Underworld poster & wallpaper

Bill Nighy, Erwin Leder, Kate Beckinsale

For centuries, two races have evolved hidden deeply within human culture - the aristocratic, sophisticated Vampires, and the brutal, feral Lycans (werewolves). To humanity, their existence is no more ...( read more  read more... )than a whisper of a myth. But to each other, they are lifelong mortal rivals, sworn to wage a secret war until only one race is left standing. In the midst of this ongoing struggle, a Vampire warrior, Selene, discovers a Lycan plot to kidnap a young human doctor. After shadowing Michael through the city, she forms an unprecedented bond with him, and when the Lycans make their next move, Selene is there to fend off their vicious assault. As she races to save Michael and unravel the Lycan intrigue surrounding him, Selene discovers a secret that has terrifying repercussions for both tribes--a nefarious plan to awaken a new invincible species of predator that combines the strengths of both creatures and the weaknesses of neither, which threatens to tip the balance of power in favor of the werewolves, who have been on the losing end of the struggle for centuries.

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82% liked it

457,262 ratings

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30% liked it

153 critics

R, 2 hrs. 1 min.

Directed by: Len Wiseman

Release Date: September 19, 2003

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DVD Release Date: January 6, 2004

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Kate Beckinsale Selene Underworld (2003) Underworld (2003) Crouching underworld Underworld (2003) Underworld (2003) Underworld (2003) Underworld (2003) Micheal Corvin Underworld (2003) Underworld Underworld Erika Underworld (2003) Lucian Underworld
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Flixster Reviews (29,028)

  • Camus123
    May 28, 2009
    Camus123
    With inventive cinematography, a great backdrop and the jaw droppingly gorgeous Kate Beckinsale playing the lead this movie misses a few crucial beats that keeps it from getting out of simply, "fair." It is an intriguing watch and from the beginning the viewer is drawn in, but i...( read more)t loses speed in various areas including choreography and character continuity,
    The plotline is rather solid as we see two species, The Vampires and the Lycans (werewolves) in an ancient struggle for their respective race's place in the undead hierarchy. We have betrayals and deception, love and loss.
    The depiction of the vampire aristocracy and the brutal Lycan is fierce, but the battles are muddied, poorly keyed and just plain sloppy. Too much gunplay and not enough natural consequence (teeth as it were). There were several times when I just lost the battle to the chaos of the bullets.
    The character?s resolve seemed to morph at times becoming soft or hardened when it suited the plot (Ancient traditions mean everything that is, until, well, they don't and just because). This gave itself to not understanding the nature or motive of many of the characters.
    All in all this was a fun watch and I recommend it to those who enjoy stylized, modern vampire films with the noir courtesy of the CGI brush stroke.
  • phubbs1
    May 20, 2009
    phubbs1
    I loved this idea, loved it, I love vamp and werewolf movies, brooding, dark, gothic and violent, just for adults, the way it should be. Its just alitte too cgi for me. The Lycans are just not believeable and look waaay too plastic which is such a shame, also the ending with the ...( read more)vamp/werewolf hybrid is very flat (a skinny Incredible Hulk springs to mind) I like the fact they tried to do something without cgi but its just too...er...boring looking. Its still rocks and comes close to a new crow style flick (if it had some harder tunes in there) Beckinsale is gorgeous and Nighy is excellent, close but just misses, but because it's vamps and werewolfs I just cant say no hehe
  • mrpopcorn
    February 18, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "An immortal battle for supremacy."

    Selene (Beckinsale), a beautiful vampire warrior, is entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races. Although she is aligned with the vampires, she falls in love with Michael (Speedman), a werewolf who longs for the war to e...( read more)nd.

    REVIEW
    This movie is all dressed up with no place to go, with sexy vampires and rugged-looking werewolves, but no soul at all.

    The main point of the story, as I understand it, is that Vampire Selene falls in love with Werewolf Michael; she is so much in love with him, in fact, that she turns on her own kind in favor of him. I've watched this movie about 5 times now (I have the DVD; just the regular one, not the "extended" one), and I still don't get the feeling that their connection is really that strong. So he saves her from a car wreck; so what? Vampires, especially "Death-Dealers" like Selene, have been brought up to despise werewolves and disdain humans.

    The werewolves and their lives also bother me; why is this pack (apparently) 100% male? Why don't we see any females in their group? Are all werewolves made, not born? It's one of those nagging inconsistencies that really irritates me.

    The movie has great production values, good tunes and nifty special effects, especially the werewolf transformations. The regular DVD has more than enough special features to satisfy most movie buffs, and the extended version is chock-full of even more goodies. Alas, this slickly produced action/romance/horror flick ultimately rings hollow.
  • DerekA101
    February 1, 2009
    DerekA101
    Dark and sleek, Underworld is an entertaining thrill ride for fans of the vampire genre. It's flawed and not very original, but it boasts a very engaging story. Underworld is about a bloody war between vampires and lycans (werewolves) that has been ongoing for cen...( read more)turies. Our vampire heroine, Kate Beckinsale, is a death-dealer who relentlessly hunts lycans as retribution for the horrific attack on her family ages ago.

