**This review contains spoilers**
The Story- Following the events of Underworld: Evolution, a purge carried out by humans threatens to exterminate all vampires and Lycans, after the existence of both species is exposed. With a limited number of options in front of them, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) rushes to escape with Michael Corvin, so they can go into hiding, but the duo is ambushed by soldiers at the docks.
Twelve years later, Selene is awakened from her cryogenic chamber. Confused and angry, Selene’s quest for the truth leads her to Antigen, a sinister corporation focused on targeting and killing off vampires. Led by Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea), Antigen and Lane obsessively pursues Selene’s hybrid daughter, Eve (India Eisley).
David (Theo James), a vampire and the son of an elder, pushes back against his father, Thomas’ (Charles Dance) warnings about trusting Selene. David and Detective Sebastian (Michael Ealy) fight side by side with Selene during a dangerous rescue mission to save Eve. The battle plunges further into chaos, when Selene is forced to face off against Dr. Lane’s son, Quint (Kris Holden-Ried), who transforms into his Super-Lycan form…..
My Thoughts- Selene is back, and she is PISSED! Awakening starts off with a bang, as Selene pummels the purge soldiers. Fast forward twelve years later, and she immediately tears through everyone in her path, after she bursts out the cryo chamber. From past to present, Awakening instantly jumps into a hot start during Selene’s rampage, continuing Underworld’s streak for opening action sequences filled with chaos and bloody violence.
Selene is dealing with a lot in Awakening. Michael, the only man Selene has ever loved, is MIA, she was frozen for twelve years, and Selene finds out she has a daughter. Heavy stuff! Selene and Eve have an unusual bonding experience. Selene comes off as being kind of selfish, when she first meets Eve. Selene is clearly more concerned about Michael’s whereabouts, and she’s treating Eve like an afterthought.
But Selene reaches a point, where she realizes she needs to be a mother for Eve. She has to protect her daughter, and there’s more of a continued push towards a vulnerable version of Selene here. The “my heart is not cold…..it’s broken” scene with Eve is a good example for Selene showing more emotions. And the scene, where Selene breaks down from the memories of the purge soldier’s surprise attack at the docks.
Plus, Selene and Eve can see through each other’s eyes! Eve and Selene share synchronized brainwaves, if they’re close enough to each other, and seeing how things unfolded, it’s clear this is one ability, or superpower that’s exclusively shared between Selene, Eve, and Michael as a family.
Eve is good addition to the cast. Yes, she has the rarity of being another hybrid character, but Eve is also a child. India Eisely delivers a solid performance, and they took the right approach to the hybrid side of Eve’s character. Eisely smoothly switches gears from the confused and scared little girl, who finds herself in an unprecedented and dangerous situation, to the fierce and powerful hybrid, who’s capable of flipping the switch to tap into her powers, when she’s backed into a corner.
Awakening is the first Underworld film, where Viktor doesn’t play a major role in the current storyline, or through flashbacks related to what’s going on in the movie. Charles Dance fills the role of the prudish and stubborn vampire elder. As the ruler of a coven and a leader, Thomas is determined to preserve what’s left of his coven. He’s the guy, who feels the need to condemn Selene for being the disgraced Death Dealer, who fell in love with a Lycan, and murdered two vampire elders. Because someone has to do it, right?
Theo James’ David is a fighter and a rebel. James’ performance works on two different levels. Yes, you could say David is defiant and reckless, but he also knows he’s fighting the good fight for all the right reasons. He’s not afraid to stand up to his father, and he’s firmly against the vampires turning their backs on Selene.
I have mixed feelings on the villains. Dr. Jacob Lane? Eh, I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s anything wrong with Stephen Rea’s performance, but there’s no denying Lane is a boring and dull character. I get it. Lane is the obsessive and heartless mad scientist, who wants to create a master race of Lycans. He also doesn’t see Eve as a human being. To Lane, Eve is just a highly valuable test subject, or an asset, who needs to be dissected to further his research. Yeah, he’s a dick, but nothing truly stands out about him. You know he’s the bad guy, you know Selene has to stop him, but that’s about it.
Quint and his SUPER-LYCAN form? So I understand the need to introduce a mighty and powerful adversary for Selene. Remember, this is Selene with the Corvinus strain, after she drank Alexander Corvinus’ blood. She has enhanced powers, and Selene basically tears through the opposition in Awakening with ease, so she needs a real challenge.
Quint having the ability to transform into his Super-Lycan form, complete with an immunity to silver and accelerated healing, almost solves the problem, but it’s a form that heavily relies on special effects. The difference in sizes between Selene and the Super-Lycan provides a few awe-inspiring visuals, but overall, it’s a form that just doesn’t look good at all. It’s too fake and goofy, especially the close-up shots of the Super-Lycan’s face, and it’s safe to say William’s hulking form as the first-ever werewolf in Awakening was far more intimidating.
Problems with the Super-Lycan form aside, Kris Holden-Ried plays a solid villiain. Good facial expressions, the way he carries himself, and it’s easy to believe Quint is a psycho, who won’t stop until his father’s mission is complete. To take things further, Quint would’ve been better off as the main villain here. I understand Dr. Lane’s role as the brains of the operation, but Holden-Reid was more than capable of holding his own in the leading role as the top villain.
