Synopsis – Vampire death dealer, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) fights to end the eternal war between the Lycan clan and the Vampire faction that betrayed her.

My Take – Even before the release of this 4^th installment (according to hierarchy and not counting in Rise of the Lycans which was technically a prequel), I was quite sure that I am among the few people who continued to remain a fan of this vampire vs. werewolves series. I still remember seeing the first Underworld in the theater and enjoying it very much, though I didn’t see any of the subsequent films at the cinema, only on DVD. I re-watched them in preparation for seeing this film and, as it stands, the original is still the best, with Evolution and Rise of the Lycans vying for second and third place, alternating between the two depending on my mood, while Awakening remains an enjoyable but my least favorite. I’m afraid this one isn’t much better. Whilst the fourth film felt like it was just non-stop gory action with little to no story, this film seems to have the opposite problem. As a fan of the Underworld franchise from its first release, I’m disappointed in this film for being the only film of the franchise that I didn’t enjoy. While it is still visually beautiful, with promising characters and story lines, my biggest peeve is that the entirety of the film felt either rushed, or unfinished (potentially both). This film is edited in such a fashion that you feel as though you have missed something at various points throughout the film when you haven’t – the film makers just couldn’t be bothered explaining certain points, leaving it as a jumbled mess. I was really excited whenever a new character was introduced, however, none were explored enough to justify their place in the film. This is frustrating because it seems obvious that the characters were thought-out well, given unique identities and back stories, however, the film failed to produce these. Our main antagonist, for example, is difficult to empathize in, and becomes more of a mere pest than the fearful, intriguing villain we’ve seen in former films. It’s plagued with incredibly lazy dialogue and choppy sequences that don’t fit together at all. Same issue with most of the story lines, which felt too-condensed (was it a budget issue?) that you almost question their relevancy in the film, and if the film would have been better without them. As always, the star of the franchise, Kate Beckinsale tries as she may, but she can’t carry the movie alone, nor do I believe anyone was expecting her to. I was expecting that they’d finally replace Scott Speedman as Michael, with another one of literally dozens of possible and better choices. And finally bring the whole family together, into the fight.  Yes. The action is still there, as is the gore. Betrayals are still alive and kicking. And the old vampire/Lycan grudge is also present. But as evident from the trailers itself, the Underworld movies are for the better part, dead and buried.

The story follows death dealer vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) right after the events of Underworld: Awakening. On the run and searching for her lover the hybrid, Micheal Corvin (Scott Speedman), Selena is hunted by both vampires for killing the elder vampires Viktor and Markus Corvinus (from earlier films) and the Lycans who are seeking information about the whereabouts of her all powerful hybrid teenage daughter, Eve. The Vampires are losing the war as the Lycans clan led by a new leader Marius (Tobias Menzies) is getting stronger by the day. On the pretext of seeking assistance from Selene, the scheming Semira (Lara Pulver) approaches her help to train a new batch of death dealers. Unbeknownst to her, an internal rife is brewing and Selene’s only ally happens to be David (Theo James), the son of Vampire Elder, Thomas (Charles Dance). Despite being a continuation of a franchise, the film feels like a step back, falling again on the solemn tangles of the vampire aristocracy, grandiloquent dialogues saying nothing and weak complots which don’t surprise despite all the clichés they throw to the spectator. In the first act alone the film drops a more diverse cast and flexible subplots than other Underworld titles. The clashing politic is handled mostly well and it’s always a boon to have more persistently Gothic characters. However, the production feels fragmented, often speeds up in certain area in expense of these colorful personalities while also hashing out the same outdated slow motion barrage from last decade. Unlike previous installments which utilized one simple plot line, the film tries to introduce several ideals with the Lycan and vampires, even discord among each group while Selene is once again caught in the cross fire. The setup offers more in term of content and the characters, while they may be a tad overzealous, work well in intended effect. Screenwriter Cory Goodman (whose previous credits include The Last Witch Hunter and Priest) had the ungrateful task of tying the loose ends which had been dragging through four films. The most devoted fans of the saga might appreciate the explanations on who is the son of whom, what lineage has the purest blood or why the Nordic vampires look like elves of Rivendell (the latter isn’t explained, but the analogy is correct). German-born cinematographer (White House Down) and TV director (Outlander, Criminal Minds) Anna Foerster takes over the directing duties for this installment, and frankly does a poor job of taking over a franchise that hardly wins over the critics over the years, and I am quite sure this film is not going to be a winner either. For the relatively brief running time, Foerster and her screenwriters provide the various lead characters enough exposition and screen time for audiences to connect the dots at least for the first 45 minutes, but then everything falls part due to its weak editing & screenplay. The overall production was poor and clearly quite low budget (reuse of the same footage on a few occasions, etc.), the script was inadequate and, while Anna Foerster has put in some credible performances in TV, this was quite poor. Franchise creator Len Wiseman could have conceivably turned this into a movie worthy of the franchise! Even, the super sexy latex-clad vampire Death Dealer, Selene, feels as though she’s no longer the focus of her own franchise (though at least she gets some memorable lines/moments).