    The Underworld series has really turned into one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Some fairly sub par graphics in this one (they get better in later films), but some great action scenes to make up for it. This film very effectively uses the slow motion camera work for some fight scenes. It's very reminiscent of The Matrix at times, but yet still impressive.

    Kate Beckinsale was perfect as the beautiful yet stubborn, ass-kicking vampire Selene. A career defining role for her... exotic and stunning. Bill Nighy also makes a formidable bad guy. Scott Speedman and Michael Sheen put in great performances as well.

    An engaging story combined with star-studded performances and a mesmerizing dark and sleek atmosphere make Underworld a captivating thrill ride that is heavily underrated.
  • AgentLexi2132
    January 28, 2009
    AgentLexi2132
    ''I am a Death Dealer, sworn to destroy those known as the Lycans. Our war has waged for centuries, unseen by human eyes. But all that is about to change.''

    Selene (Beckinsale), a beautiful vampire warrior, is entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races. A

    ...( read more)lthough she is aligned with the vampires, she falls in love with Michael (Speedman), a werewolf who longs for the war to end.

    Kate Beckinsale: Selene

    Underworld pits two races from mythology, vampire and lycan, and has them together in an on-going war. While the two are stereotypes of the horror genre, this doesn't play out like a traditional horror story. This action packed story will please horror fans and convert new ones due to the melding of movie types to create a fresh interpretation to a century old genre.

    A male nurse,(Scott Speedman) unwittingly becomes involved in an on going battle between the two immortal species. When a female vamp Selene(Kate Beckinsale) notices the werewolves following this individual, she becomes suspicious and begins to investigate why he is so important, even if it changes everything she has ever known about her life and vampire history.
    This monster movie follows the age-old traditions established in the early novels (Bram Stoker) and movies (Werewolf Of London) featuring vampires and misanthropes. Of late, there's been some modernized horror franchises that have thrown the standards out the window. Those standards are comforting and we, the audience, expect to see them. Vampires deteriorate in sunlight leading to instant death, Werewolves can only be killed by a silver projectile. Underworld takes these formulas, builds on there strengths and makes them their original own.
    While it reads as a horror, it plays more like a gangster/fantasy piece. Both races participate in gun-play with specially modified bullets to instantly kill their opponents. The werewolves are animalistic warriors, wanna-be heavy weight mafia, with more brawn than brains. On the flip side, the vampires are like a communal family with hierarchy, ancient customs and they're legitimate business owners which funds their criminal endeavors.
    Due to the aforementioned gun-play, this is more violent than gory. It's still bloody but there are no scenes that'll make you queasy or nauseous. The violence is another reason why it has an action vibe to it.
    There's a class system subtext that runs through this movie. The lower class werewolves battling the upper class vampires. Working class is possibly a better adjective for the werewolves. They are masculine, unkempt and unsophisticated. On the other hand, the gothic vampires are immaculately dressed with a expensive sense of style. They lounge around looking glamorous as if they're supermodels at a cocktail party. Opulence and high class is the style the production and costume designer has given these blood suckers.

    ''Whether you like it or not, you're in the middle of a war that has been raging for the better part of a thousand years. A blood feud between vampires and lycans. Werewolves.''

    Beckinsale's quite fetching in her erotic, PVC, full body costume. Her bondage like outfit's more interesting than her intentionally emotionless performance. One wonders why she didn't keep her British accent as the cast is made up of international actors with a pot-pourri of different brogues? It's good to see her in a lead role, above the title credit, where she holds her own portraying a strong, forceful character. Of late, she's played the glorified girlfriend part (eg. Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor"). Here, she's independent, without a partner to justify her significance. While this is the kind of role a man would normally play, she's still feminine and sexy without having to show any flesh.
    Bill Nighy has a supporting role as an elder vampire who's resurrected before his time in order to help Beckinsale. Nighy's rightfully become popular in the last few years. He's class in any part he plays, even a centuries-old vampire with superhuman strength. His climatic fight scene never draws unintentional laughs which shows what a convincing actor he is.

    The colour film stock has been manipulated intentionally to give a blue hue to it. This reinforces the Gothic style of the flick. Blue isn't just a colour, it's also an emotion, reminiscent of a Mann blue scene. It's constantly raining which adds to the cold feel, the cinematographer and production designer have created. These races are unemotional beings which also strengthens the blue tone.
    Computer generated visual effects were used for the movie which is far removed from John Landis' "An American Werewolf In London". While the special effects are impressive, there is no mystery into how they were achieved. Special effects and make up were a real art form before the days of CGI. These technicians are a dying breed due to computer infuences. It's a shame that moviemakers rely heavily on CGI as it's slowly becoming standard fare.

