Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans (2009)

 

**This review contains spoilers**

The Story- Lucian (Michael Sheen), the first-ever Lycan, and the first werewolf born in human form, plans to lead a rebellion against the vampires and Viktor’s (Bill Nighy) coven. Lucian fiercely fights to free his fellow enslaved Lycans from Viktor’s clutches, and Viktor runs into an unexpected problem, when his daughter, Sonja (Rhona Mitra) gets involved. 

Sonja and Lucian’s secret and strictly forbidden relationship unravels, when a suspicious Viktor questions Sonja’s loyalty. Viktor sets a trap, but a resilient Lucian refuses to quit. Supported by Raze (Kevin Grevioux), the Lycan slaves, and other werewolves carrying William’s strain of the infection, Lucian eventually joins the all-out assault on Viktor’s coven.

My Thoughts- Rise Of The Lycans is cleverly constructed for first-timers, and fans of the Underworld series. If you’re new to Underworld, you can still get into it, without knowing everything about the original Underworld or Evolution, because it’s vampires vs werewolves! The Lycan slaves, rising up to fight back against their vampire overlords and oppressors, and Viktor, the mad tyrant, is a story that writes itself.

For fans of the Underworld films? You’ll get to see more fleshed-out versions of Lucian and Viktor’s characters, how the bond between Lucian and Raze started, and you’ll also know Viktor was never misunderstood, because Viktor, the vampire ruler, was always a maniacal asshole and a devious manipulator. Andreas Tanis (Steven Mackintosh)? I guess you could say you’ll see a more dignified and noble version of him, before he was exiled by Selene under Viktor’s orders. But a lot of the familiar character traits for Tanis are still there. You’ll see how the seeds were planted for Tanis’ partnership with Lucian, why Tanis prioritizes “survival,” and Tanis’ is serious about protecting his “precious scrolls.” 

They touched on the dangers of William’s infectious strain of werewolves, and his rampages. Werewolves with William’s strain of the infection are “mindless beasts,” who can’t revert back to their human forms, but it’s just enough to the point, where you know what’s going on, without feeling lost, or having the need to go back and watch Evolution. You can say the same thing about Lucian’s backstory and the explanation for being the first Lycan. It’s all here. Simple, informative, and just enough bits and pieces of information, easily tying everything together.

Sonja? She’s fierce, rebellious, and Sonja will defy Viktor, if her moral compass points her in that direction. Sonja clearly has no interest in Viktor’s vision for her future, because Sonja, in a variety of ways, constantly rejects the path Viktor puts in front of her. And Sonja falls in love with a Lycan! Sound familiar? It’s easy to see and pick up on the parallels between Selene and Sonja. You can also see why Selene reminded Viktor of Sonja, and why Viktor possibly believed he had a second chance at a good father/daughter relationship, because Selene and Sonja are basically carbon copies of each other. 

A lot of mixed feelings for the love story between Sonja and Lucian. The forbidden love storyline is packed with cliches. Sonja is vampire royalty, and the daughter of a powerful and overbearing father. She falls for Lucian, the lowly blacksmith, and of course, Viktor vehemently rejects their relationship. He’s disgusted at the thought of his precious daughter poisoning the bloodline with a filthy Lycan slave. Oh, and of course, Sonja wants to run away from the coven, abandoning a life of royalty, because she’s chasing the happily ever after ending with Lucian. 

But I’ll say this, Michael Sheen and Rhona Mitra share believable and good chemistry together. Sonja and Lucian are genuinely willing to take big risks to protect each other. Hell, they’re willing to die, if it comes to that. Lucian doesn’t have to be tough and scrappy around Sonja, he can be vulnerable. Sonja can just be her normal self, when she’s with Lucian, taking a break from being a hardened warrior, or living up to her father’s high standards, and the pressures that comes with the lifestyle of a future vampire elder. 

Going back to the original Underworld film, Sonja’s death wasn’t a big surprise, because you know what happens, after Michael Corvin sees everything through flashbacks from Lucian’s memories. Still, Sonja’s execution checks off all of the necessary boxes. Lucian is completely losing it, because he realizes there’s nothing that he can do to save Sonja, but he does his best to comfort Sonja during her final moments. Lucian and Sonja saying their final goodbyes to each other, the roof slowly opening before the sunlight comes in, and Lucian’s reaction to Sonja’s charred corpse? Good stuff all around for the one big emotional and gut-wrenching scene here.

