neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Underworld
	Len Wiseman Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Erwin Leder, Sophia Myles 2003		A secret, centuries-old war between vampires and werewolves rages in the fantasy/horror/action thriller "Underworld." Refined British actress Kate Beckinsale, known for prim roles in the recent romantic comedies "Serendipity" and "Laurel Canyon," stars as butt-kicking, death-dealing vampire Selene. Scott Speedman of TV's "Felicity" co-stars as Michael, a human who has caught Selene's eye and is caught between the warring clans. All hell breaks loose between the bloodsuckers and the lycanthropes. Selene needs to put things right, while schemers from both sides gun for her. (Good thing the Mummy, Frankenstein's monster and the Creature from the Black Lagoon don't have private armies of their own.) Director Len Wiseman must have imagined the film as a "Matrix"-y knock-off of Hong Kong's kung-fu flying-warrior extravaganzas, plus fangs and furry CGI metamorphoses. A cavalcade of special-effects savagery, its look is dark, urban, fluid-drenched and tinged cobalt blue. "Underworld" is fettered by mythic underpinnings that are elaborate to the point of convolution, but it's a noisy, frenetic two-hour break from reality, and that's not bad. With Bill Nighy, Shane Brolly and Michael Sheen.