of them aren't meant for the feint of heart; they are grotesque, gruesome, and may cause seizures due to numerous light flickering. However, they are loud and enjoyable. If you can handle gore-filled, seizure inducing action sequences, without much regard to plot and story, then this film makes for some pretty good January popcorn entertainment.

• Jeffrey M

  
  After a terribly sloppy exposition, it became clear that this installment of Underworld has the least amount of story, and that was frustrating. One of the strongest elements of Underworld has always been its mythology, in this film that mythology seems largely inconsequential to what… More
  After a terribly sloppy exposition, it became clear that this installment of Underworld has the least amount of story, and that was frustrating. One of the strongest elements of Underworld has always been its mythology, in this film that mythology seems largely inconsequential to what happens. The narrative in this film also isn't fleshed out well, with no explanation of the Lycan infiltration. Scripting issues aside, this entry does have some great action sequences, and the 3D is actually utilized well. So it succeeds at being entertaining and with some technical merit, but not much narrative substance.

• Greg A

  
  This movie is boring and for an action movie that is ridiculous even though I do take some kind of pleasure in watching Selene throw a harmless doctor out of a skyscraper window to be smooshed on a car. There is something missing here, my empathy is just gone because the action is so… More
  This movie is boring and for an action movie that is ridiculous even though I do take some kind of pleasure in watching Selene throw a harmless doctor out of a skyscraper window to be smooshed on a car. There is something missing here, my empathy is just gone because the action is so fast-paced that there is no room for in-depth story construction. Here is the story, Selene gets her dumb ass frozen for 12 years just like Jason in Jason X, she wakes up and humans have a huge boner for killing vampires and lycans are still in the sewers as always. The premise is depressing in that it sucks to hear that the great vampire clans are on the brink of being wiped out and have been bested so overwhelmingly by human-beings. There is no subtlety to the delivery of what is sad in the story because of how fast-paced the storytelling is and cuts out the chance for me to empathize for Selene's impossibly bad luck. She seeks justice but in these stories she tends to unveil more hypocrisy and injustice within her our vampire coven and the world crashing down upon it. This movie is short, it's not an hour and a half, it's 76 minutes long, the Batman animated movies are longer than this film. Is it a worthwhile 76 minutes? No! This story isn't interesting at all it just feels rushed, have some fucking dramatic sad pauses, slow down and tell me how fucking awful you feel about your world going to hell Selene. Cry, go more in-depth into the lycans as well, tell me more about them don't just cram it into a one sentence description of the lycans status as a whole species by saying "they are few in numbers and we kill on site." That's not interesting, remember how awesome Lucian, the head of the lycans played by Michael Sheen was? The same epic kind of character can be replicated, he was the fucking Kunta Kinte of Underworld and his story was so bittersweet. Rely on story, not action next time, please.

• Christopher H

  
  As far as action films go, Underworld Awakening packs enough of a punch to be entertaining. As far as engaging plots or moving story-lines, the fourth Underworld film carries anything but. My biggest complaint towards Underworld and Underworld: Evolution has been its striking… More
  As far as action films go, Underworld Awakening packs enough of a punch to be entertaining. As far as engaging plots or moving story-lines, the fourth Underworld film carries anything but. My biggest complaint towards Underworld and Underworld: Evolution has been its striking resemblance to the Resident Evil franchise. Underworld Awakening is no different. The film opens in a future where humans are purging the vampires and Lycans. The surviving few: Selene and Michael. However, when they are separated the entire plot becomes a hunt to find Michael in the mess of the Purge and its aftermath. The sad truth, we basically start the film where it ends, with very little resolve, just more bruises and mutating creatures to show for it. Everything about this installment felt like a rip-off of Resident Evil. The film's only saving grace is the culmination. An action film is only as good as its final battle and Awakening's end was masterfully crafted. Now if only the entire film could have followed suit.

• Nick S

  
  I am not a huge fan of the series, but this film was completely irrelevant to the last movie. In the last movie, Beckinsale becomes a Daywalker and the film ends. So we are all hyped to see her use her new powers and kick ass as a Daywalker. But, no. The film instead decides to have… More
  I am not a huge fan of the series, but this film was completely irrelevant to the last movie. In the last movie, Beckinsale becomes a Daywalker and the film ends. So we are all hyped to see her use her new powers and kick ass as a Daywalker. But, no. The film instead decides to have Beckinsale protect a little girl from the Lycans. What? That has been done before and it's no where near as entertaining as killing lycans with your Daywalker powers. Plus, as a film in general, it is an absolute mess. The action is just like a video game. There are boss battles and all the effects look fake. I mean, really. It has always been easy for me to catch glimpses of pixels in these films. This one is no exception. The camera work is bad and the acting was never that great. But that's not the point. The point is how this film managed to be so disappointing. But, the again, maybe I shouldn't have expected so much. It's like the fourth or fifth movie and, wait? I'm getting confused between Underworld and Resident Evil. Whatever, they're both technically the same thing. A hot chick killing monsters in a needlessly long franchise. Believe me when I say, the film is no joy ride.

• Chris O

  
  The latest installment in the Underworld franchise may not be considered high art but it is a lot of fun. This is bloody monster battles the way they should be. Plus Kate Beckinsales back reprises her role as Selene to fight some more werewolves. Throw in some cool special effects and… More
  The latest installment in the Underworld franchise may not be considered high art but it is a lot of fun. This is bloody monster battles the way they should be. Plus Kate Beckinsales back reprises her role as Selene to fight some more werewolves. Throw in some cool special effects and the best action scenes the genre has to offer and you have yourself a great movie. Its everything I want in an Underworld movie and very well may be my new favorite of the series.

• Magnus B

  
  Kate Beckinsale as Selene is back, cooler and better than ever and in ass kicking mode. Action packed and bloody just like the other movies and this time directed by a pair of Swedes.

• Jason C

  
  Probably the strongest of this poor series, Underworld Awakening has a solid story. The acting is status quo, which is just about right for an Underworld movie. I fail to see how they haven't figured out how to make a scary one yet. It has a larger budget, but looks just as… More
  Probably the strongest of this poor series, Underworld Awakening has a solid story. The acting is status quo, which is just about right for an Underworld movie. I fail to see how they haven't figured out how to make a scary one yet. It has a larger budget, but looks just as simple as the other movies. This time it's forgivable, because of the [slightly] improved story.

• Adam M

  
  Another great, action and gore packed installment. Instead of Vampires vs Lycans, this starts off with humans vs lycans and talks of a big cleansing of vamps and werewolves with some being captured and placed in cryogenic freezing, including everyones favourite vampire heroine Selene… More
  Another great, action and gore packed installment. Instead of Vampires vs Lycans, this starts off with humans vs lycans and talks of a big cleansing of vamps and werewolves with some being captured and placed in cryogenic freezing, including everyones favourite vampire heroine Selene who manages to escape. We see Selene united with her daughter as she hopes to find lover Michael who is persumed dead. This is pretty much total action and looks amazing in 3D but as the plot is still discussed throughout it doesn't feel like some pointless exercise in gore and CGI. Plus Kate Beckinsale looks stunning, as you'd expect. Underworld Awakening is probably the best one since the first and as the ending leaves it open for another installment, hopefully the series will continue to be as strong as this.

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