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| Underworld (Unrated Extended Cut) | 
 enlarge | Directors: David Grabias, Len Wiseman
Actors: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Michael Sheen, Shane Brolly, Bill Nighy
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.94
Buy Used: $3.40
You Save: $16.54 (83%)
New (44) Used (39) Collectible (4) from $3.40
Avg. Customer Rating:  143 reviews
Sales Rank: 5834
Format: Ac-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 134
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: 05194
ISBN: 1404956891
UPC: 043396051942
EAN: 9781404956896
ASIN: B0001WTUH6
Theatrical Release Date: September 19, 2003
Release Date: May 25, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In the Underworld Vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves) a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city s underbelly. No one knows the origin of their bitter blood feud but the balance of power between them turns even bloodier when a beautiful young Vampire warrior and a newly-turned Lycan with a mysterious past fall in love. Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman star in this modern-day action-packed tale of ruthless intrigue and forbidden passion all set against the dazzling backdrop of a timeless Gothic metropolis.System Requirements:Running Time: 121 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: UNRATED UPC: 043396051942 Manufacturer No: 05194
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| Customer Reviews: Read 138 more reviews...
West Side (Transylvania) Story December 7, 2004
113 out of 137 found this review helpful
Boiled down to the fine little dish of steak tar-tar that it is, "Underworld" is the answer to the two horror flick questions you had as a kid:
1)If Dracula and the Wolfman went mano a mano and fang-to-claw, which one would do the thrashing?
2)If Dracula and the Wolfman checked into a cheap motel, got roaring drunk on a case of Night Train, and had a baby, what would it look like?
You get the answer to #1 early and often, which is pretty much what this Transylvania Station is all about. And by the end of "Underworld" you get #2 as well---and trust me, when it's hopping about like an ugly green Mini-Hulk (right down to its one-size-fits-all-monster trunks) you'll wish you hadn't.
You want to know what you're getting when you lace up your thigh-high attitude boots and strap on that trenchcoat for a little midnight fun in Len Wiseman's uber-stylish little monster mash "Underworld"?
Think West Side Story: only here, instead of the Jets and the Sharks angling for a rumble on the other side of the tracks, we have Vampires and Werewolves. Oh, and in "Underworld" nobody breaks into song. Both sides just want to rumble, and the girls just wanna have fun. In the meantime, while not the sharpest stake in the vamp-hunter kitbag, "Underworld" finds its groove, and serves up a bloody two hours of unabashed techno-cool that drinks you dry, trashes the apartment and howls at the moon.
We get dropped into the middle of a war that Celine (the impossibly tasty Kate Beckinsdale)---our supple full-body-suit clad vampiric Death Dealer and narrator---tells us has been "raging for centuries."
On one side of the tracks: the sneering, brutally hip Euro-trashy leather-trenchcoat & hip-sunglasses wearing uber-high-maintenance Vampires. They have posh high-rent neo-Victorian digs, drive around the streets in Jaguars and Maseratis, and have managed to switch up the silver bullets in their glocks and MP-5 submachine guns for something more lethal: liquid silver nitrate, which makes it tougher for their hairy buddies to pull the bullets out. Advantage: Vampires.
On the other side of the tracks: the Salvation Army surplus-wearing tear-your-scalp-off-and-wear-it Werewolves---erm, I mean Lycans, short for Lycanthropes. The Lycans are strictly low-rent, hang out together in what looks like an abandoned public lavatory, and take a bath once every full moon whether they need it or not. Whereas their blood-sucking cousins from the East Side look like they'd be hanging at crazy underground raves when they're not boring each other to tears talking like the Merovingian, the Lycans are strictly the mosh-pit set. Oh, and from what I could tell, there's not a single werewolf girl. C'mon guys---haven't ya heard of "Ginger Snaps"? Bummer. Advantage: Vampires.
That said, the boys have been pumping the rent money they've saved up into super-science research, giving them bullets that encase super-photoelectric magnesium charges (perfect for giving that oncoming vamp a little taste of Club Med sunlight). They also have the upper hand in figuring out how they can mix the bloodlines, bringing the war between Vamp and Lycan to an end. Advantage: Lycans.
And finally, mixing it up with our fanged-kissin' cousins, we have perplexed med student Michael Corvin (played by the annoying Scott Speedman who cashes a check) stalked by Lycan heavies and tagged by Selene, who wants to know why the werewolf army is so eager to get their hands on him.