    Overall, Underworld is a good action/horror/gangster movie with a strong female lead. This hybrid is filled with polished set pieces and seamless CGI. There's talk that this is the first of a proposed trilogy and I hope the next two will be as strong as this.

    ''Though I cannot predict the future, the consequences of this night will reverberate through the halls of both great covens for many years to come. Two vampire elders have been slain, one by my own hand. Soon, Marcus will take the throne, and a tide of anger and retribution will spill out into the night. Differences will be set aside. Allegiances will be made. And soon, I will become the hunted.''
  • nightfaeriekitty
    November 19, 2009
    nightfaeriekitty
    Vampires and Wherewolves. What more could you ask for?
  • EbertsLittleApprentice
    November 17, 2009
    EbertsLittleApprentice
    "Kate Beckinsale" Kicked ass, but let's face it, "30 Days of Night' is one of the best Vampire, bloody good times" to date!
  • surroor
    November 17, 2009
    surroor
    just i said before i love the vampire vs vampire killing
  • sisi4u
    November 16, 2009
    sisi4u
    "y.e.a.h".... Thats the word.
  • JimG944
    November 15, 2009
    JimG944
    5 of 5 stars for the vampire and werewolf movie Underworld. I've seen this movie several times and continue to be amazed and the plot and visual look of the movie. Wow. I keep finding new subtle things in the movie overlooked in my first viewing. This movie is the starter for a 3...( read more) movie collection. Telling some of the history and moving forward with this story. Underworld and Underworld Evolution move the story further in time while the third movie tells the history of how we got here.

    The story is about two races of beings, the upper class Vampires and the worker class Werewolves. In the old times, the races lived together in harmony, now they are at war. This story focuses on "a human" who we later learn has characteristics of both races and his blood is valuable to both races. Of course, our lead character (Kate Beckinsale) needs the help of a sleeping vampire lord. A very impressive movie with stunning visual look. Once you finish Underworld, keep on going with Evolution and Rise of the Lycans. Highly recommended and added to my list of favorite movies.

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Critic Reviews

May 4, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

[Beckinsale's] detached, no-nonsense demeanor helps give this chilly adventure an S&M-inspired eroticism. full review

September 25, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

'Your incompetence is most taxing,' says the chief vampire (Bill Nighy). A line that pretty much nails this rusty Blade. full review

September 20, 2003
David Edelstein, Slate

125 minutes is a long time to stare at a movie that's basically in bleached blue-and-white with occasional splotches of brick red. full review

September 19, 2003
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Features some of the year's most laughable dialogue. full review

September 19, 2003
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

It's hard to recall a more sexless vampire flick. full review

September 19, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is a movie so paltry in its characters and shallow in its story that the war seems to exist primarily to provide graphic visuals. full review

View more Underworld reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • DeiaGurl
    July 11, 2009
    DeiaGurl
    Liked it, had really cool action parts,a nice story, good characters.
  • kmackenzie
    October 4, 2008
    kmackenzie
    I really loved this movie,, lots of action!!!,, kate kick the werewolfs ass bigtime hahahaha,,but after watching the 2nd movie,i think maybe will be a third one?? hmmmmmm i wonder when..............
  • xxhisgoldeneyes
    July 5, 2008
    xxhisgoldeneyes
    This movie is so great!!!!Any vampire movie for that matter.I am obsessed with vampires and am currently reading the Twilight series.I think the actor they picked for Bella is great.
  • wolfchildflame
    July 3, 2008
    wolfchildflame
    I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! i cant get enough of the underworld series and i now found the books!! vampires and werewolves...hmmm...who is the winner of them all??
    its a toughie...especially when i love both species...ah...i choose to be a hybrid *lol* (but i still reckon vampires are hot and werewolves are totally kick ass material!)
  • cajos32202
    January 2, 2008
    cajos32202
    I never knew Wentworth Miller was part of the cast! I wonder what his role was. Still, he'd make a really cute vampire. :)
  • alphaknk
    December 29, 2007
    alphaknk
    nice storyline...lycans x vampires
  • satellitec79
    December 25, 2007
    satellitec79
    Kate Beckinsale + Scott Speedman + Bill Nighy as well as ( Micheal Sheen who plays Excellent in This Movie ) Vampires vs Lycans Truly Excellent Movie. Do see the sequel Underworld Evolution...
  • xoxomarebear
    December 7, 2007
    xoxomarebear
    LUV IT!!!

  • CoNFuZzZLeD
    November 15, 2007
    CoNFuZzZLeD
    Now that Lucian's gone I can rule the werewolf pack! come my fellow werewolves!! we shall destroy those annoying vampires and rule this world!!

    RAAAWWWRR!!!

    Yours sincerely,
    the Kamikaze Werewolf.

    P.S. werewolves KICK ASS!!!
  • bodaboa
    November 10, 2007
    bodaboa
    Two words: FUCK YES
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