Underworld: Blood Wars
Reviews
Gimly
Visually has a lot of the things _Underworld_ is known for, but in terms of quality? Well if you liked _Awakening_, you'll like this. Because they're basically the same film. I for one liked neither. _Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product._
Frank Ochieng
Some things will never change within the tedious and surprisingly long-running sci-fi/horror saga **Underworld** film franchise. The vampires will still feature sharp fangs that can pierce a hardened leather sofa with one bite and the werewolves will be hairier than the local women’s wig shop. Of course the curvaceous heroine of this Gothic gumball machine of a flick–_Love & Friendship’s_ Kate Beckinsale–will predictably wear leather-clad attire that will cling to her shapely body tighter than a preschooler hanging on to his mother’s leg because he is scared to enter the classroom for the very first time. What also is expected not to change anytime soon is the sluggish intrigue, overblown supernatural creatures acting more obnoxious than your drunk Uncle Jake wearing a bra at the family cookout and Beckinsale’s womanly warrior Selene acting as the badass bloodsucking babe out to mediate the conflicting forces that persist. Yes folks…you heard correctly that this is the fifth installment of the **Underworld** universe that sits there and makes its presence known with all the force and feisty relevance of unwanted luggage left at the airport. First-time feature director Anna Foerster (from TV’s “Outlander”) takes a crack at instilling some frolicking freshness in the turgid, cheesy **Underworld: Blood Wars**–a banal B-movie confection that Dracula would refuse to acknowledge even if there was a free showing at the local blood bank. Relentlessly flat, unimaginative and woefully recycled, **Blood Wars** offers nothing inviting or challenging for its aforementioned fifth time around the block and should have resisted the need to go beyond its 2003 Len Wiseman-directed release nearly fourteen years ago. Nevertheless, the devoted fanboys gave battleground beauty Beckinsale a theatrical movie gig (along with the rising popularity of the vampires/werewolves craze in cinema) that has lasted for an impressive long time as inexplicable as that sounds. However, lasting power does not necessarily mean a hill of beans with the one-note notion of a former orphaned vampire gal transforming into a beastly butt-kicking wrecking ball as the fatal feuding between the Lycans (a.k.a. “lycanthrope” or werewolves) and vampires escalates to a new level of chaos. Sure, Selene is not exactly as convincingly clever or calculating as Aliens’ Ripley (then again who is, right?) but she certainly is cut out of the same generic cloth as _Resident Evil’s_ Alice (for which pre-dates the **Underworld** experience as well as offering a longer string of sequels). Foerster assures that **Underworld: Blood Wars** wastes no time in getting to the punchy antics of its silly-minded action sequences–some mired in empty-headed fun while other takes are needlessly monotonous. Screenwriters Cory Goodman and Kyle Ward stock up on the fluffy cliches of this toothless tease of a frivolous fable as the thin plot flies every which way more than Beckinsale’s golden locks during a heated scuffle. Sophomoric dialogue, formulaic confrontations and the dullness of opposing fierce factions set aside **Blood Wars** does make reasonable usage of its lethal leather-wearing lass Selene/Beckinsale in eye-rolling combat and the CGI visuals are engaging when not looking choppy in some instances. The fact that Selene has to negotiate some compromise for either side does introduce some slight sense of tension amid the roguish warfare and Beckinsale sells this quite accordingly to a certain degree. However, **Blood Wars** will definitely serve as comfort junk food for those legions of followers that have familiarized themselves with Selene’s jolting journey as she maneuvers through the manic mess that involves her blood-thirsty species taking on the hellish hairballs that are the defiant Lycans. For first-time **Underworld** viewers or the casual crowd they will witness an under-cooked, ridiculously trite terror tale of an actioner that is sure to leave **Blood Wars** as nothing more than a false sense of second-hand stimulation. A generic exercise in the making, Foerster’s