The movie ends with a shot of Selene perched on a balcony with a voiceover from Kraven, when he tells her the truth about Viktor murdering her family. Placing Selene’s only appearance in the movie, while Kraven exposes Viktor’s lies? It’s the right move. Short, ironic, and her sole appearance validates Selene’s decision to murder Viktor. And Selene needs to be here (Selene also narrates the opening) in some way, shape, or form, because Selene IS Underworld. ROTL also puts the spotlight on an important chapter during Viktor’s reign of terror, so you can see why Lucian was obsessed with his quest for vengeance, hybrids, and becoming a hybrid himself in the 2003 film.

Rise Of The Lycans works as a solid and entertaining prequel. The movie still looks and feels like an Underworld movie, and they did a really good job of capturing the medieval era, with the set pieces, the dialogue, the wardrobes for the vampires, the Lycans, and the humans. 

As far as the acting goes, Michael Sheen’s fiery (“ARE YOU WITH ME!”) and emotional performance as Lucian is superb, and Sheen puts a lot of passion into Lucian’s rah-rah speeches. Bill Nighy doesn’t hold back as Viktor, a strong and dedicated performance, as the powerful vampire ruler. The scene, where the council votes on Sonja’s fate is a good one. Viktor has this conflicted wide-eyed expression on his face before he makes his decision. On one hand, you can sense a loving father, who still cares about his daughter, but Viktor’s ego and his pride wouldn’t allow him to do the right thing. Good scene.

Rhona Mitra holds her own well as Sonja, playing the privileged daughter, who’s torn between being loyal to her father and not wanting to abandon the love of her life. And hats off to Larry Rew for his performance. Kosta (Rew) is a sadistic bully, but Lucian makes sure he gets his comeuppance for the brutal and bloody whipping scene.

Rise Of The Lycans features some solid action sequences and one on one sword fights, including Sonja facing off against Viktor. Father vs daughter, in the rain, at night, AND Sonja reveals she’s pregnant with Lucian’s child? Oh, the drama!

The home stretch delivers on all fronts. I absolutely loved the breakneck speed approach to the big final battle between the werewolves and vampires, because it’s supposed to be a chaotic and bloody mess. Also, Lucian chasing after Viktor for a final showdown delivers some nice thrills, complete with a brutal and gory final blow.

Rise Of The Lycans succeeds as an Underworld film, that shows the early stages of the war between the vampires and the Lycans. The feud between Viktor and Lucian really works as one of the pillars for the story, and you get a better understanding for why Lucian and Viktor hated each other so much. 

Lots of nuggets for Underworld and Evolution throughout the movie, including different characters, the dialogue, visuals, and certain items (e.g. Sonja’s necklace). You can see why Lucian valued Sonja’s necklace, why it means so much to him, and why it’s not just a necklace, that simultaneously works as half of the key to William’s prison.

Also, there’s something that’s almost impossible to ignore about Viktor, and his relationships with Sonja, Selene, and Lucian. The lies, the manipulation tactics, using his own daughter as bait for a trap, and knowing how his relationship with Sonja ended? There’s a pattern for all of it, that leads to two conclusions: Viktor was a shitty father, and a terrible father figure for Selene and Lucian.

Rating-7/10

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)(Minor Spoilers Review)

 

**This post contains MINOR spoilers**

The Story- Kristi Rey (Sprague Grayden) returns home with her husband, Dan (Brian Boland) after giving birth to their son, Hunter. A series of strange paranormal occurrences disrupts the family’s peaceful and carefree lives. Kristi, Hunter, Dan, and Dan’s daughter, Ali (Molly Ephraim) are all targeted by a vicious entity. 

Kristi’s sister, Katie (Katie Featherston) warns her about the dangers of interacting with the entity, and the nanny, Martine (Vivis  Cortez) offers her help with unconventional methods. But one thing is clear, blissful ignorance is not an option, as the disturbances escalate and Hunter becomes the primary target for the entity.

My Thoughts- It’s easy to feel sympathy for Kristi, Dan, Ali, and Hunter. They’re a wholesome all-American family. Kristi’s is a caring stay-at-home mom. Dan is the leader of the household with a healthy sense of humor, and Ali fills the role of the happy and sometimes bratty teenager. 

Paranormal Activity 2 is the first film in the series that starts off the security camera, or cameras set up all around the house era in the series. I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the nighttime recorded footage looks great. Similar to the bedroom scenes in the original Paranormal Activity, there’s a spookiness to the security camera scenes at night. Just watching everything unfold, you know there’s always a good chance something serious is going to happen.

The downside? Watching security camera footage gets kind of boring and tedious after a while. I get the whole point of building the anticipation, showing how the entity is toying with, taunting, and in some cases attacking members of the Rey family. It’s all important footage that proves an evil supernatural force is the culprit. Still, so many scenes featuring ordinary footage of the pool or outside the front door in the middle of the night kills the momentum. It’s more of a bummer, if you’re hoping or waiting for something to happen……and nothing happens. 

