Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – Blu Ray Review

The Film:

While I don’t think there was anyone that really wanted a second sequel to the Underworld films, let alone a prequel, the fact that Patrick Tatopolulos directed it to be a decent film with great werewolf-err, Lycan action should be commended. Essentially, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is the back story we’ve seen glimpses of during the first film. Lucian (Michael Sheen) is a cherished slave, forced to kill his own kind, yet is in love with Viktor’s (Bill Nighy) daughter Sonja (a perfectly cast Rhona Mitra).

That’s basically it plot-wise, simple, effective (in terms of delivering what fans wanted to see) but the overall product has a stale taste to it. First some of the positives were Sheen and Nighy chewing scenery up like a starved homeless men at a buffet. They’re both great fun, always are. Like I said before, the Lycans are really cool to see in action, more so here than in the previous films. Perhaps the budget was bigger or the CG got cheaper, but they look great in action. It’s probably helped by the dark cinematography (although at times, too dark) and that the director, Patrick Tatopolulos was a former FX man, so his knowledge of FX and staging them are better suited here than what Wiseman did in the first two.

Lycans moves fast, barely slowing down for anything, which is wise because most of this was sort of explained already in the first film through flashbacks. To me, that’s one of this film’s problems and perhaps it was inevitable, but there’s little excitement or interest in the proceedings because it is well covered ground. If you’ve seen the first film more than once, you’ll know about the blood feud between Viktor of the vampires and Lucian of the Lycans, how Selene (Kate Beckinsale)was born, and the birth of the Death Dealers. If you are new to this franchise, well, the film might be better because of that, for me it was stale. The script offered nothing new, it was predictable therefore, hurting it. I know it needed to tie in the first film and offers a clever cameo of a key character at the end, so while the film is decent, it’s just an unfortunate case of been-there-done-that.

At least on a creature-feature side, it works.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: I was very eager to watch this in high def, and while it looks good, it isn’t mind-blowing like one would think. The details are fine, the blue tint the film had well-represented, but minor defects like in the end scenes, take away from what should be an amazing transfer. Don’t get me wrong, most won’t notice, unless you’re a tech guru. Audio wise this is one aggressive track. Swords tinging, wovles growls, deep bass, a great track through and through.

Commentary: Featuring the director Patrick Tatopolulous, writer Len Wiseman, and the producers, this track offers a nice collection of tidbits from these guys on the making of the film and of the series. Maybe for fans only, but a worthwhile listen if one chooses so.

From Script to Screen: This 9 minute feature is pretty standard fluff. Nothing of too great interest, and is short enough to watch once. Commentary offers better insights on the making though.

Origin of the Feud: I guess in case you saw this film first or are dumb enough to forget things, this is a recap of the series and why wolves hate vamps. Yawn.

Recreating the Dark Ages: This is one of the better features on the disc, since it focuses on the set design for the film in nice interviews, set visits, and offers some real info. Worth checking out.

There’s some HD only extras but nothing to exciting.

Conclusion: A decent Blu Ray release, lackluster extras, making this one an easy, safe rental-especially for fans.

Rating: