Underworld (2003)

Selene, a vampire warrior, is entrenched in a conflict between vampires and werewolves, while falling in love with Michael, a human who is sought by werewolves for unknown reasons.

Director:

Len Wiseman

Writers:

Kevin Grevioux (story), Len Wiseman (story)

Stars:

Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Beckinsale	...	Selene
Scott Speedman	...	Michael
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
Kevin Grevioux	...	Raze
Zita Görög	...	Amelia
Dennis J. Kozeluh	...	Dignitary (as Dennis Kozeluh)
Scott McElroy	...	Soren
Todd Schneider	...	Trix
Sándor Bolla	...	Rigel

Storyline

A war has been raging between the Vampires and Lycan for centuries, Selene (Beckinsale) is a death dealer, assigned to hunt down and eradicate the last of the Lycan. When she comes across Michael Corvin (Speedman) who holds the key to end the war she must decide where her allegiances will lie.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | vampire bite | blood | death | strong female character | 

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Taglines:

On September 19th, all Hell breaks loose.

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Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence/gore and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Sony Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA UK Germany Hungary

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Underworld

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,753,759, 21 September 2003

Gross USA:

$51,970,690

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$95,708,457

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lakeshore Entertainment, Subterranean Productions UK Ltd., Underworld Produktions GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min 133 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS (8 channels)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The underground tunnels used for the Lycan/vampire battle at the end of the movie were mostly shots of the same small rubble set, but shot from different angles and lighting in order to make it look like different locations underground. During the DVD commentary, director Len Wiseman laughed at this fact and pointed out the scenes in which this trick photography was used.

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Goofs

(at around 49 mins) In the security office that looks over Viktor's tomb, the Quickcam jumps from the top of one of the monitors to the desk between shots.

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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, it seemed, was in our grasp, the very birthright of the vampires. Nearly six centuries had passed since that night, yet the ancient feud proved unwilling to follow Lucian to the grave. Though Lycans were fewer in number, ...

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Crazy Credits

The Lakeshore Entertainment logo is shaded blood red.

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Alternate Versions

In the original release of the movie, Jázmin Dammak played the part of Sonja, Viktor's daughter, in the flashback scenes, however after the release of Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, a version is available (most notably on U.S. Netflix) where scenes with Rhona Mitra were inserted in place of the original scenes.

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Connections

Featured in Fang vs. Fiction (2003)

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Soundtracks

Bring Me the Disco King (Loner Mix)
Written by David Bowie
Performed by David Bowie
Courtesy of ISO Records/Risky Folio Inc./Columbia Records
Under license to Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Expect Nothing, get a little more

I enjoyed Underworld. I expected it to be absurd, awful, plot-less and pointless. While it is certainly not the most brilliant and original story, nor does it teem with insight about the human condition, its not awful, its plot heavy, and it really isn't pointless. It's just a tad absurd, though.

This is the story of a human (Scott Speedman) entangled in a six hundred year old war between vampires and werewolves, and the vampire death dealer (Beckinsale) whose compassion for him permits her to seek the truth in ways that few of her species have before.

The acting is of variable quality. Kate Beckinsale is wonderfully cute, and does a pretty fair job of acting when she's not doing a Keanu Reeves/Neo impression. Michael Sheen provides a great supporting performance. Shane Brolly isn't really up to the task, in my opinion.

The script is good, although it's full of clichés. The editing and directing are both impeccable, and help to move everything along at an entertaining and brisk pace.

This is a fun action-oriented film, with stylish darkness and enough originality to make it worth seeing. Mildly recommended for vampire and werewolf fans.