The whole Vampires-versus-Lycans tale leaps back centuries earlier in "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans", a Kate Beckinsale-less prequel to the first two "Underworld" installments, which aside from providing viewers an extended look at the franchise's oh-so detailed mythology, has virtually no innovations to offer to keep it from being derivative. That the narrative is also predictably headed to a foregone conclusion proves to be the film's greatest undoing in whatever mild interest the script presents in bringing back its implicit societal classes allegories.
Lucian (Michael Sheen) plots to rally his fellow Lycans into freedom from slavery by the aristocratic vampires ruled by Viktor (a barbarous Bill Nighy) but such goal is complicated by Lucian's clandestine romance with the latter's daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra), a mere subscript to Lucian's expanded role. While Mitra adequately steps up as the story's central enchantress, her character's reduction to a deliberate plot device makes one wish for Beckinsale's cheesy-yet-sexy fight scenes, which are the predecessors' selling point.
Long-time creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos steps behind the camera and his film (written by Danny McBride, Dirk Blackman, and Howard McCain) still captures the viciously frigid environment co-creator and erstwhile "Underworld" director Len Wiseman have brought. But the chintzy amusement, while still there, is scant, no thanks to a rote product that recalls its predecessors' B-movie goodness with not much success, and its confusing action scenes and perpetually dark cinematography that can't mask the absence of the genuine excitement in this third-rounder that's showing signs of debilitation. It's just the beginning, says Lucian. Yet somehow, it feels as if it's way past its zenith.
Lucian (Michael Sheen) plots to rally his fellow Lycans into freedom from slavery by the aristocratic vampires ruled by Viktor (a barbarous Bill Nighy) but such goal is complicated by Lucian's clandestine romance with the latter's daughter Sonja (Rhona Mitra), a mere subscript to Lucian's expanded role. While Mitra adequately steps up as the story's central enchantress, her character's reduction to a deliberate plot device makes one wish for Beckinsale's cheesy-yet-sexy fight scenes, which are the predecessors' selling point.
Long-time creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos steps behind the camera and his film (written by Danny McBride, Dirk Blackman, and Howard McCain) still captures the viciously frigid environment co-creator and erstwhile "Underworld" director Len Wiseman have brought. But the chintzy amusement, while still there, is scant, no thanks to a rote product that recalls its predecessors' B-movie goodness with not much success, and its confusing action scenes and perpetually dark cinematography that can't mask the absence of the genuine excitement in this third-rounder that's showing signs of debilitation. It's just the beginning, says Lucian. Yet somehow, it feels as if it's way past its zenith.