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

Against the backdrop of an unseen centuries-old war between the sophisticated Vampire clan and the brutish clan of lycanthropes, the Lycans, the lethally alluring vampire assassin and member of the elite "Death Dealers" squad, Selene, has devoted her existence to eradicating the earth's scattered pockets of remaining werewolves. With the death of the Lycans' supreme overlord, Lucian, the vampires' victory seems near; however, when their arch-enemy takes a special interest in the seemingly harmless human doctor, Michael Corvin, Selene will unearth a long-standing conspiracy. Now, treason, deceit, and conflicting feelings stand in the way of truth, forcing Selene to break protocol for the sake of the vampire race. Can a forbidden relationship put in jeopardy her noble quest? Is this the beginning of a new era, and an entirely different war?

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

This Fall, when the battle begins, which side will you choose?

---

Genres:

Action | Fantasy | Thriller

---

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) Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The creators of the series approached Marvel Studios about doing a crossover with the Blade franchise, with Wesley Snipes presumably reprising his role. Marvel declined, saying they wanted to leave the door open to do something with Blade on their own terms.

---

Goofs

(at around 1h 45 mins) When Michael is thrown backwards into a pillar, while fighting Viktor, the rest of the action is normal, while it appears to be that Michael is moving in slow motion. Obvious to the fact that he is being dragged into the pillar, and not very hard.

---

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, ...

---

Crazy Credits

The Lakeshore Entertainment logo is shaded blood red.

---

Alternate Versions

The "Unrated Extended Cut" contains 12 minutes of additional footage and 11 minutes of replacement footage.

---

Connections

Spoofed in How It Should Have Ended: How Underworld Should Have Ended (2006)

---

Soundtracks

Coward
Written by Wes Borland and Danny Lohner
Performed by Renholder

User Reviews

Better than people want to admit

I can understand why some people were unwilling to give this movie a chance. I started out thinking, OK, so Anna Valerious from Van Helsing is now a female Blade! I was wrong! I also went in thinking it was going to be a push button movie with no real twists.

Again I was wrong.

I didn't really see the twist coming at the end (surprising, since I figured out who Kaiser Sosay was!) I liked this move for a lot of reasons. The darkness in the movie wasn't oppressive. The acting was good, and the story strong.

I give it a 7 out of 10.