brooding bombshell in Beckinsale’s Selene is serviceable for a fifth go-around but that is really not saying too much given that the material never seems to revolve her from some of her past misadventures through the four previous **Underworld** entries. The supporting players–such as Charles Dance’s elder vampire Thomas, Theo James’s David (the male Selene perhaps?), Lara Pulver’s Semira and Tobias Menzies’s Marius–are accomplished performers in their own right but they add little atmosphere to the hackneyed hedonism that toils within this supernatural stupor. No need to put the stake through the heart of these returning vampires and werewolves because they have proven time in and time out over again that the sultry Selene and her creature feature bickering buddies are not budging anytime soon after almost fifteen years of conjuring up surreal nonsense. Kinda makes you consider putting a stake through your own chest, huh? **Underworld: Blood Wars** (2017) Lakeshore Entertainment 1 hr. 31 mins. Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Charles Dance, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, James Faulkner, Clementine Nicholson, Peter Andersson Directed by: Anna Foerster MPAA Rating: R Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror/Action & Adventure/Fantasy Critic’s rating: * 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars) (c) **Frank Ochieng** (2016)
ColinJ
You know what to expect by now. This series has been going on so long now that this movie almost comes across as a throwback, since it's still drenched in all the post-MATRIX visual cliches. Beckinsale is as remarkably photogenic as ever, but the camera never lingers on her face for more than about two seconds. The running time is as tight as her costume, and it feels rushed. We have a few decent fight scenes but the gunplay is just a mush of noise with very little in the way of cool choreography. Still, there's fun to be had watching the gore and all the scenery-chewing that's going on.
StbMDB
This franchise was a thing back then when the Matrix phenomenon was at force but now a days they should let it rest, otherwise a cluster of nonsense, much like the Resident Evil movie franchise, it is sure to become. In other words the movie ain't that bad but this entry is just franchise milking at this point. I wouldn't mind if it would be made a video game franchise though.
Per Gunnar Jonsson
I think it is fairly safe to say that if you did not like any of the other installments in the Underworld movie series then you will not like this one. As usual with these kind of movies it is one where you preferably switch of most higher brain functions before watching and just sit down and enjoy the show. The movie is certainly not a masterpiece when it comes to story and script. Actually the script is, at times, fairly crappy. There are for example a sequence were the Lycans are attacking the stronghold castle of the Vampires and the script writer taught it was a good idea to just let them drive straight into the center of the castle and breach the door before they got challenged. What the f…? On the whole the script is a typical Hollywood B-movie concoction that holds little merit. If this would have been the first movie in the series I think there would never had been a series made at all. So why did I like it then? Well, even if the script is nothing to write home about it is not a total disaster and it serves as an excuse to provide 90 minutes of good entertaining Vampire vs Lycan action. Plain and simple. Of course Kate Beckinsale is a good reason for liking the movie as well. Her moving around in her intimidating (and good looking) skintight clothes slashing up Lycans in various creative ways makes up for some of the not so stellar script. I probably pissed of a bunch of feminists there but it is not really like a care about that. The action and the CGI is reasonably well done and another reason to like the movie. Actually, come to think about it, Kate Beckinsale, the action and the CGI is pretty much the reasons I liked this movie. They could have selected a more charismatic bad guy though. For most of the movie I felt Marcus was bland and even a bit dull. It is not the best movie in the series but it does not exactly shame the series either. For me, I have to rate my enjoyment of it as above average compared to movies in general.
