Underworld (2003)

Director:

Len Wiseman

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Grevioux (story) and
Len Wiseman (story) ...

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

An immortal battle for supremacy.

Plot:

Selene, a beautiful vampire warrior, is entrenched in a war between the vampire and werewolf races. Although she is aligned with the vampires, she falls in love with Michael, a werewolf who longs for the war to end.

Plot Keywords:

Vampire | Love | Death | Werewolf | Blood

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Kate Beckinsale	...	Selene
Scott Speedman	...	Michael Corvin
Michael Sheen	...	Lucian
Shane Brolly	...	Kraven
Bill Nighy	...	Viktor
Erwin Leder	...	Singe
Sophia Myles	...	Erika
Robbie Gee	...	Kahn (as Robby Gee)
Wentworth Miller	...	Dr. Adam Lockwood
Kevin Grevioux	...	Raze
Zita Görög	...	Amelia
Dennis J. Kozeluh	...	Dignitary (as Dennis Kozeluh)
Scott McElroy	...	Soren
Todd Schneider	...	Trix
Sándor Bolla	...	Rigel

Also Known As:

Underworld (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/gore and some language.

Runtime:

121 min | USA:133 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | Germany | Hungary | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

USA:Not Rated (extended version) | France:-12 | Malaysia:18SG | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Iceland:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) (also director's cut) | South Korea:15 (cable rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | Brazil:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 (original rating) | Germany:18 (director's cut) | Mexico:B15 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Trivia:

White Wolf, Inc. and author Nancy A. Collins filed suit against Sony Pictures, Screen Gems, and Lakeshore Entertainment on 4 September 2003 for copyright infringement little more than a week before the theatrical release of Underworld, alleging 17 counts of copyright infringement, and claiming over seventy points of unique similarity between White Wolf's role-playing games, "Vampire: The Masquerade", "Werewolf: The Apocalypse", and their creation, "The World of Darkness", in which the games are set. Nancy A. Collins is the author of a short story, "The Love of Monsters", published in 1994 by White Wolf Inc, and set in the World of Darkness, which she claims the entire plot of Underworld is based on. The suit was settled out of court, for an undisclosed amount.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the ending sequence, when Selene picks up Sonja's necklace, Selene's eyes are brown when she looks around and at Michael; Selene's eyes are supposed to be icy blue.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Selene: [voiceover] The war had all but ground to a halt in the blink of an eye. Lucian, the most feared and ruthless leader ever to rule the Lycan clan, had finally been killed. The Lycan horde scattered to the wind in a single evening of flame and retribution. Victory...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Richard & Judy: (2006-07-19)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Down in the Lab

New Blood For Vampire Legends

"Underworld" is no ordinary horror movie. It tells the tale of a secret war between vampires and werewolves (or as they're called here, lycans). Kate Beckinsale stars as Selene, a lethal assassin on the vampire side. Scott Speedman plays Michael Corvin, a man who finds himself wrapped up in this brutal war. This movie is rather well done, despite all the blood and graphic violence. The look of the movie is dark, Gothic and brooding, which fits very well with the story. The script is interesting, using science to bring the vampire and werewolf legends into the modern age (such as saying the lycans are allergic to silver). The story of the bitter rivalry between to two mythic characters would make a fascinating prequel, and the sequel should follow "Underworld" with real impact as well.