The Underworld franchise is one of the most popular werewolf v. vampire films to ever grace the movie screens mostly because of their reliance on action over horror and of the star power of Kate Beckinsale but the latest film in the franchise Underworld: Rise of the Lycans does not have a return visit from Beckinsale because this film is a prequel to the previous films. Instead it relies on the returning cast members of Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Kevin Grevioux, and Steven Mackintosh, and newcomer Rhona Mitra, to tell the story that started the war between lycans and vampires.
Lucian (Sheen) is chief lycan to Viktor (Nighy) whose reign is being threatened by rogue lycans that lie just outside Viktor’s gates ready to kill anyone who gets in their way. Viktor’s daughter Sona (Mitra) is a warrior at heart but is also having a secret affair with Lucian. This love affair is forbidden as the two are from different species of which Viktor is stop at nothing to prevent the union from happening even if it means killing his own daughter. Now Lucian finds himself having to bring all lycans together as one unified species in order to be free of Viktor’s tyranny and to save the woman he loves. Along for the ride is Tannis (Mackintosh), who returns in this film after being introduced in the previous film Evolution, and Raze (Grevioux), one of the most popular lycans from the first film, whose origins are seen here.
Screenwriter Danny McBride returns for the third go around with assistance from writers Dirk Blackman & Howard McCain and it shows as this third film effortlessly returns audiences to the Underworld universe (and it ends with the events at the beginning of the first film). Nighy, who has been in all three films, is a welcomed assurance that this new film won’t just be a means to squeeze every dime out of the franchise.
The film works on many levels and for those who were missing the lycans from the previous film there is plenty of lycan carnage in this film. Rise of the Lycans is a welcomed continuation of the series and leaves certain things of the story open for another sequel.
Lucian (Sheen) is chief lycan to Viktor (Nighy) whose reign is being threatened by rogue lycans that lie just outside Viktor’s gates ready to kill anyone who gets in their way. Viktor’s daughter Sona (Mitra) is a warrior at heart but is also having a secret affair with Lucian. This love affair is forbidden as the two are from different species of which Viktor is stop at nothing to prevent the union from happening even if it means killing his own daughter. Now Lucian finds himself having to bring all lycans together as one unified species in order to be free of Viktor’s tyranny and to save the woman he loves. Along for the ride is Tannis (Mackintosh), who returns in this film after being introduced in the previous film Evolution, and Raze (Grevioux), one of the most popular lycans from the first film, whose origins are seen here.
Screenwriter Danny McBride returns for the third go around with assistance from writers Dirk Blackman & Howard McCain and it shows as this third film effortlessly returns audiences to the Underworld universe (and it ends with the events at the beginning of the first film). Nighy, who has been in all three films, is a welcomed assurance that this new film won’t just be a means to squeeze every dime out of the franchise.
The film works on many levels and for those who were missing the lycans from the previous film there is plenty of lycan carnage in this film. Rise of the Lycans is a welcomed continuation of the series and leaves certain things of the story open for another sequel.
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