Reno
**The mission Eve has begun!** Like any guys from before the 90s, I was too a big fan of Beckinsale. There's no one can match her beauty, even to her age of today. That does not mean all her films are good. She has stopped doing good films a while ago. Every time when her films get released, I was hoping for her comeback like the old days, either a pure drama or an action film. No, not this film. It is what, the fifth in the franchise and the feature film debut for the directress of the television series. As always, worth watching for Kate. The story continued, and it focused on the remaining vampires fighting for their survival against their arch-rival, Lycans. That's where the Selene caught between. But this time, it was about looking for her daughter, Eve, who holds the key to the future of these immortals. So the action begins where everybody clashes, racing towards their destination. The first three were the good ones. This and the previous ones were downgraded the decent series. The makers are already working on the sixth. Definitely not expected, after seeing this particular film. But I hope it comes back to the original course with good story, actions, graphics and all. This was simply based on one liner, and the rest of the film leaned towards the stunt sequences. Okay to watch once, but I'm not sure worth of spending 90 minutes for it. So if you want to, then it is good to keep update to follow when the time comes to try the next ones. _4/10_
DanDare
Kate Beckinsale is back as Selene in Underworld:Blood Wars. Director Anna Foerster helpfully recaps the Underworld franchise, useful as they are in main forgettable films apart from the vision of Beckinsale in skin tight black leather. Blood Wars also gives us a lovely vision of Lara Pulver's treacherous vampire Semira in a dress that is just about held up by tape on her breasts. The Lycans led by new leader Marius are slaughtering vampires are on the brink of victory. Marius pursues Selene as he needs her daughter's blood. Selene meanwhile has tried to make amends with the vampire elders with the help of David and his father but soon finds herself betrayed. The plot is rather silly and illogical, the action is at least fast and furious, the CGI is a little cheap looking.
CinemaSerf
Unashamedly, I really quite enjoyed the first two films in this franchise. The next two were poor and poorer still, and this one really is the nadir. Kate Beckinsale reprises her role as the rogue outcast "Selene", only this time she must ally with the swarthy "David" (Theo James) who is the son of vampire supremo "Thomas" (Charles Dance). Thing is, the ambitious "Semira" (Lara Pulver) and her militant toyboy "Varga" (Bradley James) have other plans for their coven - and in the face of the resurgent and emboldened Lycan "Marius" (Tobias Menzies) the battle lines are drawn for some internecine plotting, backstabbing and all out war. To be fair, it doesn't hang around and Anna Foerster doesn't let the black leather-clad Miss Beckinsale keep her feet on the ground for long (or very often) but that's really the snag. There isn't really much of a story and what there is is all gummed up by some really lacklustre efforts from pretty much all concerned. It misses the simple dynamic of the earlier iterations that featured a smaller, tighter cast with a much more entertaining and menacing story. It does pick up a little at the end, but I think this was just one too many for the characters and it misses Scott Speedman - and that's not a thing you read every day!
Movie Recommendation
Underworld: Awakening2012-01-19Having escaped years of imprisonment, vampire warrioress Selene 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.More...
Underworld: Endless War2011-11-16Follows Selene across 3 separate periods in history as she hunts a group of Lycan brothers.More...
Underworld: Evolution2006-01-12As the war between the vampires and the Lycans rages on, Selene, a former member of the Death Dealers (an elite vampire special forces unit that hunts werewolves), and Michael, the werewolf hybrid, work together in an effort to unlock the secrets of their respective bloodlines.More...
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans2009-01-22A prequel to the first two Underworld films, this fantasy explains the origins of the feud between the Vampires and the Lycans. Aided by his secret love, Sonja, courageous Lucian leads the Lycans in battle against brutal Vampire king Viktor. Determined to break the king's enslavement of his people, Lucian faces off against the Death Dealer army in a bid for Lycan independence.More...
Underworld2003-09-19Vampires and werewolves have waged a nocturnal war against each other for centuries. But all bets are off when a female vampire warrior named Selene, who's famous for her strength and werewolf-hunting prowess, becomes smitten with a peace-loving male werewolf, Michael, who wants to end the war.More...
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter2016-12-23Picking up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, Alice is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity's final stand against the undead. Now, she must return to where the nightmare began - The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.More...
Assassin's Creed2016-12-21Through a technology that unlocks the generic memories of his ancestor in 15th century Spain, Callum Lynch discovers he is a descendant of an ancient line of Assassins and amasses lethal skills to take on the oppressive Templar Order.More...
Office Christmas Party2016-11-25When Carol Vanstone, CEO of the technology company Zenotek, expresses her intention to close the Chicago branch, run by her brother Clay, he and his co-workers organize a Christmas party in an effort to impress a potential client and save their jobs. But the party gets out of control…More...
Dracula 20002000-12-22When a team of techno-savvy thieves break into a high-security vault, they don't discover priceless works of art... they find a crypt unopened for 100 years.More...
