4. Underworld
Why it was good: For a movie about warring vampires and werewolves – sorry, Death Dealers and Lycans – director Len Wiseman was able to craft a memorably stylish and surprisingly complex tale of supernatural lore. Kate Beckinsale was sexy as hell as Seline and Michael Sheen and Bill Nigh chewed the scenery with glee as Lucian and Viktor, the respective leaders of their clans. The scope was broadened for Underworld: Evolution but the gothic aesthetics remained and the action was as crisp as ever, hinting that there may be more of the story to tell – or maybe not.
The turning point: Note to Hollywood big-wigs: every time you need to turn to prequel territory to extend your franchise it means you’re just distilling your own urine and calling it spring water. Add in the fact that your lead abandoned the production and things aren’t looking quite so put together. As glad as I was to have Sheen and Nigh back for Rise of the Lycans, the “Underworld” series was clearly running on fumes.
Why it needs to die: The return of Beckinsale to this year’s Underworld: Awakening seemed like wonderful news – our spandex-clad heroine has returned and with it the spark that made the original worth noticing! Or such was my feeling until I struggled through the unholy, cheap-looking mess that was “Awakening.” A glimmer of interesting ideas only served to showcase how totally inept the rest of the film was and nearly made me embarrassed I had ever defended the franchise to begin with. But look out, this most recent entry made a pretty penny so if we see a continuation, I wouldn’t be surprised.
