Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Underworld: Awakening (2012)



Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and Michael Corvin are on the run from the humans, and they must find a way to escape. Story wise, It’s six months after the events of Underworld: Evolution, and the existence of Vampires and Lycans is no longer a secret. The humans have decided to cleanse the world of both species, and they are determined to exterminate and study the Lycans and Vampires. Selene and Michael almost manage an escape, but an underwater explosion separates them. Twelve years later, after “Subject 2” frees her from a cryogenic imprisonment, Selene awakes in a laboratory. She needs to find Michael, but the world has changed drastically. Fearing the human extermination mission, the Vampires and Lycans go into hiding, but a hybrid child named Eve (India Eisley) could change everything.

Yeah, I loved every second of this film. Most of the time, I was literally on the edge of my seat, because the action was just great. Awakening is filled with some nice thrills, and the battle scenes are very enjoyable. This film does feature some graphic and bloody gore, and the kills are pretty gruesome here. Also, Underworld: Awakening does feature some great visuals, and the 3D effects were superb. Awakening is loaded with some very impressive 3D effects, the eye popping moments are unreal, and you will see a good amount of blood, body parts, and gadgets fly towards you.

Kate Beckinsale is in top form here. As always, she nailed the Selene character, and her return to the Underworld franchise did provide plenty of mark out moments for me. Beckinsale always seems like the perfect choice for this character, she’s smooth, and she did deliver another solid performance in this film. We’re introduced to some new characters in this Underworld film, but Eve receives most of the focus here. She’s the hybrid child, who could change everything, and the Lycans will stop at nothing to capture her. Eve is a very important person in this film, because she could change the outcome of the war, but the little secret involving her character was kind of obvious….

**WARNING THIS SECTION OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS**
Eve is Selene’s daughter.

Umm, yeah, this didn’t surprise me too much. In fact, I had this figured out, when I saw the first full trailer months ago. She’s a HYBRID child, so who else could be her mother and father? Michael is a hybrid, and he’s in love with Selene, so I could always sense some kind of connection between these three characters. Still, this was supposed to one of the bigger “surprises” in this film, and it did feel disappointing, because I could see it coming. I’ve followed every film in the Underworld franchise. I know the story, so I really couldn’t feel the shock value of this secret.
**End spoilers**

The lack of character development can be an issue here, but fuck it, I still loved Underworld: Awakening. This film is filled with nonstop action and thrills, the visuals are pretty impressive, the 3D looked great, the acting was solid enough, and the final moments of this film are packed with some nice suspense. Underworld: Awakening is a fast paced action/horror film, and this one did provide one hell of an entertaining ride for me. This rating might be a little bit high, but I can’t deny how much I loved this film. I decided to bump this score up a little bit, because I really enjoyed the 3D. Also, I was very happy to see Kate Beckinsale return, as the fearless and ass kicking Death Dealer.

Rise Of The Lycans was decent enough, and Evolution was enjoyable, but when it comes to the best film in the entire series, Awakening gives the original some serious competition. Underworld (2003) will always be remembered as the film that set the bar for the entire series, but when it comes to action and suspense, Awakening just took everything to another level. The 2003 original was a very solid film, but Awakening deserves a good amount of recognition, because this was one of the more enjoyable films in the Underworld series.

Final Rating: 7/10


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