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?

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

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

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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) Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Grevioux stated that the Selene/Michael love-story, with all that went into it, was based on his experiences of interracial relationships.

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Goofs

(at around 33 mins) When Lucian's scientist is mixing Michael's blood in the beaker to find out if it is pure, the amount of fluid in the beaker changes 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

Referenced in Good Bad Flicks: Razor Blade Smile (2017)

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Soundtracks

Judith (Renholder Mix)
Written by Maynard James Keenan and William Howerdel
Performed by A Perfect Circle
Remixed by Danny Lohner and Joshua Eustis
Courtesy of Virgin Records (America), Inc., under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Fantastic film about facing between vampires and werewolves

The movie deals with vampires and werewolves , each other taking on , vampires led by Kate Beckinsale and wolves ruled by Michael Sheen . There is a third starring Scott Speedman, a human whose blood has a terrible secret .

Both groups ,vampires and wolves will confront to obtain their purposes , the fighting will be to death.

The film blends horror ,suspense, struggles , rip-roaring action, thrills, and a little bit of gore and guts.

Set design is of first class , settings are stylized , Gothic buildings, shading slums , all of them originate a spooky and ghoulish atmosphere.

Specials effects are breathtaking , part is made by means of computer generator and part by make-up.

Cinematography is glimmer likeness to stirring soundtrack however has too much rock music and little symphonic music.

Kate Beckinsale is wonderful , she is a true action warrior women, Scott Speedman is nice but is shaded for her.

The flick will appeal to emotion buffs and spooky action lovers.

Rating: 7/10 , good . Well worth seeing.