Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

I welcomed the idea of making a prequel to the first and second Underworld with open arms, as it was good to go back to the origins of the conflict between vampires and Lycans. I also welcomed the return of Bill Nighy, whose performance as Victor, one of the oldest vampires, was simply spot on. I was a little uneasy about the casting of Rhona Mitra in the lead role, as I don't really like her, but on the other hand I have to admit that the casting team managed to choose an actress who is very similar to Kate Beckinsale, which was the point – they really do look almost like sisters or cousins. The film doesn't lack for action, a few good scares and in this case a numerous horde of properly bloodthirsty werewolves. There was a jarring scene here and there – for example, the sex on top of the castle or Lucian's speech to the other Lycans in the cells – but that's kind of part of the franchise. All in all, a decent sequel (or rather prequel) to the first two parts, with a really good atmosphere thanks to the setting in ancient times. (04/09/2016)

Wiseman may be a tragedian who steals from where he can, but against Tatopoulos he is a virtuoso. Or I’ll film lightning, raindrops, sword swings, someone’s face, and a splash of blood on the wall, cram it all into a single second, and repeat it several times in a row... and now I have an action scene! As an added bonus, it will have a demented plot that wouldn't even succeed as a non-committal B-movie, bored actors (Nighy’s demonicness and Rhona's sex appeal nowhere to be found), the absence of a single moment worth remembering, or at least one to help you snap out of stereotypical lethargy. And this is the result. This is the most moronic thing with dudes in leather rags holding swords since Pathfinder, and it puts its two predecessors to shame, though we could actually say that it’s not really even possible anymore. (14/02/2009)

When vampires and werewolves go at each other's throats in a medieval world, the love between two of them is definitely not going to have a nice ending. This prequel to Len Wiseman's action horror film offers very chaotic action, mediocre visual effects and a feeling that it doesn't belong in the cinema. (22/01/2009)

The idea of making the whole series as just one big flashback isn't entirely out of place, and I got quite a kick out of the acting. Rhona Mitra has been good since Season 3 of Nip/Tuck, I've been considering The Gates because of her. I'm always happy to see Elizabeth Hawthorne outside of series production, and the biggest hit of Rise of the Lycans was of course the "find all the footage with Craig Parker" game. (31/07/2012)

This is bad. It’s lost its mojo. I quite liked the previous two installments (the first more than the second), but I didn't like this one. Boring. And the dubbing?! Why did she call him “darling"? And why was he wearing the same coat he had been wearing several centuries before? And what was the black guy doing there? And why....? Never mind. A weak installment, a bad script, and overall a big disappointment. (01/02/2012)