Movie Review: Underworld Awakening

When a trilogy has been solid, I’m not a fan of its creator’s taking a stab at a fourth film, just for the sake of making money.  But when the third movie in the franchise is a prequel, such as the case in the Underworld trilogy (i.e. movie #3, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans), there’s a great reason for a fourth. Especially when the second movie leaves fans with so many questions left unanswered, as was the case with movie #2, Underworld Evolution.

What happened after Selene, our favorite ass kicking vampire Death Dealer (played by the luscious Kate Beckinsale), and her hybrid paramour Michael Corvin (played by the equally eye pleasing Scott Speedman) eliminated Marcus and William, the original vampire and lycan, and also, found love with one another? Was a new war started? Could a hybrid child be next? And, further, did Selene have a new power thanks to gift given to her by the father of them all, Alexander Corvinus – his blood? She was standing in the sun at the end of movie #2 after all and didn’t burst into flames, so one can only wonder.

Fans begged for answers to these and other questions for years, but were left without when movie #3 came out in 2009 and took the prequel route, exploring instead, the root of the vampire/lycan war.

Thankfully, one of the most common questions among fans “what if Selene and Michael had a child?” turned out to be the basis for the franchise’s fourth film, and when news hit online last year it was scheduled for release early 2012, tongues wagged and fans anxiously awaited the sequel.

I was one of them.

As I’ve said before, the Underworld movies are some of my favorites. Not just vampire-based, but movies in general.  I love the story, the surprising complexities of the characters, and the look and feel of the world Len Wiseman and Danny McBride created. Therefore I was ecstatic when the Underworld Awakening trailer began to appear in theaters, and couldn’t wait to see it.

It’s been a week since I saw Underworld Awakening, so I have to apologize for the delay in post. I’ve been sick and well, no one writes well when sick. But I will admit I saw it as soon as it arrived in theaters last Friday and despite its slightly different look and feel from the first three films, I enjoyed it, and glad to see from what I can tell, the franchise may actually going into reboot mode, with another two sequels planned (rumored). The ending certainly left room for a sequel so let’s hope that’s the plan and they make up for some of what this movie lacked.

There were some distinct differences in this fourth installment, compared to the first three films. The look and feel is one of the biggest. True, the story takes place 12 years after the end of the second movie, in a world that has learned about the existence of vampires and lycans and essentially, purged them from existence therefore making it a world that isn’t quite as dark, hidden and well “under.”  The movie at the beginning also quickly glazed over the 12 years between movie #2 and #4.  What did the world look like when humans found out about vampires and lycans? How did they find out? This content itself would have made an awesome movie.  And while the action is just as intense and some say even more graphic, it looks somewhat juvenile, lacking the medieval feel and sophistication fans came to know and love in the first three films. New directors (Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein) were tasked with Underworld Awakening’s new look and feel, and while I don’t want to give them TOO bad a time, their inexperience (most of their work on Swedish television) showed and didn’t make as solid a sequel as it could have been.

At the end of the day however, it was a thrill for me to finally see another installment of one of my favorite movie franchises.  But while I loved the story line, I think it fell a bit flat. There was so much they could have explored. How about the primal bond between a mother and her child –a bond that has been tampered with when the mother has been held captive for twelve years, completely unaware she even has a daughter? I also missed Michael (Scott Speedman) and hope he returns if they do indeed move ahead with a fifth and sixth film. Also, I’d like to see the vampire/lycan war return, with those pesky little humans more in the background.

So much that can be done with the characters and world of Underworld, and I hope they continue for another film or two. Resident Evil sure seems to find itself making sequel after sequel. For now however, I will keep watching my  copy of the Underworld trilogy and when this newest movie hits DVD, I’ll buy it, too. A fan is a fan, after all.

Side note – did I go home and watch the first three again? What do you think. And what do you think I am watching right now…

Remembering a Legend…Etta James

I won’t write a lengthy post. Other more well known, established voices have been covering the news of Etta James’ passing all morning. This great write up is from Yahoo! Music, it’s one of my favorites. It seems to capture so beautifully, the emotion and power of who Etta was, and who, through her voice, she wanted us to see. A spitfire, a hellcat, a platinum blonde whose voice was drenched in love and begged seduction, despite the crazy life that supported it. Yes, I love her cover of “At Last.” Who doesn’t? But there is so many other musical treasures of Etta’s I hope generations from now will come to love and appreciate. Music history is only as powerful as those who embrace it. When legends die, its our job to make sure their voices don’t. So, in that spirit, another one of my favorites from the generation of manhattan’s and house coats, “Sunday Kind of Love.”

