Review: Underworld

The third edition of the Underworld franchise is back, lock, stock and flying fangs into werewolves and vampires, writes Rashid Irani.

Underworld : Rise of the lycans
Cast: Michael Sheen, Rhona Mitra
Direction: Patrick Tatapoulos
Rating: **

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The third edition of the Underworld franchise is back, lock, stock and flying fangs into werewolves and vampires.

Our heart sinks, then, as fierce Lycan slaves fight for freedom from their oppressors, the vampires. A Romeo and Juliet kind of romance between the Spartacus-style rebel (Sheen) and the daughter of his nemesis (Bill Nighy, suitably sinister), are a tag-on to the mayhem.

The cliché-clogged spectacle is uninvolving, the animatronics effects listless and production design ripped off from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Admittedly, though, some of the action sequences, like a forest chase, are filmed with stylish vigour. Also, the creature designs by first-time director Tatapoulos himself are quite imaginative. Taking over the role played by Kate Beckinsale in the first two editions, Rhona Mitra powers her way into action-babe mode with sufficient chutzpah.

A 90-minute no-brainer, ...Rise of the Lycans is recommended only for die-hard Underworld fan.