Vampires Fight Werewolves Once Again in Underworld - Blood Wars Trailer

[Marter]

Vampires Fight Werewolves Once Again in Underworld - Blood Wars Trailer

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Selene is back for at least one more chapter of the Underworld franchise.

Despite rumors that it may never actually happen - largely coming from star Kate Beckinsale [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/kate+beckinsale] at one point claiming she didn't want to do any more of them - Underworld: Blood Wars is coming, and we now have a trailer.

In it, we're promised a lot more of the same thing that happened in the last four movies. Vampires fight werewolves - called "Lycans" in the franchise - and very little else. The screen gets a blue tint, a few gadgets get used, and nothing else really matters, does it? I mean, at this point, you pretty much know what you're getting into.

After the fourth film, Awakening [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworld:_Awakening], ended on a cliffhanger, fans have been hoping for a fifth installment to answer the questions it left dangling. It appears that it will resolve them in the same way lots of sequels do: by voiceover-explaining them away and then ignoring them for the rest of the film. Maybe that won't be the case, but that's the vibe I get from the trailer and after looking at cast lists.

Blood Wars also gives off a "this is the end" sort of feeling, although there have been reports that there will either be at least one more film or possibly a television series. It's replaced its cast to the point where you only need to get rid of one more character in order to be a completely new "thing," and the trailer certainly hints that this will be a possibility (or a way to extend that character's longevity in the franchise, given that its actor isn't a vampire and actually does age).

Personally, I've been a fan of the franchise since the get-go - apart from the abhorrent second chapter - so I'm excited to see what happens in Blood Wars, even if it hasn't ever been the highest quality series out there.

Directed by Resident Evil: The Final Chapter [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/anna+foerster][/i].

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[Thunderous Cacophony]

Underworld has a special place in my heart as the movie I will always stop to watch when flipping channels. I'm not sure I want a TV series, though, given that fancy fight scenes that are probably outside the budget of a standard show are the high point of the franchise.

 

[DaCosta]

The best part of the Underworld movies to me was always Michael Sheen.

Seriously, he gives such a good performance as a werewolf in Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans, that the only conclusion is that he either didn't know he was acting in Underworld 3, or he really is a werewolf, which would also explain why he played a vampire so foppishly in the Twilight movies.

Without him in this one, I'm just not that interested.

 

[Zhukov]

Jesus, this series still exists?

It's like the X-Men movies. Crap, but somehow manages to keep staggering on.

...

Aaaaand now I'm going to go watch the fourth one that I didn't know existed until now.

 

[RJ Dalton]

Jesus, this series still exists?

It's like the X-Men movies. Crap, but somehow manages to keep staggering on.

...

Aaaaand now I'm going to go watch the fourth one that I didn't know existed until now.

But . . . why? I mean, it's passed you by this whole time, why suddenly bother now?

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

Jesus, this series still exists?

It's like the X-Men movies. Crap, but somehow manages to keep staggering on.

...

Aaaaand now I'm going to go watch the fourth one that I didn't know existed until now.

Apart from the conscious act of actually wanting to endure watch new ones; ditto'd, and the X-Men comparison is thoroughly apt (though I'd suggest the X-Men flicks are on a rung even below Underworld).

An announcement of a new Underworld film practically sends me off to sleep. Another profoundly ho-hum monochromatic (these films may as well be shot in black and white, but that requires real talent to make work) b-movie's coming out, y'say?! Golly gee, where can I pre-order tickets! Underworld's like the spiritual cinematic twin of the equally lacking in soul or imagination Resident Evil films, and I often get the impression they appeal to the same audience.

This has been a wholly negative post, so to touch on a positive [kinda]: um, Kate Beckinsale's awesome? All accounts suggest that recent period film she did is her actually acting a worthwhile character and making 'art', but skintight bodysuits and dual-wielding have their superficial charm. Apparently they're also enough to sustain an entire franchise. Or is the truly inventive and daring lore doing that...

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

This series is like the angsty cousin to the Resident Evil movies. Even with the Mary-Sue "kick-ass" but-still-definitely-has-to-be-sexy female lead. I get so much of a 90s vibe with the attempt at style. But if one were to look for a positive; at least it has to be better than Twilight, right? I dunno...it feels like my 15 year old self would be into this, But he was a joyless, tasteless twat, so don't listen to him. (Please don't tell me Bill Nighy is in this again, having to pay his bills? (Accidental lol) But the talent is at least a point in the film's favour. Mountains and canyons etc etc philosophically deaf ears).

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Really got a special place in my heart!
So, hell yes!

 

[Saelune]

Jesus, this series still exists?

