Once upon a time, before the patchwork of literary tropes we know and ironically love as the Twilight Franchise, there was Underworld. It's been 20 something years since the first film came out but I recently gave the first two a re-watch because they've always been near and dear...
Things to love:
Budapest. This location lends a sturdy gothic feel thanks to the architecture of the buildings, style of the vehicles, subterranean features, cobblestone, etc. It's also fitting for the centuries-old characters since one of them previously ruled the area. Also, U.S.-centric narratives are tiresome.
Stellar actors, except for one (more on that later). There's a no-nonsense Kate Beckinsale handling business as Selene, an easily believable vampire nobleman ruler in Bill Nighy as Viktor, and a gritty attractive rebel leader in Michael Sheen as Lucian.
The Werewolves A.K.A. Lycans. They did their best with special effects considering the Lycans are capable of transforming at will and often do so mid-combat. This ability originated with the Lycan leader, Lucian, within the historical lore.
The sci-fi element. Instead of going the fantasy route, both vampire and werewolf phenomena are viral mutations. A human serves as the film's McGuffin due to his genetic heritage; enabling him to successfully integrate both viruses without dying.
Things to hate:
Kraven. This is an annoying bitch-ass character to begin with but the actor who plays him is straight-up difficult to watch. He is over-acting so hard that many of his lines aren't fully articulated and sometimes slurred. Kraven is supposedly an 800 year old vampire who's been part of this European coven the entire time yet he speaks with a modern-day LA accent. How did he land this job alongside Bekinsale, Nighy, and Sheen? Bribery? Nepotism? Was he a personality hire? Holler at me if you find out.
Matrix heavy influence. If you're trying to keep a war between monsters concealed from humans I guess copious amounts of bullets and black trench coats would be okay. Though, they used the same actor who played The Source in the Matrix to play The Source of immortality. Too on the nose, guys.
Things to know:
In the first Underworld, the Lycans come off as a terrorist group for most of the story. Then it's revealed near the end that this war is more of a class war. Viktor, the vampire leader, turns out to be a crusty ol' racist liar who chose to execute his own daughter Sonja over allowing her to have a mixed baby with her lycan lover, Lucian (Michael Sheen). Lucian had retaliated by leading a whole lycan slave revolt against the vampire weenies 1,400 years before the events of this first film.
In the second film, Underworld: Evolution, the lore is expanded and more of crusty ol' Viktor's lies are revealed; even though Selene has already sliced his melon. The best part of this sequel, btw, is that Kraven's melon gets sliced as well and it happens early on with WAY more force 😀. The second-best part is the design of the original werewolf, William. His look is Classic, it's Timeless, and says, 'it's MISTER WEREWOLF to you.' But what really sets him apart from any other cinematic werewolf that I'm aware of, is the fact that he is trapped in this state of existence permanently. So sad. So tragic.
William's twin brother/the original vampire, Markus, endeavors to free William from his medieval secret prison of the last 600 years. A secret prison built by Selene's father. A secret prison that Viktor commissioned, then later murdered Selene's entire family to conceal. Why would he keep Selene alive, you ask? Because she reminded him of his beloved daughter, Sonja - 'member? The one HE executed?
You see how juicy this story is? Viktor really is a dirty self-righteous conniving hypocrite that we love to hate.
These first two films contain a satisfying amount of back story goodies, but if you want to see the lycan slave revolt and tragic love story play out between Lucian and Sonja, watch Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Sure Kraven is in it, but Rhona Mitra as Sonja completely obliterates any negative effects of his screen time.
In the midst of Twilight's solidification in pop culture and the collective psyche, I felt compelled to give Underworld a nod at the very least. Though it was much more grown up and action oriented, the themes really stuck with me. Socially conscious themes of oppression, rebellion, and historical revision (perpetrated by Viktor). These ideas may have even planted the original seed of seething antipathy I still harbor toward our ruling class irl. What a powerful story. Team Lycan 4 Lyfe. 9/10 (f*** you, Kraven -1).
Anyway, here's a picture of my dog, Selene.
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