 ***PLEASE NOTE: A Blu-ray 3D disc is only compatible with 3D Blu-ray players.*** Tagline: Vengeance Returns Kate Beckinsale returns as the ultimate vampire warrioress Selene in Underworld: Awakening, the stunning new installment of the epic saga for the first time in 3D. Having escaped years of imprisonment, she finds herself in a changed world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now Selene must battle the humans and a frightening new breed of super Lycans to ensure the death dealers' survival. Storyline: Mankind discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan species and they begin a war to annihilate the races. When Selene meets with Michael in the harbor, they are hit by a grenade and Selene passes out. Twelve years later, Selene awakes from a cryogenic sleep in the Antigen laboratory and meets the Vampire David. She learns that she had been the subject of the scientist Dr. Jacob Lane and the Vampire and Lycan species have been practically eradicated from Earth. But Selene is still connected to Michael and has visions that she believes that belongs to Michael's sight. However she has a surprise and finds that she has a powerful daughter named Eve that has been raised in the laboratory. Now Selene and David have to protect Eve against the Lycans that intend to use her to inoculate their species against silver. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on April 24, 2012 -- One, two, Selene's coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, these movies are coming quick. Seven, eight, she kills Lycans great. Nine, ten, here comes Underworld again. Ah, the joys of movie franchises: repetitive, unimaginative, and lucrative. They come rapidly and with no remorse, sometimes with no purpose and no reasonable expectations for anything other than more of the same. There might not be as many Underworld movies -- yet -- as there are flicks in a lot of other franchises, but the cold blue nightmare world of Vampires vs. Werewolves apparently has yet to grow old. The franchise now clocks in at four, count 'em four movies, all of them pretty much the same thing except for number three which traveled backwards in time for some fun away from fully automatic pistols and modern technology for a more brutal look at olden warfare with real deadly weapons. But with fangs and sharp teeth and an unquenchable thirst for blood and dismemberment, who needs any weapons? Filmmakers. And audiences. That's who. The original Underworld defined modern movie "cool," the film depicting modern warfare undead and inhuman style, with slick, pretty Vampires who could be straight out of Twilight doing battle with nasty werewolves who are as menacing and deadly as Jacob is pretty. That film was novel, told a good story, and delivered plenty of action. The problem is that Underworld: Awakening looks and sounds and feels the same. The story is different to be sure, but the rhythm, heart, and soul remains Underworld through and through. It's up to each audience to determine whether "more of the same" is worth the price of admission. Vampires and Lycans have been at war for centuries, but they have fought a secret war, out of sight and certainly out of mind of Earth's dominant population: mankind. One vampire, Selene (Kate Beckinsale), is a "death dealer," a powerful vampire warrior capable of great feats, an expert slayer of werewolves whom both sides have come to fear. Now, the war between the Vampires and Lycans has spilled out onto the streets. Man has ceased his battle with one another and directed his collective muscle towards those that are absolutely unlike him. Humankind has taken the fight to both the vampires and werewolves, and it's striving to rid the world of both species, with focus on the vampire-lycan hybrid creatures, the first of its kind being Selene's former lover and one-time human being, Michael Corvin. Selene is used as bait to capture Michael. The operation is successful, and Selene is released from cryosleep from an entity she only knows as "Subject 2." She awakens into a world largely free of vampires and lycans. Mankind has all but succeeded in wiping out both species, but the death dealer finds herself caught in the middle of a newly-brewing war that could shape the course of history for generations to come. Certainly, Underworld Awakening is pretty much just more of the same. As audiences have come to expect from these films, it's silky-smooth and plays with all of the big-budget modern Action movie spit and polish required to mask the thematic shortcomings. The law firm of Mårlind and Stein directs with an even hand, framing the action just so and providing that handsome flashy sheen that gets the adrenaline pumping even when the plot slows down to work through its handful of necessary character development and thematically dramatic moments in between bites and scratches and gunfire. Yet for as ice cool as these scenes look, for as moody as they may be, the plot comes up a little thin. The new characters are flat and forgettable; even the child prodigy just seems to be along for the ride and inserted really only for those two or three shots of her transformed self snarling at whatever it is she intends to fight with eyes blackened and fangs out and ready to bite. Awakening takes the series forward in a logical progression; the idea of bringing the fight to the surface adds much potential for heightened action, increased tension, and all sorts of new and innovative ways to cause Lycan-Vampire mayhem, but the film limits itself to a well-executed but fairly routine car chase on a busy city street and more of the typical behind-the-scenes chaos that was so prevalent in the other two modern-day Underworld films. Where's the massive battle in the middle of a crowded baseball stadium? How about the fight on a packed human subway car resulting in mass carnage? Get the people more involved! Underworld: Awakening never truly takes advantage of its dynamic, at least not to a satisfactory level. But at least Underworld: Awakening is comfortable. Fans will find warmth in the cold blue steely façade that covers the movie. Their blood will pump with the familiar refrain that is Selena's dual full-auto pistols cranking out lead. The inhuman-on-inhuman action comes quickly and spills much blood. Gore is high, the round count is higher, and the action is put together so that it's fast and and fun but not so intense and crazy that viewers cannot keep up with who's fighting who or sort out the specifics of the battle. But for the perfected, well-rehearsed ballets that are the film's many dazzling action scenes, they're absolutely interchangeable with anything else the modern-day films in the series have had to offer. But that's as it should be: Underworld, for all it does and the stories it attempts to weave together, has always been about a good looking girl prancing around in a tight leather suit and twirling guns, blasting anything that looks remotely different than she. Selene is, and remains in this film, a cold-blooded expert killer who wastes her enemies in droves and does so with style. Indeed, it probably matters not whether this is Underworld, Aboveworld, Sidewaysworld, or CuteAndCuddlyPuppiesAndKittensworld; if it features Kate Beckinsale running around in skin-tight leather, well, it's gonna sell! It just so happens the filmmakers have hit the jackpot by combing said female with Vampires and Werewolves. The Underworld films are simply Resident Evil movies, just without zombies and with tighter clothes. More of the same though it may be, Underworld: Awakening is a pretty fun, slick, well-made little film. It's entertaining and quite watchable, an achievement for a fourth-in-the-series film, and that these things are still going strong in theaters and not being dumped directly to video is a testament to the dedication of the series' fan base, or at least to male hormones and testosterone. No matter what, Underworld will always sell if it's got Kate Beckinsale wrapped up in a tight-fitting leather suit and armed to the teeth with machine pistols. This film's plot naturally advances the series but doesn't really take advantage of the possibilities. Still, it's a fun and serviceable little time killer that should satisfy casual and diehard Underworld fans alike. Sony's Blu-ray 3D release of Underworld: Awakening features standout video, classic audio, and a nice collection of extras. Highly recommended. [CSW] -4.1- The D-Box and 3-D fit together seamlessly because this movies was specifically designed for the raw action sequences with their full 3D effects it should be used as a demo only if it will be viewed in its entirety. I really liked it. [V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 10/10 - 3-D 9/10. Cast Notes: Kate Beckinsale (Selene), Stephen Rea (Dr. Jacob Lane), Michael Ealy (Detective Sebastian), Theo James (David), India Eisley (Eve), Sandrine Holt (Lida), Charles Dance (Thomas), Kris Holden-Ried (Quint), Jacob Blair (Officer Kolb), Adam Greydon Reid (Med Tech #1), Catlin Adams (Olivia), Robert Lawrenson (Waterfront Cop), Lee Majdoub (Desk Guard #1), Tyler McClendon (Scientist), Panou (Old City Cop #1). IMDb Rating (05/03/12): 6.5/10 from 35,349 users
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