Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

[Junkyard]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0834001/

...sigh....

Well, I understand that I'm probably the only one who enjoyed Underworld 1 and 2, but maybe someone else cares.

Unfortunately, as soon as I saw the trailer on IMDB, most of my enthousiasm drained.

1- Prequel. Grrrrr...They set up all this potential for a great conflict, with two sides; now leaderless, the person who kept them all in check; now dead, and two entirely new kinds of immortals to complicate matters. So where do we go from here? Well, back to the beginning, naturally! Because everyone wanted to see that concise and moving story from the first film elaborated upon for two hours!
2- No Kate Beckinsale, no latex catsuit with matching corset. ...  WHAT?! We all know it contributed to the sucsess of the first two films!
3- Rhona Mitra is taking Kate's place as Impractically Attired Badass Hottie.

And heck, I LIKE Rhona Mitra. And she does badass hottie quite well. But it really does scream "We couldn't get Kate back, so we got a woman who exclusively works in B-Movies!" Skinwalkers, Doomsday... and apparently she played Line-less Woman Who Showed Her Cans in Hollow Man.

Anyway, considering she has the same basic shape as Beckinsale, and wears the same basic outfit, one almost has to assume she was a possible replacement that they just didn't think people would buy in the end. Did they move the story backwards just because Kate refused to sign on again?
Maybe they should have been more subtle about making sure her ass in every frame of the second movie they could logically justify. Might have made her more open to returning. But now I'm speculating. And thinking about Beckinsale's rear.... STOP JUDGING ME!

It should be noted that Bill Nighy is returning to overact once more in UW3:RotL. They killed his character in the first film, but like any good vampire, he just keeps coming back.

Anyway, this one just seems doomed from the start. A prequel where everyone (everyone who cared,) wanted a sequel.

Am I being too harsh?

[mrbasehart]

Funnily, Kate Becksinale's husband is the one who's behind the entire franchise.

[Junkyard]

Well that's an odd wrinkle.

[Piobman]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0834001/


Anyway, this one just seems doomed from the start. A prequel where everyone (everyone who cared,) wanted a sequel.

Am I being too harsh?

I'm with you on this one. I loved the first two films... but just can't get myself to pay money to see Rhona Mitra in a movie. I guess telling us for two movies what had happened in the past along with a billion flash backs wasn't enough. I know everyone out there was begging "Please more back story!" Thank goodness hollywood is there to give us more of what we want.

[bratpop]

Rhona Mitra was the first Lara Croft. So suck it.

[Ortega]

yeah, basically, this is the same story we saw during Michael's Lucien-induced "Blood Dream".  Lycan's were slaves ; Victor's daughter got down & dirty with Lucien, things happened.  Yawn!  Though i actually enjoyed Bill Nighy's scenes as Victor, so it possibly a rental for me.

No Kate Beckinsale, no latex catsuit with matching corset.

I'm with ya on that , buddy.  The convoluted plot made more sense once you got Ms. Beckinsale in the latex bodysuit.  And maybe i'm crazy, but she seemed even hotter brandishing two guns.......

anyway....

[bratpop]

Kate Beckinsale is an old hag. Keep jacking off to her and eventually you'll wake up to find you like granny porn, oblivious to how it happened. Thank goodness for small favors.

[Piobman]

Kate Beckinsale is an old hag. Keep jacking off to her and eventually you'll wake up to find you like granny porn, oblivious to how it happened. Thank goodness for small favors.

My goodness, a wee bit touchy! I never said Rhona wasn't hot, just not a good leading lady. Lets face it, she's known as the naked chick in hollow man. 'nuff said.

Oh.. and I hope you realize kate and Rhona are only three years apart in age! So I guess that makes you a granny lover too! ha!

[bratpop]

I think "known as" and "Hollow Man" in the same sentence is a paradox.

[Junkyard]

... true enough. But however old K.B. is, she's still hot.
Her career just kinda cooled off once she stopped taking roles that put her in spandex and latex.

[Doc Steve]

... true enough. But however old K.B. is, she's still hot.
Her career just kinda cooled off once she stopped taking roles that put her in spandex and latex.

Actually, I liked her a lot better before the stupid cosmetic surgery.  See Cold Comfort Farm.  The Underworld movies were a waste of her acting talent, IMHO.  For that matter, so was Pearl Harbor and virtually everything else she has done in the last decade. 

[CM916]

I was actually very interested in the backstory as it was laid out in the first movie. The whole "vampire + werewolf= smurf" thing turned me off to the 2nd movie but a prequel could bring me back. Although I can certainly understand the disappointment many must have in how they set asside all the building up they did for continuing the story.

[Tyrant]

Having not seen either movie, I don't really have an opinion on this other than I'm excited about the prospect of the History Channel either repeating or making a new "documentary" about the history of the war between Vampires and Werewolves!!

[ScottotD]

I'll see it because Bill Nighy's in it.