Underworld plays like a gothic-comic version of the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys...and the warring clans happen to be vampires and werewolves. While the initial concept is novel, its execution is as derivative as movies come; the end product is very-much the sum of its influences. There's nary a scene in the entire film which won't remind the viewer of other movies (especially The Matrix, Blade and the work of John Woo). Still, Underworld looks great, tells a fairly interesting story, and features some good action set-pieces. Columbia has done a decent job with its presentation on DVD.

Underworld takes place in an unnamed Metropolis (judging by the accents and automobile license plates, I'm assuming it's London) where, unbeknownst to the human population, vampires and Lycans have been waging an underground war for well over a thousand years. Kate Beckinsale plays Seline, a member of an aristocratic vampire coven, who spends her nights trying to kill Lycans (sort of a female Blade). In a fairly spectacular action set-piece involving a gunfight in a subway terminal (like something you'd see in The Matrix), Seline discovers the Lycans, led by the vampires' biggest thorn-in-the-side, Lucian (Michael Sheen), have an unusual interest in a human med student named Michael (Scott Speedman). Despite the objections of the coven's current leader Kraven (Shane Brolly), she starts to investigate. Seline and Kraven aren't exactly best buds; while he has designs on her, Seline is still loyal to Viktor (Bill Nighy), the coven's patriarch, who's hibernating until it's his time to reassume control (don't ask me why). Anyway, it turns out that Kraven is in cahoots with Lucian, because Michael's blood holds the key possessing unstoppable power over both species. Seline feels compelled to protect Michael, all the while falling in love with him (elements of Romeo & Juliet tossed into the plot). The whole look and tone of Underworld is lifted from countless other films that have embraced the whole gothic comic-noir subgenre: it's always night-time, the heroine is perpetually brooding, everyone's wearing leather or trenchcoats, most of the action scenes happen in slow motion (accompanied by a pounding industrial music score). It's all very well done, but from a technical standpoint, an overall feeling of deja vu permeates the whole movie. The effects in the film range from good to cheesy; the fight scenes are very-well choreographed and shot, while the werewolf transformation sequences are obviously computer-generated. While the script does throw in a few interesting surprises and plot twists (with the exception of Seline, almost no one is what they seem) the story isn't without problems, either. The highly-touted romantic relationship between Seline and Michael is underdeveloped; and considering the film depicts an ongoing war between vampires and werewolves, with the exception of only a couple of instances, these creatures never display the behavior we normally associate with vampires and werewolves. Rather than sucking blood or mauling victims, they spend most of the time attacking each other with automatic weapons - this could just as easily be a conflict between heavily armed, sharply dressed accounting firms. Despite these quips, Underworld manages to be a pretty fun way to kill two hours, with kinetic action and earnest performances (especially by Beckinsale and Sheen). It may not be all that original, but it's very well made and never boring.

From a picture and sound standpoint, Underworld is top-notch, one of Columbia's better recent DVD releases. It's presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio (there's also a fullscreen version available separately). Most of the film takes place during the night, and the black tones are very sharp and accurate, as are the blue hues which permeate throughout. In addition, the picture is free of blemishes and artifacts. Like most movies of this subgenre, the soundtrack is loud, presented in both English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital. It's well-balanced and free of hissing or distortion. This is another one of those disc that will serve as a decent litmus test with which to show off what your home theater system can do.

Quite a few extras and packed into this single-disc release (sort of a relief from the recent, done-to-death trend of double-disc "special editions"), but their value to the viewer will be pretty subjective. There are two full-length audio commentaries. The first one features director Len Wiseman (who, like many modern filmmakers, cut his teeth on music videos) and screenwriters Danny McBride & Kevin Grevioux (who wrote himself a nifty role as one of Lucien's henchmen); this is the better of the two commentaries, with a huge amount of interesting info for fans of the film. The other commentary features some of the technical crew, including creature designer Patrick Tatopoulis; this commentary isn't bad, but there are a lot of dull stretches. Other features include several short documentaries, totaling nearly an hour and covering a lot of behind-the-scenes technical details. I didn't really enjoy them much; the "Making of Underworld" featurette contains little more than cast & crew members ballyhooing and summarizing the film you just watched. In fact, all the documentaries feature folks gushing over the film as though it's the most original piece of cinema of all time. I could never understand the logic of packing a disc with features that dedicate most of their running times trying to sell a movie the viewer has already rented or purchased. But if you love the movie, these features will definitely confirm your good taste. Other features include a music video by Finch, storyboards and trailers.

Similar films: Blade, Blade II, The Matrix, Interview with the Vampire, The Crow, John Carpenter's Vampires, Romeo & Juliet, The Howling, Batman (1989) Summary: Despite the fact Underworld owes its entire look and tone to far-better recent movies, it's done with a lot of panache and style. Not a classic by any means, the movie is pretty entertaining (albeit forgettable). If you loved The Matrix, you'll likely enjoy this.