REVIEW: Underworld: Awakening
Kate Beckensale is back as Selene in the fourth installment to the Underworld franchise. Underworld: Awakening begins six months after the events of Underworld: Evolution. Humans have discovered the existence of Vampires and Lycans (Werewolves). They begin a war against both races, trying to eradicate the species. In an attempt to escape, Selene and Michael are on the run, but are captured. We flash forward 12 years to Selene waking up from a cryogenic slumber. From the opening scene this does not feel like an Underworld movie. Everything feels off. Underworld has always had an interesting premise, and I liked the universe they created. Underworld: Awakening does its best to completely ignore the grittiness, and tone it has established in previous films.
Awakening is directed by first time directors to the franchise, Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein. However, every frame of this movie feels like what would happen if Uwe Boll, and Paul W.S. Anderson got together for a cup of tea on a Tuesday morning. This movie does not feel like part of the franchise. What made Underworld interesting were the elder Vampires and the never ending war between them and the Lycan. There was solid story telling in the relationships between the Vampires, how they operated, and what started the war. The three previous movies told a good story with interesting characters. None of the new characters in the new film matter. They are all boring, you don’t care about them, and they are so one dimensional you hope they perish in every fight scene.
There are so many things wrong with Underworld: Awakening it’s hard to focus on just a few. There are no redeeming qualities to this film, it is bad from the start, and just gets worse as it goes on. It looks like a cheap TV produced movie. The Lycan all look like horrible CGI running around. Selene has magic pistols with unlimited ammo until the story requires her to run out. Her aim is also very dependent on what the script wants. She can shoot a Lycan with a headshot from across a room one minute, but can’t hit one 10 feet away in a ventilation shaft the next. The idea the humans are able to defeat both species is laughable. Nothing makes sense in this film. Also, bringing a kid into a franchise has never been a wise decision. Underworld: Awakening is a train wreck, and a franchise killer.
RATING: 1 out of 4
Double Spaced Reviews was created for the ADD in all of us. Do you just skim multi-page reviews, or scroll down to the end? We try to keep the review under 300 words, so you can see what we thought without all the filler. If you want us to review something in the future, please drop us a line , we’d love to do it.
Comments