Underworld: Awakening

"Your kind will never be as powerful as us. No matter how hard you fight, you won't win."
"You don't know me very well."

Humans have discovered the existence of vampires and lycans, and begin to destroy them.  When the city is no longer safe, vampire Selene (Beckinsale) and lycan Michael attempt to flee the city.  Michael is shot and Selene is captured.

Selene wakes in a strange facility, half frozen.  She escapes to find that twelve years have passed and humans are working on an antidote for the virus responsible for vampires and lycans.  The majority of vampires and lycans have been annihilated, causing the rest to hide.  Selene and her rescuer, known as Subject 2 (Eisley), were test subjects at the Antigen Laboratory, the lab working on the antidote.  The rendezvous with a coven of vampires and discover that lycans still exist.  Can they defeat the lycans and humans?


The fourth film in the Underworld film series (Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans).  The plot returns the focus to Selene, which is a wise choice since Kate Beckinsale is a great actress and action star.  Unfortunately, they are missing a dynamic male lead / villain and Scott Speedman, who portrays lycan Michael Corvin, is not in the film... his character appears, but is played by another actor with Speedman's likeness imposed on the body.  It doesn't fool anyone: either put Speedman in the film, recast the part and fully commit to that, or don't use the character.

The premise is intriguing.  In all the other Underworld films, the conflict arises between the vampires and lycans, keeping humans completely out of the picture.  But now that Corvinus is not around to cleanup and shift focus, it's only natural that it would be noticeable.  So the story makes sense within the world they have created... but again, Beckinsale needs better / stronger co-stars who elevate the material, regardless how odd / campy it may be, and up the ante.  That is not the case here.  Theo James' David character was ok, but is missing from some key scenes, and then suddenly appears again.  Michael Ealy is good, but not great.  No one else stands out.

Feels like a wasted opportunity.  There could be a fifth film in the canon, but only if the producers get stronger actors / dynamic characters and bring Speedman back!

Underworld: Awakening (2012) 88 minutes
Rating: R for strong violence and gore, and for some language.
Director: Mans Marlind & Bjorn Stein
Starring: Kate Beckinsale as Selene
Theo James as David
India Eisley as Subject 2 / Eve
Michael Ealy as Detective Sebastian
Stephen Rea as Dr. Jacob Lane
Kris Holden-Ried as Quint Lane