And that, pretty much, is "Underworld": two hours of movie built around jaw-droppingly gorgeous set-pieces and bouts of total war between locked-and-loaded squads of Things that go Bump in the Night.
Just a note: you'll want to get the Unrated Extended DVD: it fleshes things out, beefs up some supporting characters, and ends with an extended battle sequence---and it's loaded down with plenty of extras you can sink your fangs into.
Plus, the sleeker transfer shows off Wiseman's technical mastery in spades. Wiseman uses sound-stages and CGI to anchor the film's look, and tethers all of it to the fog-shrouded cobbled streets and ancient alleys of Prague: the City itself takes on a bleak and brooding character. The movie looks gorgeous: whether it's the gloomy red-velvet and dark mahogany halls of the mansion, the sleek, sterile Underground, or the industrial ruins of the Lycans, Wiseman and cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts make every scene tell. The sequence where a locomotive full of vampire diplomats chugs into a deserted rail-station---with the baying of werewolves in the distance---is jaw dropping.
"Underworld" also gets the most out of its talented stable of actors. There are three centers of gravity in the film: Beckinsdale, who doesn't need her bodysuit to command her lines (though I'm glad she wore it). The Lycan overlord Lucien (the gifted Welsh actor Michael Sheen) steals every scene he's in, and brings complexity and command to a role that could have been a throwaway in lesser hands. Finally, there's the Vampire King Viktor, played by the great Bill Nighy (who also played Shaun's Jag-loving stepdad in "Shaun of the Dead"). Nighy is a kind of demonic embodiment of immortal Puritan rage, and acts like a champ through all that make-up.
Even the supporting actors turn in strong roles: Shane Brolly (Kraven) whines and pouts and lisps and turns in a convincing performance as a spineless worm; Sophia Myles (Erika) comes off as a naughty little vampire cat-girl; Kevin Grevioux owns this film and puts the smack down as Uber-Werewolf Raze; and Hungarian actress Zita Gorog rocked my world---without uttering a single line.
In the end, this batwinged black-lipstick wearing looker of a flick charged into the goth club of my choice, served me an extra-bloody steak tartar , smacked me around, bought me drinks, and talked Shakespeare after. Would a Lycan by any other name be just as hairy?
 don't buy into the studio BS May 17, 2004
46 out of 71 found this review helpful
I liked the movie, but it really ticks me off that they release the DVD and then a month or two later they release an "uncut version" Don't support this kind of actions for the greedy studios. Buy the original version. Let this "uncut" version fall dead on its face and show that consumers won't take this from these greedy studios any longer. (The only exception being the Lord of the Rings extended versions) Vote that you find this review helpful if you agree.
 excellent vamp vs horror film September 5, 2004
42 out of 53 found this review helpful
Blade was interesting, but to me it failed emotionally. You just do not connect with the film on the personal level. The effects were super, but that was the main impact..."wow what amazing effects". You feel like breaking out in a chorus of Peggy Lee's Is That All There Is. Special effects alone cannot make a movie great.
Underworld makes that jump, great FX work, but also gives you characters you really care about, ones that you really love to hate. A strong plot line designed to hook you and keep you, just does that. With the emotional involvement, there is a greater impact, a movie that will demand repeat viewing. Instant Cult Status.
The movie grabs you from the opening and never lets up with the pace. Firm direction and with a driving score, the movie reaches for perfection. You have a 1000-year-old war between Lycons and Vampires, and it's all coming to a head. It's a well thought out and executed premise and Kate Beckinsale shines! She is an amazing talent. I first adored her work in Cold Comfort Farm as Robert Post's child Flora. When you compare that gentle, deft bit of humour with this kick a*** vampire hunter, it proves what an overlooked talent she is. With Van Helsing out now (and I am sure this movie led to her landing the role), she is finally getting a spotlight she so well deserves.
A gloomy, atmospheric ambiance to the whole movie is maintained all the way through, adding a strong foundation for the otherworld premise. I am sure some will nitpick things, as all vampire film faces, but kudos for the vibrant energy and sheer edgy feel to the film.
It leaves you hanging, clearly open for a sequel...one can but hope it maintains this high quality.
Kate rocks...you don't need to know anymore! It has about 13 minutes of footage not in the original. A great battle scene and some backstory on Michael. Rounds out the film nicely without dragging it down. A great pounding soundtrack, too!
Overall this film was a good action-filled goth-thriller August 6, 2004
22 out of 23 found this review helpful
Len Wiseman's Underworld has to be taken for what it is: an action film dressed up in goth-couteur with vampires and werewolves. This film doesn't have the scares of other films that include either a vampire or a werewolf or both. It is without any kind of apology a dark, gothic action film.