Movie Review Shorts – Roundup of New Flicks on PPV and DVD

Just because the holidays are over (my workout regimen thanks that fact), it doesn’t mean winter isn’t upon us. There are sure to be plenty of nights where there’s nothing on TV or the weather too crappy to go out. So, I did my best to take in a variety of random movies these past few weeks and wanted share a few that I found interesting. So if you find yourself staying in in the coming months, check ‘em out and let me know what you think.

Columbiana – this movie is classic revenge flick, except the revenge seeker is the daughter of Columbian drug lord’s henchman, seeking justice for her parents’ murder. Confusing? It’s not. It’s pretty cool actually and Zoe Saldana kicks ass. It’s the right mix of story and action to keep you interested. Side note – I would love to see her and Jason Statham paired up together. She’s got action ability. Put Zoe to work!

Unstoppable – a runaway train heading toward a working class Pennsylvania town, is that really the storyline? Yep, it is, and despite the simple premise the movie holds its own. Denzel does his part being the serious anchor actor, while Chris Pine (i.e. young Starship Enterprise Captain James T. Kirk in franchise reboot, Star Trek) does his part looking good and saving the day. I admit I begrudgingly watched, but was on the edge of my seat ten minutes in and exhaled audibly at the end.

Descent 2 – did you ever see the first one? Well I did and it was creepy. So creepy it bothered me for weeks. But there’s something about scary movies…. I can’t stay away from them, even if I do see them from behind two hands. The sequel picks up where the first movie left off, with lone survivor Sarah Carter returning from the Appalachian cave system she’d barely escaped to search for her five missing friends. While it’s not as creepy as the first, the plot line throws you two loops, with the shocker at the end making the sequel worth checking out.  But only if you saw the first. You must see the first to get the creep factor.

127 Hours – I love me some James Franco. While true, I don’t get the whole twisted story line of his on General Hospital where he is currently a guest star in a plot line that is destined to bring down Sam, Jason and the rest of the Port Charles mob scene, he is an incredible actor and this movie, based on the true story of hiker Aron Ralston whose arm got trapped under a boulder while hiking in Utah, shows the range of his acting ability. If you know the story of Ralston then you know how it ends. The movie tried some interesting methods to not make it into a typical survivor story – flashback sequences and premonitions are a unique add, while the music seems to underscore the randomness of the accident altogether.

Apollo 18 – I have always been curious about space. One of my earliest childhood dreams was to be an astronaut (funny, since I hate to fly). I even wrote an essay that won me a trip to Space Camp as a kid, that’s how passionate about space exploration I was. But while my dreams shifted over the years, I never forgot my curiosity in what lies beyond. To me, there have been few movies to entertain this curiosity in a truly meaningful way — Contact with Jodie Foster was pretty close — instead opting to deliver on the more scary side of the possibilities of what’s out there. Take Event Horizon for example.  [Note - that movie scared the shit out of me!] Apollo 18 was a different level of this scare approach, but the mock documentary approach begs your mind to ask a different question — why did we really create the space program? — and explores the age old curiosity of what could possibly exist out there, beyond the dark side of the moon.

Cowboys & Aliens – thought it would be lame, but it’s actually pretty decent. It’s the right mix of the Wild West meets Predator, and with Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and a smaller (surprise) role from Sam Rockwell, made this a fun one for me in the end. The story line is kind of flat. But the pairing of cowboys and well, aliens, made this a fun one to watch.

Friends with Benefits – I actually loved this movie. I adore Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake won back some points with me.  Of course we know how the movie is destined to go: guy meets girl, guy and girl hook up, guy and girl fall in love, etc., but their banter is pretty funny and I really enjoyed it.

Abduction – even though Taylor Lautner is in it and his acting, well, let’s just say his abs are better than his acting, it was a good action flick with a clever story line. Real acting from Sigourney Weaver and Alfred Molina helped to move this along and when it was over (2 am Christmas Eve since I was putting together a trampoline until then!) I found myself pleasantly surprised.

A few movies I saw that aren’t worth the rental, nor the time: Final Destination 5 (nothing beats the first one), Straw Dogs (shame, since I had such high hopes for Stellan Skarsgård) and Water for Elephants. But to be fair on the last one, I haven’t watched it yet. It was playing in the background while wrapping one night and it sounded so boring in the back I couldn’t bring myself to play it. I also think the movie won’t compare to the book, which always disappoints me, so I might avoid altogether.