Underworld Blood Wars

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If you’re reading this review, I take it you’re actually interested in the fifth installment of an action-horror vampire/werewolf franchise; so, let’s make that leap and go a little beyond pointing fingers at the (supposed) lack of ‘originality’ or ‘depth’ of the script, right? Okay.
Taking the movie as it is, its main purpose (entertainment) and audience in mind, I can *definitely* say that it delivers: way better than the last one (Underworld Awakening), Blood Wars is never boring, extremely fast-paced and the Selene we have here is less robotic and much more developed than we’ve seen her before.
Also, and quite surprisingly, it expands the story’s universe a bit, both creating a radically different vampire coven (in tone and aesthetic), while also revisiting the medieval eastern-european kind we had previously been introduced to in the original 2003 movie. By the end of Blood Wars, I guess fans will be pleased to see that if this is the end for Underworld, then there’s a vague sense of closure that there hadn’t been before (as much closure as it is possible with immortal creatures amidst a war), but if it’s not the end, then it’s evident that there’s still plenty of life left for the franchise.

P.S. Wonderful to see how invested Kate Beckinsale is in her character after all these movies. It really makes all the difference.

-Thiago Sardenberg

After a mediocre prequel and lackluster, inconclusive sequel, it seemed like 2006’s Underworld: Evolution may have been the last good Underworld movie. But Blood Wars was surprisingly good, feeling more like a proper entry than the medieval prequel Rise of the Lycans and sci-fi action Awakening. Blood Wars builds heavily on all previous entries in the series and neither ends in a cliffhanger nor closes off the series. Very light spoilers from here on out, but if you like the series but are skeptical in recent years, GET IT.

Many more films could be made, but it gives closure to a great many elements of the plot and finally gives us some answers as to where Michael has been, albeit in a slightly unsatisfying way, but it gives us some closure. While there is a recap at the beginning, not everything is spelled out though not as if it was written poorly, but in a way that suggests the writers didn’t underestimate the audience’s intelligence, something I’d love to see more of in Hollywood films. That being said, it may confuse newcomers to the series who don’t have a friend on hand to explain certain elements. While the original Underworld is the best in the series, I would say Blood Wars is the quintessential “vampires vs. werewolves” movie as it focuses more on the war than the politics of the vampires as the first did.

That being said, it’s a refreshing return to form, finally giving us a look at another two covens and interesting new splinter factions of both Vampires and Lycans, and still a healthy amount of vampire politics, as well as an abundance of creative plot-driven action scenes with both swords, guns, and claws. Sadly, after watching this immediately after Rise of the Lycans and Awakening, the CGI for the Lycans has not improved very much, but there are enough practical stand-ins to make them believable, and I expect a lot of the budget was spent Tarkinizing, if you will, the likenesses of two characters from past films onto new actors (only a few seconds each just enough to settle the plot)

The series has had its ups and downs, but I’m very glad to see this return to form with what is in some aspects the best of the series, undoubtedly the best since Evolution. While it leaves you wanting more, the main plot threads have all been wrapped up but could still be expanded upon if the war were to rage another five movies. Give it a go.

– David the Wavid

I have completed the series now, five movies. I’ve always enjoyed these movies. First, I’m into vampires and second, I think these are some excellent vampire movies. An interesting exploration into the relationship between vamps and Lycans(werewolves). Their history… Characters are easy to get to know and the action starts before the title of the movie is revealed, so it gets you right into the action. This is the case in all in each movie in the series. They have a film noir look to them, which I found added to the “flavor” of the movies. I keep hoping there will be at least one more…with the daughter, a hybrid, who was revealed in the 5th film. If you like vamps or werewolves, you should easily enjoy these! :)-gr8lady5260

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