Underworld Awakening Review: Humanity Beware
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Underworld Awakening is the forth in the series of exploits by the beautiful and deadly Selene, this time leading the defense against human-kind.
Written by The Horror Czar, Don Sumner
January 20, 2012
Release: January 20, 2012 (U.S. Theatrical)
Directed by: Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein
Written by: Len Wiseman (screenplay) (story) (characters), John Hlavin -(screenplay), J. Michael Straczynski - (screenplay), Allison Burnett - (screenplay), Kevin Grevioux (characters) and Danny McBride (characters)
Starring:
Kate Beckinsale as Selene
Stephen Rea as Dr. Jacob Lane
Michael Ealy as Detective Sebastian
Theo James as David
India Eisley as Eve
Sandrine Holt as Lida
The Underworld franchise has been very popular since the release of the first installment in 2003, due to a combination of the lush productions and combo live-action/CGI fight scenes, and the performances of Kate Beckensale as the deadly and beautiful Lycan-hunter Selene. Achieving a profitable three-part film franchise is quite an accomplishment, but to go on to a forth is a risk. In the words of Beckensale herself in a pre-release interview, “she has nightmares of being in a film with a “4” in the title. The popularity of number three, however, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans left audiences hungering for more and Selene is happy to make a return to walking among the living.
Previously in the Underworld films the battle is between the vampires and the lycans, and unraveling the mystery of why the ancient war was started in the first place, and why it continues to escalate. This time in Underworld Awakening the centuries-old attempts to live “under the radar” of the warm-blooded masses of humanity have failed, and the final battle is against humanity itself.
Underworld Awakening opens with a brief synopsis of all that has transpired in the Underworld films to date, albeit in about 30 seconds. Fast forwarding to present time we are treated to news reports and captured footage of "the purge"; the attempted erratication of vampires and werewolves from the face of the earth in the name of stomping out a disease. Things get so rough that Selene and her vampire/lycan hybrid love Michael make plans to leave the city - but the erratication forces catch wind of the attempt and set out to kill them both - or maybe just capture.
The next sequence shows Selene awakening inside some kind of freezing cryogenic chamber and having to escape a laboratory dedicated to finding a cure for the scurge of vampireism and lycanism. What follows is the unfolding of yet a new drama as our underworld heroes search for a means of escape and survival in a newly unfriendly world.
Underworld Awakening, in spite of the inclusion of vampires and werewolves, is certainly not a horror movie. The first Underworld was not a horror movie, nor were any of the sequels. That fact does not make this a bad film automatically, but does deserve a brief comment considering this is Best-HORROR-Movies.com after all. Monsters have crept into many facets of mainstream entertainment and the Underworld films are an example of what can happen when this blending of monsters, action and things blowing up works very well.
This film was viewed in 3D iMax, and I recommend that in every circumstance possible that others do the same. 3D movies have been extremely "done" of late of course, but Underworld Awakening is one film that shouldn't be viewed any other way. The effects are just tremendous, the 3D flawless and the action intense and constructed to involve the audience in all kinds of fights and explosions. Long gone are the days of Friday the 13th 3D where the best you can hope for is a spear jutting out into the audience. Well, not LONG gone because I do love to watch that film occasionally, and it is the film that adds the hockey mask to Jason's ensemble after all, but I digress.
Aside from the incredible action/fight scenes and immaculate 3D, the
real reason to watch Underworld
Awakening is to feast your eyes on the 
portrayal of the vampire
Selene by Kate Beckinsale. Beckinsale is just stunning and pulls off
the role as bad-ass werewolf killer with a heart of gold with so much
toughness and cool that it is almost unbelieveable. Oh, and she's
incredibly hot too - just as she has been in every other installment.
The bottom line is Underworld Awakening is fantastic at being what it is - an action/adventure film with an awesome female action hero who slices and crushes her way through superhuman foes in a dark and lush world of 3D incredibleness. Meaningful cinematic discourse will not transpire as a result of this film, nor should anyone want it to. Based on pure entertainment value and visuals that will blow your mind, Underworld Awakening is a must-see. If you want more than that, you're barking up the wrong tree.
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