Paranormal Activity 2 shows a lot of visual clues that put the pieces of the puzzle together. Notice how after the supposed break-in Hunter’s room is the only room in the house that was left untouched. The shadow of the entity looming over Ali, while she’s taking a nap, or Hunter levitating in his crib. The scratches and blood stains on the basement door, the sudden spike in activity on the baby monitor, the bite mark on Kristi’s thigh that’s similar to Katie’s bite mark in the previous film. One thing is clear, the entity is carefully choosing who it attacks, and who is spared or used for bigger plans. 

A new born baby and an evil entity? TWO good reasons to record! As the story progresses, there’s a noticeable transition from recording Hunter and just having fun to recording all the strange events connected to the entity. Evidence is necessary to try and understand what’s going on, especially Ali urging a stubborn Dan to watch the tapes, because he doesn’t believe in “haunted house crap.” And when the time comes, the night vision POV is crucial for survival. 

We’re introduced to a fresh set of new characters in Paranormal Activity 2. Kristi, Hunter, Ali, Dan, Ali’s boyfriend, Brad (Seth Ginsberg), and Martine. Hunter is the first born male in Kristi and Katie’s family since the 1930’s. Through Ali’s research with Brad’s help, it’s revealed Katie and Kristi’s great grandmother possibly made a satanic pact to exchange riches and prosperity for Hunter’s soul. And of course, there’s no happy ending if the pact is tampered with or broken for any reason. 

Paranormal Activity 2 moves the story forward using a clever prequel/sequel hybrid approach, with a smooth transition into the current timeline for a strong finale. Keep in mind that Kristi’s story takes place in Carlsbad, California, while Katie’s story simultaneously takes place in San Diego. 

Some questions are answered. We know why Katie’s childhood picture was set on fire around the edges, and on a lighter note, we can see why Micah (Micah Sloat) was so obsessed with owning his own video camera. Katie and Kristi have some uneasy conversations about the evil force that disrupted their lives, when they were kids. The Ouija board returns, but it’s only used in one scene with Ali and Brad. It’s also nice to see the continued effort to maintain realism. No intro, no opening credits, and a message thanking the Carlsbad Police Department. 

Paranormal Activity 2 has its problems, but it’s still a solid follow up to the original. Some spooky and tense scenes, and the jump scares worked (the kitchen cabinets bursting open on an unsuspecting Kristi is a good one). Only three scenes stick out for brutality, but they’re still impactful scenes. The entity snatching and maiming Abby (the family dog) off-screen implies whatever it did to Abby must’ve been too horrible to witness. 

The second film in any kind of franchise is always crucial. It’s a measuring stick to see if there’s any potential, if there’s truly a reason to keep going with the story, without making more sequels for the sake of making more sequels. Paranormal Activity 2 does more than enough to justify another film, featuring a shocking cliffhanger that’s loaded with a lot of possibilities.

Rating- 6/10

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)(Spoiler Review)

 **This post contains spoilers, including thoughts on the extended version**

The Story- Kristi Rey (Sprague Grayden) returns home with her husband, Dan (Brian Boland) after giving birth to their son, Hunter. A series of strange paranormal occurrences disrupts the family’s peaceful and carefree lives. Kristi, Hunter, Dan, and Dan’s daughter, Ali (Molly Ephraim) are all targeted by a vicious entity. 

Kristi’s sister, Katie (Katie Featherston) warns her about the dangers of interacting with the entity, and the nanny, Martine (Vivis  Cortez) offers her help with unconventional methods. But one thing is clear, blissful ignorance is not an option, as the disturbances escalate and Hunter becomes the primary target for the entity.

My Thoughts- It’s easy to feel sympathy for Kristi, Dan, Ali, and Hunter. They’re a wholesome all-American family. Kristi’s is a caring stay-at-home mom. Dan is the leader of the household with a healthy sense of humor, and Ali fills the role of the happy and sometimes bratty teenager. 

Paranormal Activity 2 is the first film in the series that starts off the security camera, or cameras set up all around the house era in the series. I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, the nighttime recorded footage looks great. Similar to the bedroom scenes in the original Paranormal Activity, there’s a spookiness to the security camera scenes at night. Just watching everything unfold, you know there’s always a good chance something serious is going to happen.

