REVIEW: ‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’

Rhona Mitra. She's Awful Purty, Ain't She?

Len Wiseman and Danny McBride’s semi-gothic, all supernatural tale of a seemingly neverending war between vampire and lycan continues it’s death-dealing march across the silverscreen in the third installment. And an interesting installment this third tale is.

McBride is back at the helm as writer, along with Patrick Tatopoulos manning the director’s chair. Familiar faces all around, with the inimitable Bill Nighy as Viktor, Michael Sheen as Lucian and, thankfully, Kevin Grevioux back for business as Raze. Taking a formidable place alongside Viktor (and Lucian) is Rhona Mitra as Sonja.

In an age of prequels, it’s something the audience has almost come to expect of the franchise film. At some point, it seems, every franchise film must go back to its own roots and explore the reasons behind its own arc. So McBride has taken us back to as close to the beginning as need be in order to show us why Lucian betrayed his so-called benefactors in order to become the leader of the lycans that we’ve come to know from two previous films. It’s an intricate tale, and not at all unfamiliar.

Forbidden love is the theme here, and one has to credit McBride (and Wiseman) for rooting the supernatural tale in something so human that virtually any moviegoer (with a strong stomach for blood) can appreciate and, perhaps even relate to. Those familiar with the previous films already know that Lucian bore a hefty burden for centuries after the death of Viktor’s own daughter, the aforementioned Sonja. Glimpses had been given as to why, and this third installment opens the door and sheds light on this burden.

Slaves, the lycans were chained, forced to labor at night and guard the vampires during the day. Fiercely loyal, Lucian was more than simply a slave. He believed in honor, thoughtfulness and, above all, rising above the animal kept at bay within him. The feral werewolves (sired, of course, by William Corvinus, Markus’s brother, son of Alexander Corvinus) had already begun to present a problem for the vampires. In an early scene, Lucian dispatches several of William’s pack. When asked if he felt anything when killing them, he replied he did not, for they were merely animals, incapable of thought and feeling. Lucian was, though chained and kept like an animal himself, on the rise within the ranks. Even Viktor himself confessed to having a tendency to favor him (to the point that certain counsel members referred to Lucian as ‘Viktor’s Pet’).

But things go amiss as forbidden love (as it always seems to) is eventually outed.

I won’t spoil the rest for you. Suffice it to say that the end result of the truth being revealed is bad for everyone concerned.

There were more than a few issues with both the direction and the visual effects of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

Tatopoulos’s direction was at times vague, other times dragging.  There was a lack of confidence with a film needing a heavy hand. When one’s effects department is slinging blood across the screen like water to a fire, a deft hand is needed to make certain that the pacing remains consistent. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. The action would rev to a fever pitch, then stall in the middle, leaving the viewer to feel a lack of satisfaction to an otherwise brutal bit of battling. There were moments where Tatopoulos would find his rhythm, but these moments were the exception, rather than the rule. It’s forgivable, especially noting his lack of directorial experience. Peter Martin of Cinematical notes that the direction was, “just fine for his first time in the feature director’s chair.” However, the viewer may leave the theater wishing that a more seasoned director had done the job.

Tatopoulos shined, however, during the quieter moments. He brought with him the sensibility to understand his actors, to step out of their way when needed and let them do what they do best. After all, when one has Bill Nighy, direction is not of the utmost importance (although Richard Corliss of Time Magazine chooses to downgrade Nighy’s zealous chops to mere overacting. To each his own, but at least Corliss got one thing right: you will savor Nighy’s presence.). What is important is to give the man his lines and let him work. Nighy’s portrayal of Viktor has not ceased to impress since the moment he stepped into the role. ‘The devil you know,’ Viktor says to a human noble as he holds him feet off the ground, and the viewer gets the sense that it would perhaps have to be Satan himself to wield a more forceful and fearful presence.

And then, of course, there’s Michael Sheen.

Sheen’s Lucian is as much a force to be reckoned with as Viktor, and Sheen stepped back into the role as though he’d never been out of character once. For me, this was a good percentage of the film’s fun. Sheen is (like Nighy) able to convey a bevy of emotions with no more than his face. Once again, Tatopoulos knew his actor, and kept the camera trained on Sheen’s face for much of his screen time. And whatever Sheen was paid for this film, it was worth it. The range of emotion he had to convey throughout the 92 minutes was impressive. And, again, fun. Sheen’s presence onscreen is palpable. It would be difficult to find an actor better able to hold his own alongside the likes of Nighy.

As noted previously, Kevin Grevioux is back as Raze. I thoroughly enjoyed his character in the first film, and was quite glad to see him back. Grevioux is one big fellow, but he is more than the sum of his bulk. There’s a strange vulnerability to him that he keeps in check. He reveals it only long enough to remain very likable. Then he puts it away in order to kick ass. And kick ass he does. His backstory was interesting and relevant to the mythology, and his immediate connection to Lucian explained quite a lot. Let’s face it: if anyone besides Lucian deserves immortality as a lycan, it’s Raze.

When I had first read that Rhona Mitra would play Sonja, I had my misgivings. Especially after that disaster Doomsday. But apart from her obviously striking looks, Mitra was in excellent form as Viktor’s daughter. She was hard as nails one moment, soft and caring the next. It did not feel forced nor contrived. Indeed, the chemistry between Mitra and Sheen was comfortable; even moving at times. The two managed to make the viewer want to root for them, though the inevitable end was going to happen.

The visual effects were not up to par with the film’s story or the acting. More than several times I found myself having to dismiss entire scenes; excusing the poor effects because the story was fun and the acting good. One of the draws for me for the first (and second) film was the unique way the werewolves looked. This look found its way into the film, but the visual effects left me wanting. I could vividly remember scenes from the first film. Transformations that, though perhaps not jaw-dropping, were at least impressive. Not so much with this third film. Both the feral werewolves and the human-based lycans looked, at times, damn near cheesy, (human based Lycans both during and after transformation). A shame, too, as these human animals were on screen quite a bit. However, this was, again, forgivable, as the story brought the filmmaking above itself, resulting in, for myself at least, a very entertaining film.

Last but certainly not least, McBride managed to slip in some excellent writing. There was a humor element to the film that broke the tension in several places. So much so that there was laughter in the theater. Try to find that with your average vampire or werewolf film. And Tatopoulos deserves credit as well, for pacing these elements in such a way as to give the viewer almost a sense of relief at being able to laugh at something amid the gore and heavy themes.

All in all, I’d have to say that Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is worth the exhorbitant ticket price. I’d gladly see it again. And, furthermore, I’m excited to go back and watch the first film, knowing what I know now. I often am annoyed by prequels, as part of the fun of any story is being able to imagine for one’s self the beginnings. But McBride and crew hit the mark with this one, giving the viewer just enough backstory to add to (not take away from—Lucas, I’m looking at you) an already fun, imaginative franchise.