It's like the X-Men movies. Crap, but somehow manages to keep staggering on.

...

Aaaaand now I'm going to go watch the fourth one that I didn't know existed until now.

X-Men has tons of different characters who do different things. The Underworld movies seem more like if it was just Wolverines fighting just Sabertooths ever film.

My theory I made up like, a minute ago, is they are actually setting up a movie that actually has something happen, but it will be like "For what feels like an eternity, vampires and werewolves have waged constant unending war" and will point to this series as the telling of that.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

I really like this series, and, yes, I know it's stupid and cheesy, but it's a special kind of cheesy and stupid that I like.

I like Kate Beckinsale and I'm really glad she decided to still do the series despite saying otherwise.

I'm excited.

 

[Transdude1996]

An announcement of a new Underworld film practically sends me off to sleep. Another profoundly ho-hum monochromatic (these films may as well be shot in black and white, but that requires real talent to make work) b-movie's coming out, y'say?! Golly gee, where can I pre-order tickets! Underworld's like the spiritual cinematic twin of the equally lacking in soul or imagination Resident Evil films, and I often get the impression they appeal to the same audience.

That's because the RE film series and Underworld both went to "The Matrix school of how to make a movie", and they we're too busy having a crush on Equilibrium and, to a lesser extent, Blade to pay the best of attention. Meanwhile, in the back of the class, AEon Flux was busy taking notes but was still a bit too young to understand the more sophisticated stuff being taught.

And, now I actually want to see this as a series.

 

[ron1n]

Blade + Underworld Crossover please.

I don't even know how it would work, but it would be kind of amazing.

 

[ExileNZ]

"Abhorrent second chapter"? Have you forgotten how much the lycans sucked in the first one? The second one was the first in the series to have werewolves that actually looked anything like werewolves (mostly thanks to aping the design from Van Helsing).

I have to admit though, I am a little concerned that our cliffhanger answers from Awakening are going to be bullshitted away. Also, where are all these vampire clans coming from? Weren't they all hunted down (bar one) in the previous film?
So unless she's been betrayed by the one, single remaining vampire clan (which means they're likely to be extinct by the end of the film), something has been seriously overlooked here...

 

[Marter]

"Abhorrent second chapter"? Have you forgotten how much the lycans sucked in the first one? The second one was the first in the series to have werewolves that actually looked anything like werewolves (mostly thanks to aping the design from Van Helsing).

I rewatched it, like, three weeks ago. So yes, I know what they look like. I guess I'm just not going to get hung up on the "inaccurate" design of a fictional creature when there are so many more important things to worry about.

 

[ExileNZ]

(SNIP) I guess I'm just not going to get hung up on the "inaccurate" design of a fictional creature when there are so many more important things to worry about.

Man, you should really steer clear of the superhero fandom right now. That would not end well...

 

[JUMBO PALACE]

I remember liking this series way back when. Kate Beckinsale in skin tight leather and partially blonde? Well, there are worse ways to spend $10.50. She's never been hotter than in Van Helsing though. Those corsets....

 

[Marter]

Man, you should really steer clear of the superhero fandom right now. That would not end well...

I mean, yeah. I think that's kind of silly, too, but it's also apples to oranges. There have been lots of various werewolf interpretations over the years, and Underworld is an original property doing its own take on that. Meanwhile, the superhero stuff is (usually) a direct adaptation of a specific character, and I can kind of understand the authenticity argument in that case. I don't agree with it, but I get why it happens.

I hope that made sense.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

I really liked the first movie but I've hung around for the less than stellar sequels, mainly because of Kate Beckinsale in that outfit. Unfortunately my wife has figured this out and will channel flip if it's on.

 

[ExileNZ]

Man, you should really steer clear of the superhero fandom right now. That would not end well...

I mean, yeah. I think that's kind of silly, too, but it's also apples to oranges. There have been lots of various werewolf interpretations over the years, and Underworld is an original property doing its own take on that. Meanwhile, the superhero stuff is (usually) a direct adaptation of a specific character, and I can kind of understand the authenticity argument in that case. I don't agree with it, but I get why it happens.

I hope that made sense.

Makes perfect sense, but I think it's worth remembering that a lot of the interpretations we've seen of werewolves were built around the special effects available. What was great about Van Helsing was that for possibly the first time ever in film history, we finally had a werewolf that actually looked like their best-known interpretation, (the one we'd always seen in illustrations but which mysteriously gave way to cheap plasticine stop-motion or worse, mal-formed wookie costumes) and that actually moved fluidly. All that to say, while there have been many attempts at the werewolf look, there has also always been "The" werewolf look (capital T and all), so the situation isn't really all that different.