Yet again, I have been unable to devote the massive quantity of time necessary finish Fallout 3. If only such pesky things as class and social interactions would grant me some leeway so that I may dispense my scathing criticism or rousing approval.
In lieu of Fallout 3, I partook in another, less lengthy form of electronic entertainment. I went to see a movie. “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” was an interesting flick about rebellion. About the oppressed rising up to unshackle themselves and cast down their oppressors. It's about vampires and werewolves kicking the crap out of each other for your amusement.
Let's start by ironing out the kinks. First of all, everyone in the film is wearing period garb (more or less) with the exception of the vimpiress council members who skipped out on costume day to go to Hot Topic. They look as if they got lost on the way to a rave and ended up in a Renaissance Festival.
Secondly, in the first film, vampires and werewolves were simply a part of the (incoming title) underworld, the world beneath the surface that nobody knows about. However, in “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans,” they are not in the underworld at all, in fact, they are ruling. I'm all for suspension of disbelief, but to ask me to accept the fact that there was an extended period of time in the Medieval Era in which vampires were the ruling class and werewolves were routinely eating mass quantities of people (including nobility) simply went unrecorded is pushing it.
Finally, the climax of the film contains a major plot hole. Sonya is chained to a post in a room with a mechanical dome that will reveal the sun and burn her to a very shapely husk of ash while Lucian is chained to the floor. After Sonya is dead and Victor comes in the chamber that night, Lucian freaks out, transforms, and escapes. This begs the question: why the fuck couldn't he have done that a few hours earlier? Because Sonya had to die to keep continuity in the other films. That's pretty weak.
Do these things ruin the movie? No. One doesn't go to a movie like “Underworld” for the story, not really. It's an action movie at it's core. People see movies like “Underworld” to watch vampires and werewolves go at it (in both a violent and carnal sense), and that's just what “Rise of the Lycans” delivers. It's a fun movie that explores the events that initiated the drama of the other movies so that you, the viewer, may revel in your monster vs. monster gore.
I liked it, and I recommend it. Just don't expect to much out of if.
Oh, and never ever watch Babylon A.D.
-Zac
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I'm honestly a little too jaded to watch this one. I loved Underworld and I even enjoyed Underworld Evolution despite it's blatant disregard for pacing and storytelling atmosphere, but this feels like a franchise's last agonizing plea for attention before it is cast into a bin where some hack director will make around thirty more films with a combined budget somewhere around the cost of the original film, to buy, on sale, at Wal*Mart. Now, if I'm wrong, and I have been once or twice, then I will be pleasantly surprised, but part of what made the original so entertaining was the unseen part of the unseen war. There were vampires and werewolves fighting in the streets and no one seemed to notice. I'm all for back story and in fact revel in it a little too often, but I don't think an entire movie that does away with the original premise should be made out of a flashback. Something to think about, I suppose, but I question this film's motives. The need for money just seems too great.
Here's the trick: go into the movie expecting to see what you think they are trying to do. In this case, go into this movie expecting to see werewolves and vampires kicking the crap out of each other. If that's what you expect to see, you won't be disappointed
Fair enough.
The sex hanging off of a cliff thing was a little odd....
Post a Comment