While
no one will ever accuse UNDERWORLD ($35) of being great cinema, it
is one hell of a fun popcorn movie. Now available in an Unrated Extended
Cut, UNDERWORLD remains very much the same film it was in its
theatrical version, only some embellishments have been added to the story.
Largely derivative of many other genre films, UNDERWORLD assembles
an entertaining package that throws gothic creatures like vampires and
werewolves into a modern setting, where they get to play with assault
weapons- of course, these weapons have been fine-tuned to their particular
physiologies. With its blazing weapons, beautifully choreographed wire
enhanced fighting; UNDERWORLD is stylistically reminiscent of
modern action movie touchstone THE MATRIX, plus it heaps on
atmospheric cinematography and production design. In addition, the plot of
UNDERWORLD throws in bit of a Romeo and Juliet romance, that is, if
it were taking place within the Hammer/Universal gothic horror movie
realm.
As
the film opens, we learn that that nightmarish creatures such as vampires
and werewolves (called Lycans here) are real and have been embroiled in a
centuries old war. Our guide to this world is a vampire warrior named
Selene (Kate Beckinsale), who is preparing to launch an assault on a group
of Lycans with several of her compatriots. Just as the vampires are about
to attack the Lycans, Selene notices that the werewolves are stalking a
single human in a very uncharacteristic fashion. While the human named
Michael (Scott Speedman) manages to escape the ensuing vampire/werewolf
melee relatively unscathed, Selene decides to track him down, so she can
uncover the Lycans’ strange interest in him. However, before Selene can
get her information, the Lycans put the bite on Michael, which complicates
matters enormously, especially as a forbidden attraction grows between the
two. As the hostilities between vampires and Lycans escalates, alliances
are made and broken in an effort to shift the balance of power in the
vampire hierarchy, and change the face of the centuries old war forever.
The cast of UNDERWORLD also includes Shane Brolly, Bill Nighy,
Erwin Leder and Sophia Myles.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made UNDERWORLD available on DVD in
a 2.35:1 widescreen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on
16:9 displays. This unrated extended cut is very similar in appearance to
the theatrical version; in other words, it looks fantastic. As expected,
the image appears very crisp and highly defined. Colors are very solid and
can appear quite vibrant when required; however, much of the film has a
highly stylized palette, reflecting the nighttime world in which the
vampires and werewolves inhabit. Blacks are smooth and inky, while the
whites appear crisp and solid. Contrast is quite excellent, as is the
level of shadow detail. The film elements used for the transfer appear
quite pristine, while the grain structure remains modest level for such a
dark looking movie. Digital compression artifacts maintain a low profile
throughout.
UNDERWORLD
comes with a kick-ass Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack, featuring all
the sonic assaults that one would expect from the action movie genre. The
sound design is highly aggressive and makes tremendous use of the surround
channels for active effects, not to mention adding atmosphere, as well as
filling out the musical component. Additionally, the wide forward
soundstage effectively wraps around into the surround channels creating a
cohesive sound field that envelops the viewer. Fidelity is truly
excellent- producing convincing sound effects, plus full-bodied musicality
for the film’s score. Dialogue never becomes overshadowed by the
soundtrack’s wall of sound, thus it is always completely understandable.
A French 5.1 channel track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English
and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as the supplemental materials, which are spread
across both discs of this set. Many of the supplements contained on the
Unrated Extended Cut of UNDERWORLD can be found on the original
theatrical release version of the film. Disc one features a new running
audio commentary with director Len Wiseman, plus actors Kate Beckinsale
and Scott Speedman. This track is more entertaining than technically
minded; casual listeners should find it enjoyable. I should note that the
two commentaries contained on the original DVD release have been omitted
here, so if you interests are purely technical, please refer to that disc.
Also provided on disc one is the documentary entitled Fang Vs.
Fiction, a forty-six minute program looks at the mythology of the
creatures that are featured in UNDERWORLD. Theatrical trailers,
bonus trailer and TV spots are also included on disc one.
Moving
over to disc two, one will find the remainder of the supplemental
programming- much of which has been ported from the original DVD. New
additions to the supplemental programs include: Visual Effects,
Designing The Movie and The Look Of Underworld.
Visual Effects runs ten minutes and looks at- you guessed
it. Designing The Movie is eleven minutes on production
design and such. The Look Of Underworld is twenty minutes on
how the film’s particular look was achieved. From the previous DVD comes
the following: The Making Of Underworld is a fluffy thirteen
minutes of promotional minded interviews with the cast and crew. Creature
Effects is twelve minute detailing how the film’s legendary
creatures are brought to life. Stunts is an eleven minute
look at some of the film’s impressive stunt work. Sights And
Sounds is nine minutes worth of various moments captured by the
cameras during production. Storyboards clocks in at over six
minutes and offers comparisons between the concept sketches and actual
film footage. A music video for Worms Of The Earth by Finch
is also included.
If
you like pure popcorn entertainment with a horror bent, or are just
looking for another killer disc to feed your home theater system, the
Unrated Extended Cut of UNDERWORLD definitely delivers the goods.
However, if you are a fan of UNDERWORLD, you’ll want to check out
the Unrated Extended Cut for the subtle changes and embellishments it
brings to the film.
