Vampires Vs. Lycans

In the Underworld, Vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (Werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. No one knows the origin of their bitter blood feud, but the balance of power between them turns even bloodier when a beautiful young Vampire warrior and a newly-turned Lycan with a mysterious past fall in love. Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman star in this modern-day, action-packed tale of ruthless intrigue and forbidden passion - all set against the dazzling backdrop of a timeless, Gothic metropolis.

Title: Underworld
Release: September 19, 2003
Genre: Action- Horror
MPAA Rating: R
Writer: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, & Danny McBride
Director: Len Wiseman
Music By: Paul Haslinger
Produced By: Robert Bernacchi, Gary Lucchesi, & Tom Rosenberg
Distributed By: Screen Gems (Sony)
Run Time: 121 minutes
Official Site

The saga continues as the battle rages on between the aristocratic Death Dealers (vampires) and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). This film traces the beginnings of the ancient feud between the two tribes as the beautiful vampire heroine Selene (Kate Beckinsale) discovers that she has been betrayed by her own kind and must seek revenge. The fast-paced, modern-day tale of deadly action, ruthless intrigue and forbidden love takes her into battle to end all wars as the immortals must finally face their retribution.

Title: Underworld: Evolution
Release: January 20, 2006
Genre: Action-Horror
MPAA Rating: R
Writer: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, & Danny McBride
Director: Len Wiseman
Music By: Marco Beltrami
Produced By: Len Wiseman, Danny McBride, & Kevin Grevioux
Distributed By: Screen Gems
Run Time: 106 minutes
Official Site

"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," Selene tells Michael and so begins the first chapter in the Underworld film franchise. She’s a Death Dealer (“a warrior vampire”) played by Kate Beckinsale and he’s a human recently infected by the Lycan virus played by Scott Speedman and their both the main players (sometimes pawns) in the war. This is an almost Gothic-looking film that was shot mainly in Hungary and it was also Len Wiseman’s directorial debut.

Sexy, sleek, and deadly vampires have always fascinated me so when this movie first came out I knew immediately that I would enjoy it. Werewolves on the other hand have never really been my thing and the ones in this film are no exception. To be honest, I find them downright creepy and gross! However, I enjoyed the story as much if not more than I thought I would because of Beckinsale’s performance in both films. Selene and Micheal battle it out with Lycans and with the elder Marcus, whom if you remember at the end of the first movie became a hybrid himself (Marcus is a bit scarier than Micheal though, he looks like this huge bat).

Several years and two sequels later, Underworld is still a good film but I was struck by the fact that it just wasn’t as amazing as I remember and it kind of grossed me out more than a few times too. The special effects do hold up for the most part still but it’s the second film where they become really impressive. The actors and the script that earned staying power with Underworld and the same holds true for the second film Underworld: Evolution which starts right where the first one left off and it’s fast-paced action through-out the whole movie.

Links: 1st Imdb.com, 2nd Imdb.com, 1st Wikipedia, 2nd Wikipedia

(Sorry for the quick mini-review)