Underworld's story owes alot to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and White Wolf Gaming's Werewolf: Rage and Vampire the Masquerade. Any fans of those two pen-and-paper urban gothic role-playing game would see alot of similarities in Wiseman's film. The film starts off pretty quickly and doesn't really let up until the final scene. There are a few scenes sprinkled throughout the film to let the viewer catch its breath. These scenes would be just as good as the action sequences if not for the scenery-chewing of Shane Brolly's Kraven. Looking like a stereotypical Euro-trash vampire, Brolly's Kraven doesn't know the meaning of understated acting. Some have mentioned that Bill Nighy's vampire elder Viktor does the same, but I thought Nighy's performance was very convincing and very in-character.
The person who really holds the film together was Kate Beckinsale. Who knew that she could be convincing as an action-heroine. Her petite form and soft-spoken demeanor actually gives her ass-kicking character some sex-appeal and both fuses well together. It didn't hurt that she pretty much spent almost the entire lenght of the film in some outfit that was all black, and either leather or latex or a combination of both. Ms. Beckinsale is both hot and dangerous in this film.
The action sequences owes alot of The Matrix and the other imitators that showed up after the release of that film. Unlike, most Matrix imitators, Underworld doesn't overuse the slo-mo, 360-degree shots that the Wachowski Brothers' film made popular. The FX work for the werewolf change is done well, but sometimes when the Were's arrive on the scene in large groups it still has a certain artificial look to them. But overall, the film's FX work was good enough to avoid scrutiny.
Len Wiseman has already announced that Underworld 2 will be made once everyone involved in the first film get their schedules straightened out. The ending of this film really needs a sequel to continue the story that really just started with this film. Underworld is fun and a rollercoaster of a goth-action-thriller.
This dvd edition is much better than the first version. The extra scenes that were put back into the film helped smooth out the film's story and pacing. This version should've been the one to have been released in the theaters. When i first saw the film, some of the scenes just didn't make much sense, but in this extended cut they made much more sense. The overall look of the film in this dvd edition is much better. The blacks are more solid and deeper. The shadows in this film really stand-out. The audio will give any home theater system a run for its money. Whether its from the industrial rock score or the heavy bass during the gunfights.
For just a few more dollars, this dvd edition is worth the price. But for anyone who doesn't own a home theater system alot of the perks of this edition will be lost. I'd recommend they pick the first edition instead
An interesting take on vampire and werewolf mythology August 15, 2004
16 out of 22 found this review helpful
I have been a big vampire mythology fan for as long as I can remember. I love a good vampire movie. I'm not expecting Masterpiece Theater, I just want to be entertained, and entertained I was with "Underworld". I missed out seeing the movie when it was in the theaters but I'm glad that I did now that I have seen the extended cut. I'm not really a fan of Kate Beckinsdale film work but she does a great job as death dealer (i.e vampire) Selene. Selene is trying to figure out why the Lycans (i.e werewolves), the vampires' enemies, what they want in Michael Corvin (played by Scott Speedman of "Felicity" fame). The Lycans and death dealers are at war and have been for centuries. I loved the dark, moody atmosphere of the entire film. I thought it was amazing how the werewolves were actually costumes as opposed to resorting to the cheesy CGI most movies relies on nowadays (which I think is way too much). Kate Beckinsdale looked great in that skintight leather outfight and short dark hair. She reminded me a lot of Toni Halliday, the singer from the modern rock band Curve. The film is very sleek and stylish. I can definitely see where the comparisons of the movie to other films like "The Matrix" and "Blade" comes in (like on the fight sequences) but "Underworld" still holds its own. There really wasn't much of a plot the one big flaw I found with the film but I didn't care. It was a non-stop thrill ride for me. The acting was a bit on the overstated side but like I said, this ain't Masterpiece Theater. If you want Masterpiece Theater, then go watch some (awful) Merchant Ivory film. "Underworld" is a fun, non-stop rollercoaster ride (or at least I thought). The bonus features on the dvd is awesome. I especially dug the "Fangs Vs. Fiction" segment and watching the cast of the film talk about making the film. I loved the outtake reel. It is always interesting for me to see the actors goof up on their lines in movies. You don't see that very often except as bonus footage on dvds. I liked the 48 page comic book and the sketchings on the entire film. I am eagerly anticipating the sequel to "Underworld" where Selene becomes the hunted.
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