Selene and Eve’s mother/daughter story gets off to a rocky start, but Awakening also tells the tales of two different father/son relationships. David rebels against Thomas, because Thomas chooses to stay underground. Thomas is more concerned with survival, but David wants to fight back against the humans and the Lycans. He challenges his father to become the man, who used to get his hands dirty, while fighting the tough battles.
Quint, like a brainwashed zombie, blindly follows his father’s marching orders. Dr. Lane is obviously a very bitter man. Quint’s mother made the decision to avoid turning into a Lycan, and Lane uses her choice as a manipulation tactic against Quint. It’s strange how Quint allows Lane to shoot him up with all kinds of injections, because as a Super-Lycan, he could easily kill him. But Quint is loyal to Lane, so he chooses to be another one of his father’s test subjects.
Awakening maintains continuity from the previous films. Selene is still an outcast amongst the majority of vampires. Being a hybrid is still frowned upon, and Eve is referred to as a “blight of nature.” Of course, the big one is the world after Alexander Corvinus’ death. Remember, in Evolution, Corvinus led a secret team that was tasked with cleaning up the mess in an attempt to contain the war between vampires and Lycans. With Corvinus gone, the humans launched an ugly cleansing campaign against both species, because no one was around to sweep all the dirt under the rug.
Selene defeats the Super-Lycan! Selene’s final battle with Quint was a good one. I never believed Selene was in any real danger, but there’s more than enough thrills and tight close calls during the David vs Goliath-esque struggle. Also, two big thumbs up for Selene outsmarting Quint. She couldn’t outmuscle the Super-Lycan, so Selene used Qunit’s size and accelerated healing abilities against him.
Eve killing Dr. Lane was the right call. Dr. Lane froze Eve’s parents. He destroyed any chances of Eve having a real childhood, while forcing her to live the life of a lab rat, so Eve’s vengeance was justified. Also, I wasn’t fan of the character, but at least Dr. Lane’s werewolf form actually looks good. It’s a cross between Lane simply being an elderly man, and having the look of a wild feral beast. His entire body isn’t covered in hair, and Lane’s bloody and disfigured face (courtesy of a shotgun blast from David), was a nice touch.
The ending shows Selene, Eve, and David on the roof together, after Michael finally escapes his chamber. Antigen, the corporation run by and populated with Lycans, that secretly launched a mission to kill off all vampires, is no more. Going forward, it’s clear the objective is to search for and find Michael, so he can reunite with Selene and Eve as a family. A happy ending for Selene, as she swears to “reclaim” the world for the vampire race, while fighting against the humans and the Lycans.
The Michael Corvin problem? Scott Speedman only appears in flashbacks from the first two films. A stand-in covers Michael’s brief appearances here, and it’s just not the same. Michael is a crucial character in Selene’s story. I know Michael needs to be here, and they tried to keep things short for his screen time, but it’s an obvious big change that’s impossible to ignore.
Awakening could’ve benefited from a stronger lead villain, and I really wish they would’ve done more with the targeted “cleansing” of vampires and Lycans. Before the story shifts to focusing on protecting and rescuing Eve, Awakening made some good attempts at realism, with news footage from the purge, including dragging vampires out into the sunlight, and using silver nitrate gas against Lycans.
Warning signs posted about reporting infected individuals, war in the streets, and burning buildings. You can see the chaos, and the drastic lifestyle changes for vampires and Lycans. Vampires were forced into hiding, while Lycans were pushed to the brink of extinction after a failed uprising. And certain groups of sick, starving, and diseased Lycans live underground like “rats.”
Four films in, and Awakening continues to deliver fast-paced and bloody action sequences. I’ll go as far saying Awakening is the shinning example for the highest levels of action that you’d expect from an Underworld film. It’s an adrenaline rush from start to finish, ending with the mother/daughter duo of Selene and Eve taking on the top two villains.
Underworld’s story adds more layers, and Selene’s character continues to evolve, because she’s a mother now. A handful of welcoming new additions to the cast, including India Eisley, Theo James, and Charles Dance. Michael Ealy brings a solid performance to the cast, as the steely-eyed detective with a heavy heart, because Detective Sebastian was directly affected by a vampire attack.
Awakening also leans into a more absurd tone. You’ll see more than one of Selene’s signature superhero landings. Authentic teeth from vampires and Lycans are available for purchase, and Selene starts a rusty van with a knife! Selene throwing a poor Antigen scientist (Wes Bentley) out of a window, and calmly landing on the ground next to his mangled corpse on top of a car, also sticks out as a hilarious moment for me.
And I can’t forget about a stoic Selene calmly walking through the courtyard at Antigen, while the security guards are shooting at her. The courtyard scene towards the end definitely plays into the trope that a lot of bad guys are just terrible at shooting guns, especially when there’s a wide open target in front of them.
Underworld: Awakening’s one hour and twenty-eight minutes runtime flys by. Another good mindless fun action/horror flick in the series, with a little more meat on the bones for emotional depth. I didn’t care too much for all the scenes with tons of CGI blood (Quint’s death is a big one for me), but Awakening still features some cool visuals. Selene storming Antigen’s headquarters, and blasting away at Lycans in the dark, while particles from the silver nitrate bombs are floating around in the air, is easily one of my favorites.
But the Michael Corvin situation is a glaring issue. I said it before, but Michael is a big part of Selene’s story and her journey. The solution for this problem in Blood Wars? Well, it’s a disappointment, but I guess you could say it’s still a solution, that definitively slams the door shut on Michael’s future.
Rating- 7/10
