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:

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Underworld" was lightly parodied as "The Wreathing" in the 2010 BBC radio/audiobook adaptation of the Simon Brett's "Cast, in Order of Disappearance". The original story (written in 1975) was relocated to the set of the vampire film for the audiobook, and starred Bill Nighy ("Viktor" in the Underworld films) as Charles Paris, a minor British actor and amateur sleuth, engaged to play the role of "Szabec", a middle management vampire in an organised vampire society. The mystery is set around the actors while on and off set for the film. Martine McCutcheon plays a character which is loosely modelled on Kate Beckinsale.

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Goofs

(at around 54 mins) Just after Viktor is awakened we see a white car make a right turn. The street sign is reversed, showing that the image has been flipped.

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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

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

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Connections

References Blade (1998)

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Soundtracks

Now I Know
Written by Danny Lohner
Performed by Danny Lohner (as Renholder)
Additional vocals by Amy Lee

User Reviews

Blood, bullets & Beckinsale

This is another one of those types of films that should not be taken too seriously. If you watch the film from a critical standpoint then you will miss how enjoyable the film can be.

Those who have no interest in vampires etc will not like this film but for those who do, this film is well worth watching. While the script may not be perfect, the actors manage to keep a straight face and are entertaining to watch.

What many will like is the back story of Kate Beckinsale's character and the history between the vampires and the lycans. This may not add a lot of depth to the characters but it succeeds in progressing the story.Both Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy are great as the leaders of two opposing forces. The two steel the film whenever they are on screen.

Since the film is about vampires vs lycans, you can expect a lot of bloody action. The actions scenes can be compared to The Matrix and Equilibrium but they are still fun to watch. Even though some scenes do look dated (the lycans often look like puppets at times) they are still enjoyable to watch.

The sequel may have improved CGI effects but that is not enough for it to triumph over the original.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Sony Pictures Entertainment

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, Screen Gems, Subterranean Productions UK Ltd.

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