Doctor Strange2016-10-25After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.More...
Last Holiday2006-01-13The discovery that she has a terminal illness prompts introverted department store saleswoman Georgia Byrd to reflect on what she realizes has been an overly cautious life. With weeks to live, she withdraws her life savings, sells all her possessions and jets off to Europe where she lives it up at a posh hotel. Upbeat and passionate, Georgia charms everybody she meets, including renowned Chef Didier. The only one missing from her new life is her longtime crush Sean Matthews.More...
Van Helsing2004-05-03Famed monster slayer Gabriel Van Helsing is dispatched to Transylvania to assist the last of the Valerious bloodline in defeating Count Dracula. Anna Valerious reveals that Dracula has formed an unholy alliance with Dr. Frankenstein's monster and is hell-bent on exacting a centuries-old curse on her family.More...
Rings2017-02-01Julia becomes worried about her boyfriend Holt when he explores the dark urban legend of a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after viewing. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a "movie within the movie" that no one has ever seen before.More...
The Magnificent Seven2016-09-14Looking to mine for gold, greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue seizes control of the Old West town of Rose Creek. With their lives in jeopardy, Emma Cullen and other desperate residents turn to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm for help. Chisolm recruits an eclectic group of gunslingers to take on Bogue and his ruthless henchmen. With a deadly showdown on the horizon, the seven mercenaries soon find themselves fighting for more than just money once the bullets start to fly.More...
Live by Night2016-12-25A group of Boston-bred gangsters set up shop in balmy Florida during the Prohibition era, facing off against the competition and the Ku Klux Klan.More...
Spectral2016-12-09A special-ops team is dispatched to fight supernatural beings that have taken over a European city.More...
Passengers2016-12-21A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.More...
Split2017-01-19Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him — as well as everyone around him — as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.More...
I Spit on Your Grave III: Vengeance Is Mine2015-10-01Jennifer Hills is still tormented by the brutal sexual assault she endured years ago. She’s changed identities and cities, reluctantly joining a support group where she begins to piece together a new life. But when her new friend’s murderer goes free and the tales of serial rapists haunt her, Jennifer will hunt down the men responsible and do what the system won’t – make them pay for their crimes in the most horrific ways imaginable. Only this time, no jury may be able to save her.More...
Robinson Crusoe2016-02-04On a tiny exotic island, Tuesday, an outgoing parrot lives with his quirky animal friends in paradise. However, Tuesday can't stop dreaming about discovering the world. After a violent storm, Tuesday and his friends wake up to find a strange creature on the beach: Robinson Crusoe. Tuesday immediately views Crusoe as his ticket off the island to explore new lands. Likewise, Crusoe soon realizes that the key to surviving on the island is through the help of Tuesday and the other animals. It isn't always easy at first, as the animals don't speak "human." Slowly but surely, they all start living together in harmony, until one day, when their comfortable life is overturned by two savage cats, who wish to take control of the island. A battle ensues between the cats and the group of friends but Crusoe and the animals soon discover the true power of friendship up against all odds (even savage cats).More...
Similar Movies
The Rage: Carrie 2
1999-03-12Following the suicide of her only friend, outcast teen Rachel Lang's life begins a downward spiral that will not only affect her but take everyone around her down in horrifying fashion.Elite Squad
2007-10-12In 1997, before the visit of the pope to Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento from BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion) is assigned to eliminate the risks of the drug dealers in a dangerous slum nearby where the pope intends to be lodged.Speed Racer
2008-05-07Speed Racer is a young and brilliant racing driver. When corruption in the racing leagues costs his brother his life, Speed must team up with the police and the mysterious Racer X to bring an end to the corruption and criminal activities.Shooter
2007-03-22A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes horribly awry and disappears, living in seclusion. He is coaxed back into service after a high-profile government official convinces him to help thwart a plot to kill the President of the United States. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, Swagger becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. He goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why, eventually seeking revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.Mutants
2002-01-01Thirteen-year-old Paula lives with her mother on a well-kept estate in a small town surrounded by nice neighbours. But Paula's view of normality has been sharpened by her extensive and consistent diet of horror movies.Fearless
2006-01-26Huo Yuan Jia became the most famous martial arts fighter in all of China at the turn of the 20th Century. Huo faced personal tragedy but ultimately fought his way out of darkness, defining the true spirit of martial arts and also inspiring his nation. The son of a great fighter who didn't wish for his child to follow in his footsteps, Huo resolves to teach himself how to fight - and win.Rambo
2008-01-24In Thailand, ex-Green Beret John James Rambo joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn neighboring Myanmar to rescue a group of Christian aid workers who have been kidnapped by a ruthless local infantry unit.Resident Evil: Extinc...