Let’s be honest, most people come to see Kate Beckinsale rocking the black latex cat suit like nobody else can. So it remains a mystery as to why the writers appear to be slowly phasing out her character. Please note filmmakers: These films wouldn’t be worth continuing without Kate Beckinsale. Some tend to dismiss her acting ability, but she’s what’s held this franchise together. So it’s disappointing her character is absent for what feels like long stretches. This film begins like Awakening did, with Kate’s/Selene’s voice-over (now with added echoing repeating what she’s already said!) and clips from the previous films, though, really, if you haven’t seen the others, why are you even here? Theo James‘s David character from Awakening has a much more expanded role this time (now fully replacing Scott Speedman‘s Michael as the franchise’s male lead. To my terrible surprise they simply killed off Michael. The way it was done was terrible to say the least. At the end of Awakening, Eve, is finally able to see through her father eyes. And we know that he simply escaped the facilities. But now, we were given another (conflicting) take on what happened that makes absolutely no sense. So Michael exits the cryo chamber, severely weakened and finds himself captured by Marius. Taken to another place where Marius then proceeds to seemingly shoot him in the head, and strung him up head down to drain Michael of all his blood, which he then uses to make himself into more of a Wolf-Man than a Lycan. Whether you’re a fan of David or not will likely contribute to your enjoyment of the film, as he seems to take over the movie from Selene for significant portions. I’ll miss the Selene/Michael relationship, but am not opposed to David’s character helping Selene, though it might rub some the wrong way how his back-story/ancestry’s delved into so deeply it almost feels like he is the film’s main star. Those who paid attention to the first films will appreciate references to a certain character that had minimal screen time, yet plays an important part in this film’s storyline, while everyone else will be left wondering. The blood of Selene and her daughter, Eve (who’s referenced aplenty but only appears in the film’s closing seconds), also proves important, as there’s much exchanging of said blood between different characters. Other than Selene and David, the only significant returning character is Charles Dance‘s Thomas. Whilst not as memorable as Bill Nighy‘s Viktor, an actor of his caliber lends some weight/credibility to proceedings. His relationship with his son and heretofore untold connection with a past long-dead character is given prominence. Playing well off Dance is Lara Pulver, sporting constantly changing hairstyles & dresses, they do what they can with the material they’re given. Semira’s character also provides a cautionary tale in why you shouldn’t treat your henchman/lover like crap, as we see play out between her and Bradley James’ Varga. For such a disjointed film, it’s understandable who the performances of the whole case is letdown On the whole, ‘Underworld: Blood Wars’ is the most disappointing entry of a franchise steering down due to its constant barrage of disjointed special effects driven action sequences woven into a horrible plot lines. It seems that the film makers’ ideas have run aground and they are now churning out sequels purely for financial gain. If and when there is a sixth entry, I do hope it’s taken a little more seriously than this scattershot ‘effort’.

Directed – Anna Foerster

Starring – Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Lara Pulver

Rated – R

Run Time – 91 minutes