The downside? Watching security camera footage gets kind of boring and tedious after a while. I get the whole point of building the anticipation, showing how the entity is toying with, taunting, and in some cases attacking members of the Rey family. It’s all important footage that proves an evil supernatural force is the culprit. Still, so many scenes featuring ordinary footage of the pool or outside the front door in the middle of the night kills the momentum. It’s more of a bummer, if you’re hoping or waiting for something to happen……and nothing happens.

Paranormal Activity 2 shows a lot of visual clues that put the pieces of the puzzle together. Notice how after the supposed break-in Hunter’s room is the only room in the house that was left untouched. The shadow of the entity looming over Ali, while she’s taking a nap, or Hunter levitating in his crib. The scratches and blood stains on the basement door, the sudden spike in activity on the baby monitor, the bite mark on Kristi’s thigh that’s similar to Katie’s bite mark in the previous film. One thing is clear, the entity is carefully choosing who it attacks, and who is spared or used for bigger plans. 

A new born baby and an evil entity? TWO good reasons to record! As the story progresses, there’s a noticeable transition from recording Hunter and just having fun to recording all the strange events connected to the entity. Evidence is necessary to try and understand what’s going on, especially Ali urging a stubborn Dan to watch the tapes, because he doesn’t believe in “haunted house crap.” And when the time comes, the night vision POV is crucial for survival. 

Katie kills Kristi and abducts Hunter! The cleansing ritual, led by Martine, to save a clearly possessed Kristi was a success, and Hunter is safe. But there’s one big problem: The entity passed to and possessed Katie. 

Not only does the ending tie into Katie’s whereabouts after the ending in the original, the home stretch for PA 2 was well executed. After the intense ritual that saved Kristi, there’s a calming sense of peace throughout the house, and bam! Katie shows up. She brutally murders Dan and Kristi, kidnaps Hunter, and disappears. 

After the original, you already knew Katie was possessed. It’s not too hard to predict that she might show up at Kristi’s house, but it’s still a good shocker, considering what she did and how she did it. The sound of that snap, when Katie broke Dan’s neck was NASTY. 

Dan had to make a hard decision. The entity could only be passed on to a blood relative. He knowingly doomed Katie, but Dan is the leader of his household. A short, short list of options to try and save Kristi and Hunter. 

We’re introduced to a fresh set of new characters in Paranormal Activity 2. Kristi, Hunter, Ali, Dan, Ali’s boyfriend, Brad (Seth Ginsberg), and Martine. Hunter is the first born male in Kristi and Katie’s family since the 1930’s. Through Ali’s research with Brad’s help, it’s revealed Katie and Kristi’s great grandmother possibly made a satanic pact to exchange riches and prosperity for Hunter’s soul. And of course, there’s no happy ending if the pact is tampered with or broken for any reason. 

Paranormal Activity 2 moves the story forward using a clever prequel/sequel hybrid approach, with a smooth transition into the current timeline for a strong finale. Keep in mind that Kristi’s story takes place in Carlsbad, California, while Katie’s story simultaneously takes place in San Diego. 

Some questions are answered. We know why Katie’s childhood picture was set on fire around the edges, and on a lighter note, we can see why Micah (Micah Sloat) was so obsessed with owning his own video camera. Katie and Kristi have some uneasy conversations about the evil force that disrupted their lives, when they were kids. The Ouija board returns, but it’s only used in one scene with Ali and Brad. It’s also nice to see the continued effort to maintain realism. No intro, no opening credits, and a message thanking the Carlsbad Police Department. 

Nothing in the extended version changes the direction of the story, or has any kind of meaningful impact on the ending. Night #4 and Night #11 from the security camera footage are exclusive to the extended version, or you can also call it the director’s cut. Overall, there’s nothing too special about the extended version. You’ll see more scenes with mind games and taunting from the entity, including Dan rushing to throw a flaming pan in the pool. There’s also a scene, where Dan jumps into the boiling hot whirlpool, and the hilarious aftermath with Dan needing a bag of frozen peas to nurse his wounds. 

Paranormal Activity 2 has its problems, but it’s still a solid follow up to the original. Some spooky and tense scenes, and the jump scares worked (the kitchen cabinets bursting open on an unsuspecting Kristi is a good one). Only three scenes stick out for brutality, but they’re still impactful scenes. The entity snatching and maiming Abby (the family dog) off-screen implies whatever it did to Abby must’ve been too horrible to witness. 

The second film in any kind of franchise is always crucial. It’s a measuring stick to see if there’s any potential, if there’s truly a reason to keep going with the story, without making more sequels for the sake of making more sequels. Paranormal Activity 2 does more than enough to justify another film, featuring a shocking cliffhanger that’s loaded with a lot of possibilities.

Rating- 6/10