2007-09-20Years after the Racoon City catastrophe, survivors travel across the Nevada desert, hoping to make it to Alaska. Alice joins the caravan and their fight against hordes of zombies and the evil Umbrella Corp.The Supergirl of Kung...
1975-01-01At her father's deathbed, Little Flower swears she will travel to Shanghai to locate his top students, Mercury and Stone, to revive the Ching Wu Men to beat back the Japanese still in the PRC.Candyman
1992-10-16The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.Superman III
1983-06-17Aiming to defeat the Man of Steel, wealthy executive Ross Webster hires bumbling but brilliant Gus Gorman to develop synthetic kryptonite, which yields some unexpected psychological effects. Between rekindling romance with his high school sweetheart and saving himself, Superman must contend with a powerful supercomputer.The Ferpect Crime
2004-09-10A playboy has the tables turned on him when he finds himself being used as a plaything by an undesirable woman.House of Flying Dagge...
2004-08-03In 9th century China, a corrupt government wages war against a rebel army called the Flying Daggers. A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful rebel out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.Hard to Kill
1990-02-09Mason Storm, a 'go it alone' cop, is gunned down at home. The intruders kill his wife, and think they've killed both Mason and his son too. Mason is secretly taken to a hospital where he spends several years in a coma. His son meanwhile is growing up thinking his father is dead. When Mason wakes up, everyone is in danger - himself, his son, his best friend, his nurse - but most of all those who arranged for his deathDouble Impact
1991-07-31Jean Claude Van Damme plays a dual role as Alex and Chad, twins separated at the death of their parents. Chad is raised by a family retainer in Paris, Alex becomes a petty crook in Hong Kong. Seeing a picture of Alex, Chad rejoins him and convinces him that his rival in Hong Kong is also the man who killed their parents. Alex is suspicious of Chad, especially when it comes to his girlfriend.Red Heat
1988-06-17A tough Russian policeman is forced to partner up with a cocky Chicago police detective when he is sent to Chicago to apprehend a Georgian drug lord who killed his partner and fled the country.Metropolis
2001-05-26In the midst of societal conflict in the futuristic city of Metropolis, Kenichi and his uncle Shunsaku Ban set out to uncover the mystery behind the first human-like robot, Tima.Super Mario Bros.
1993-05-28Mario and Luigi, plumbers from Brooklyn, find themselves in an alternate universe where evolved dinosaurs live in hi-tech squalor. They're the only hope to save our universe from invasion by the dino dictator, Koopa.Conan the Destroyer
1984-06-29Conan is commissioned by the evil queen Taramis to safely escort a teen princess and her powerful bodyguard to a far away castle to retrieve the magic Horn of Dagoth. Unknown to Conan, the queen plans to sacrifice the princess when she returns and inherit her kingdom after the bodyguard kills Conan. The queen's plans fail to take into consideration Conan's strength and cunning and the abilities of his sidekicks: the eccentric wizard Akiro, the warrior woman Zula, and the inept Malak. Together the hero and his allies must defeat both mortal and supernatural foes in this voyage to sword-and-sorcery land.On Deadly Ground
1994-02-18Forrest Taft is an environmental agent who works for the Aegis Oil Company in Alaska. Aegis Oil's corrupt CEO is the kind of person who doesn't care whether or not oil spills into the ocean or onto the land—just as long as it's making money for him.