Film Reviews

Underworld: Awakening

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Charles Dance
• Details: US/88mins 18

The fourth instalment in a series that ran out of steam halfway through the first film, this sequel will nonetheless appeal to red-blooded males and latex fetishists everywhere. That said, there really is only so many times Kate Beckinsale can run up a wall in slow motion before you feel like you're watching a computer game with no controller.
Opening with a montage of the shenanigans of the past few movies, Beckinsale tells us that the vampires and lycans (werewolves) have now been found out, and are being hunted and killed by evil human sorts. Both species have gone completely underground, and are still warring with each other as well as the gun-toting, SWAT team gear wearing human race. But instead of handing said SWAT teams their asses like the immortal monsters that they are, they leg it.
You know how I know Beckinsale isn't the big Hollywood star she was expected to be after the first Underworld? 'Cause she just made a fourth one. Listen, that woman is all kinds of stunning and by no means a bad actress - she's suitably broody here and seems to be really enjoying the action stuff. But these films weren't that good to begin with and are basically along the same lines of the god awful Resident Evil franchise. It's meant as slick, empty fun and that's exactly what it is - sans the fun part this time out.
While the 18 cert is a little harsh considering the cartoony nature of the violence, this is definitely the goriest of the series. That, the endless slow motion shots of Beckinsale's tightly encased arse and the general gothic atmosphere should see this find a very specific audience - those with modems to slow to download movies of a more adult variety.

Review by Mike Sheridan