While
no one will ever accuse UNDERWORLD ($35) of being great cinema, it
is one hell of a fun popcorn movie. Now available in an Unrated Extended
Cut, UNDERWORLD remains very much the same film it was in its
theatrical version, only some embellishments have been added to the story.
Largely derivative of many other genre films, UNDERWORLD assembles
an entertaining package that throws gothic creatures like vampires and
werewolves into a modern setting, where they get to play with assault
weapons- of course, these weapons have been fine-tuned to their particular
physiologies. With its blazing weapons, beautifully choreographed wire
enhanced fighting; UNDERWORLD is stylistically reminiscent of
modern action movie touchstone THE MATRIX, plus it heaps on
atmospheric cinematography and production design. In addition, the plot of
UNDERWORLD throws in bit of a Romeo and Juliet romance, that is, if
it were taking place within the Hammer/Universal gothic horror movie
realm.
As
the film opens, we learn that that nightmarish creatures such as vampires
and werewolves (called Lycans here) are real and have been embroiled in a
centuries old war. Our guide to this world is a vampire warrior named
Selene (Kate Beckinsale), who is preparing to launch an assault on a group
of Lycans with several of her compatriots. Just as the vampires are about
to attack the Lycans, Selene notices that the werewolves are stalking a
single human in a very uncharacteristic fashion. While the human named
Michael (Scott Speedman) manages to escape the ensuing vampire/werewolf
melee relatively unscathed, Selene decides to track him down, so she can
uncover the Lycans’ strange interest in him. However, before Selene can
get her information, the Lycans put the bite on Michael, which complicates
matters enormously, especially as a forbidden attraction grows between the
two. As the hostilities between vampires and Lycans escalates, alliances
are made and broken in an effort to shift the balance of power in the
vampire hierarchy, and change the face of the centuries old war forever.
The cast of UNDERWORLD also includes Shane Brolly, Bill Nighy,
Erwin Leder and Sophia Myles.
Columbia
TriStar Home Entertainment has made UNDERWORLD available on DVD in
a 2.35:1 widescreen presentation that has been enhanced for playback on
16:9 displays. This unrated extended cut is very similar in appearance to
the theatrical version; in other words, it looks fantastic. As expected,
the image appears very crisp and highly defined. Colors are very solid and
can appear quite vibrant when required; however, much of the film has a
highly stylized palette, reflecting the nighttime world in which the
vampires and werewolves inhabit. Blacks are smooth and inky, while the
whites appear crisp and solid. Contrast is quite excellent, as is the
level of shadow detail. The film elements used for the transfer appear
quite pristine, while the grain structure remains modest level for such a
dark looking movie. Digital compression artifacts maintain a low profile
throughout.
UNDERWORLD
comes with a kick-ass Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack, featuring all
the sonic assaults that one would expect from the action movie genre. The
sound design is highly aggressive and makes tremendous use of the surround
channels for active effects, not to mention adding atmosphere, as well as
filling out the musical component. Additionally, the wide forward
soundstage effectively wraps around into the surround channels creating a
cohesive sound field that envelops the viewer. Fidelity is truly
excellent- producing convincing sound effects, plus full-bodied musicality
for the film’s score. Dialogue never becomes overshadowed by the
soundtrack’s wall of sound, thus it is always completely understandable.
A French 5.1 channel track is also encoded onto the DVD, as are English
and French subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound serve to enhance the DVD's interactive
menus. Through the menus, one has access to standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as the supplemental materials, which are spread
across both discs of this set. Many of the supplements contained on the
Unrated Extended Cut of UNDERWORLD can be found on the original
theatrical release version of the film. Disc one features a new running
audio commentary with director Len Wiseman, plus actors Kate Beckinsale
and Scott Speedman. This track is more entertaining than technically
minded; casual listeners should find it enjoyable. I should note that the
two commentaries contained on the original DVD release have been omitted
here, so if you interests are purely technical, please refer to that disc.
Also provided on disc one is the documentary entitled Fang Vs.
Fiction, a forty-six minute program looks at the mythology of the
creatures that are featured in UNDERWORLD. Theatrical trailers,
bonus trailer and TV spots are also included on disc one.
Moving
over to disc two, one will find the remainder of the supplemental
programming- much of which has been ported from the original DVD. New
additions to the supplemental programs include: Visual Effects,
Designing The Movie and The Look Of Underworld.
Visual Effects runs ten minutes and looks at- you guessed
it. Designing The Movie is eleven minutes on production
design and such. The Look Of Underworld is twenty minutes on
how the film’s particular look was achieved. From the previous DVD comes
the following: The Making Of Underworld is a fluffy thirteen
minutes of promotional minded interviews with the cast and crew. Creature
Effects is twelve minute detailing how the film’s legendary
creatures are brought to life. Stunts is an eleven minute
look at some of the film’s impressive stunt work. Sights And
Sounds is nine minutes worth of various moments captured by the
cameras during production. Storyboards clocks in at over six
minutes and offers comparisons between the concept sketches and actual
film footage. A music video for Worms Of The Earth by Finch
is also included.
If
you like pure popcorn entertainment with a horror bent, or are just
looking for another killer disc to feed your home theater system, the
Unrated Extended Cut of UNDERWORLD definitely delivers the goods.
However, if you are a fan of UNDERWORLD, you’ll want to check out
the Unrated Extended Cut for the subtle changes and embellishments it
brings to the film.
