It must be the year of the prequel. Not only does 2009 see Wolverine’s back story get fleshed out in X-men Origins, but humanity’s war against the machines will begin in Terminator: Salvation and the Star Trek franchise will be getting its much anticipated reboot. Before all that though, the cult 2003 film Underworld is given its own origin story in Rise of the Lycans. But didn’t somebody tell director Patrick Tatopoulos that prequels are seldom any good? The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs, Alien and Star Wars: all film franchises that have had their good name somewhat tarnished because of a prequel. In attempting to break this trend, Rise of the Lycans does itself no favours by taking away the one good thing about the previous Underworld instalments; a leather clad, dual-pistol wielding Kate Beckinsale. As a result, it wouldn’t surprise me if the franchise’s predominantly male audience has gone with her.
Not all is at a loss; Rhona Mitra (Doomsday, Nip/Tuck) attempts to fill the void left by Beckinsale when portraying Sonja, the daughter of the head Vampire Viktor (Bill Nighy). Sonja secretly engages in a relationship with the Lycan Lucian(Michael Sheen), the eventual leader of his half-human and half-werewolf brethren. Yet because the Lycans are mere slaves to Vampires, their love is forbidden, leading Lucian to plan his and Sonja’s escape from the castle so that their love no longer has to be a secret.
It’s a classic Romeo and Juliet story, only where the feuding families are replaced by feuding species. After the narrative mess that was Underworld Evolution, it’s nice to have a simple story that doesn’t forget its audience is really only paying to see some blood and guts. If it’s gore you want, then you’ll be happy to know that the film’s many bloody battles make the most of the MA15+ rating. However, the action mostly feels uninspired, taking one too many pages from The Lord of the Rings. The difference between a costume and CGI werewolf is just as glaring as it was in the original and the lack of any daylight scenes makes for a murky and monotonous use of colour that does grow tiring. But it can’t be said enough; the real reason why the action is lacking in ‘cool’ is because Kate Beckinsale’s character is nowhere to be seen.
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As much as Sonja tries to replace Selene, the less stylistic medieval setting and the limited time she spends kicking werewolf ass makes Mitra’s contribution to the franchise far less memorable than Beckinsale’s. I guess that’s where Bill Nighy and Michael Sheen come into play, both turning in enjoyable performances as the leaders of either camp in the feud. Nighy’s ever frightening wide -eyes and sharp, scathing tone makes for a great Vampire leader. As Lucian, the only thing remotely resembling Sheen’s recent portrayal of David Frost in Frost/Nixon is his charisma, making him apt Lycan revolutionary. But no matter how solid their performances are, the mainly male fans of the series will be first to point out that a topless Michael Sheen is not nearly as appealing as Kate Beckinsale in leather. I couldn’t agree more.
Verdict:
Despite solid performances, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans seems to have forgotten its target audience when dropping Beckinsale’s character from the story and under using Rhona Mitra’s. The medieval setting also lacks the gothic coolness that made the original such an underground hit, making this the most forgettable film in the series.
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