Search - Underworld [Fullscreen]

A young man who has pledged his life to helping others finds himself in a pitched battle between two gangs of supernatural villains in this blend of horror story and action thriller. Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman) is a medical student who is heading home after a long day of school and work when he unexpectedly finds himself in the middle of what appears to be a rumble between two well turned-out street gangs. What Michael doesn't know is he has witnessed a skirmish between two deadly underground communities, unknown to the mortal world, who are battling for supremacy -- the Death Dealers, a tribe of vampires, and the Lycans, a band of werewolves. Selene (Kate Beckinsale) is a leading member of the Death Dealers who hears through the grapevine that the Lycans have plans to capture the aspiring doctor who witnessed their battle. Certain something is in the air, Selene begins following Michael around the city, and she finds herself growing emotionally attached to him. As Selene becomes more attracted to Michael, she becomes more convinced that the Lycans are planning a major attack against the Death Dealers, although vampire kingpin Kraven (Shane Brolly) is certain she's crediting the Lycans with more intelligence than they can muster. As Selene shadows Michael, she finds herself wanting to protect him, but her longing becomes a handicap when he's attacked by Lucian (Michael Sheen), the leader of the werewolf community, and the man she wants to save has now become a sworn enemy. Underworld was the first feature film from music video director Len Wiseman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Kate Beckinsale - Selene
Scott Speedman - Michael
Michael Sheen - Lucian
Shane Brolly - Kraven
Bill Nighy - Viktor

The werewolf vs. vampires actionfest Underworld roars to DVD in a packed package from Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment that's sure to please any fan of the gothic, bullet-ridden tale. This Full Screen Special Edition comes with a superb 1.33:1 picture, maintaining the deep blacks and blue hues, which worked so well in the theaters (the more recommended =Widescreen Special Edition is also available). Sound options are relegated solely to a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, whose layers of atmosphere, music, and sound effects create a fine mix for this extremely loud film. Additionally, two commentary tracks are supplied, the first with director Len Wiseman and writers Danny McBride and Kevin Grevioux, with the second featuring creature designer Patrick Tatopoulis, executive producer/visual effects supervisor James McQuaide, and sound designer Claude Letessier. Both commentaries provide an insane amount of behind-the-scenes information, though each one is about as self-gratifying and pompous as you can get -- especially for a film that is such widely considered as un-groundbreaking as Underworld (though extra points do go to Grevioux for showcasing more of his unearthly deep vocal range for the audience).

Filled to the brim with special features, the Featurettes section takes up the most space, as cast and crew alike spew gluttonous amounts of adoration for the film's "originality" and vision through each given clip. This area alone holds almost 45 minutes of footage split between various sections and beginning with the overall making-of documentary (directed by Danny McBride himself), as well as featurettes dedicated to "Creature Effects," "Stunts," along with "Sights and Sounds." The second page of Special Features provides a music video by Finch, storyboard comparisons, two separate TV spots, and a trailers section featuring the original theatrical trailer along with some other bonus horror previews. While the disc is quite stacked in its coverage of the film, the end result tends to leave the viewer rather cold, depending on his or her reaction to the film. If you loved it as much as the filmmakers obviously do, there's no way you could come out happier -- for everyone else, it might seem like a bit of overkill. Gripes aside, though, the disc has a stellar presentation, with flashy animated menus and a fantastic audio/visual transfer that will make your home theater system work for its money.
~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

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