Time: 92 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – contains graphic violence
Cast:
Michael Sheen as Lucian
Bill Nighy as Viktor
Rhona Mitra as Sonja
Steven Mackintosh as Andreas Tanis
Kevin Grevioux as Raze
Director: Patrick Tatopoulos

Rise of the Lycans was the last of the Underworld movies which I had already seen. It takes an interesting change from the previous film in the series, Evolution. It instead serves as a prequel to the series, and brings back Michael Sheen and Bill Nighy to play their respective characters from the original movie. I still think that it is pretty good.

The plot flows pretty well; with it being a prequel, it fleshes out the vampire and Lycan war, and it was interesting to see. It does actually take itself seriously and was a bit less silly than the past two bullet filled entries. The story is almost like a Shakespearean tragedy, however the writing is a little rough especially with some of the dialogue, which does lead to some cheesy moments. While it fleshes out the history, at the same time doesn’t add a lot to the mythology. There is a flashback in the first Underworld about what happened to Michael Sheen’s character and if you’ve seen that, Rise of the Lycans is pretty much that but expanded a little bit. Even if you haven’t seen the original Underworld, the plot is fairly predictable. At 90 minutes or less, it feels a bit too short for this story. I wish it was longer and we got more depth to it, I was into the whole concept of it.

Michael Sheen reprises his role of Lucian, and in Rise of the Lycans, he brings a lot of emotion to his character, and he made for a compelling lead. Rhona Mitra is also really good here, she and Sheen share a lot of believable chemistry (more so the two leads in the first two Underworld movies). Bill Nighy also reprises his role as the villainous vampire Viktor, and this movie’s existence is justified by the mere fact that it allows him to have much more screentime and more opportunities to ham out. Nighy is relishing his role and is a delight to watch.

Patrick Tatopoulos takes over directing duties from Len Wiseman, and while the direction does feel a bit of a step down, the work is still pretty good. It retains the blue look from the past two movies but with it being a prequel and considering its setting, it is more medieval, and I really liked the style and sets. That said, it felt like the budget was limited as the main locations were mainly just a castle and a forest, that’s about it. Unfortunately, they feel a bit dull compared to the other two movies. The action is entertaining, if not as memorable as the past two movies. With it being set in the past, guns and grenades are replaced with swords and spears, so they are a bit different at least. You definitely feel Rise of the Lycans leaning more towards the CGI than practical effects, and some of those effects are a little dodgy this time around. 

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans was a decent prequel with good performances and enjoyable action.