Underworld Awakening (2012)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Fourth film in the Underworld series is a mediocre film that combine, action and horror. What starts off to be promising film quickly turns tiresome. Underworld Awakening is a mindless popcorn action horror flick with a minimalistic story. I felt with this entry, the film had a plot… More
  Fourth film in the Underworld series is a mediocre film that combine, action and horror. What starts off to be promising film quickly turns tiresome. Underworld Awakening is a mindless popcorn action horror flick with a minimalistic story. I felt with this entry, the film had a plot that just didn't deliver. The film had potential, but it just ended up being a mindless actioner. The Underworld series is one of the few action horror films that had a big potential in being something better than what they turned out to be. Rise of the Lycans was a decent flick, and along with the first film brought something unique to the vampire genre. With this fourth film, the filmmakers have clearly run out of ideas. I thought that the idea of Selene having a daughter was interesting, but there just wasn't any real substance to the idea, it was as if the producers were like ok in this film Selene has a daughter, and we're going to have Kate Beckinsale kick ass for an hour and twenty minutes. With this film, there's simply no depth its plot to truly make it engaging. I just hope this will be the final entry in the series because there's really nothing good going for this series anymore. Rise of the Lycans was flawed, but was a decent action horror film that explored the back story of the feud. With this one it just seemed they made to keep the series going without any merit to do something good and thrilling. The delivers on the action, but lacks an effective plot, which in turn ends up being a shallow emotionless film. There could have been something good here, but the result is a film where the filmmakers didn't seem to care about the outcome. The end result is a mediocre film with good action, but an underdeveloped plot.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"For 12 years, I was held captive by the humans. The world I once knew has changed. Vampires and Lycans are now the hunted."</i> When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire… More
  <i>"For 12 years, I was held captive by the humans. The world I once knew has changed. Vampires and Lycans are now the hunted."</i> When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrioress Selene leads the battle against humankind. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Underworld: Awakening is easy enough to like. The truth is, despite the utter lack of a storyline, this movie is enjoyable. As the movie carried on, I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next. Then it ended. Many movies nowadays are 90 minutes. Movies that short, however, are usually weak seeing as they don't have the time to develop a storyline. A movie usually needs to be about two hours or more in order to develop a decent storyline. Underworld: Awakening presents itself well from the beginning. The quick recap of events makes it unnecessary to be a fan of the series. It'll catch you up on all the basics. It hardly matters, however, since the storyline for this movie goes in an entirely new direction. I like the setup. But, about halfway through the movie, the plot bends in a new and all too predictable direction. Meanwhile, the script is so bare-bones that it is impossible to get a feel for any of the characters. Even the most important relationship in the movie-between patient one and patient two-is skipped over as if it were irrelevant. This movie relies on its action scenes. This is what makes this movie fun to watch. Although there are several times where the special effects are lacking (the Lycans reminded me of the unspeakable creatures from The Princess Bride/the girl reminds me of the girl from The Ring), the action scenes are generally fun to watch. Kate Beckinsale has the ability to make you feel like you really are watching a deadly ninja with superpowers. If she were handed a better action script, she would probably be able to make it soar.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  three stars!!

• Josh L

  
  I think the first one is probably still my favorite, but in terms of technical film-making, this is the best of the series. The special effects no longer look cheesy and the movie has done away with the gothic look for a more glossy, high tech look that makes it feel more futuristic.… More
  I think the first one is probably still my favorite, but in terms of technical film-making, this is the best of the series. The special effects no longer look cheesy and the movie has done away with the gothic look for a more glossy, high tech look that makes it feel more futuristic. Kate Beckinsale is still fantastic (and still looks good in leather) and the script is not overdone with mythology that is hard to keep up with. It's more action, less story, but still interesting (and the action is the best directed in the series). My only real complaint is that it ends on a cliffhanger. It already took them this long to get Kate back in the series and her return has been long anticipated and I'm just worried the sequel will either never happen or take another 6 years (the gap between the Beckinsale led Underworld movies). Regardless, I like the direction the series is going in.

• Al S

  
  Despite its seventy eight minute running time and thats without the credits, its possiably the best installement yet from its pair of swedish directors. An explosive and heart-pounding action-packed thrill-ride. The action and effects are awesome and Beckinsale is just fierce as ever… More
  Despite its seventy eight minute running time and thats without the credits, its possiably the best installement yet from its pair of swedish directors. An explosive and heart-pounding action-packed thrill-ride. The action and effects are awesome and Beckinsale is just fierce as ever in the lead role. It`s story is solid and has some trong performances.

• Manu G

  
  Vengeance Returns Not bad! It was decently good although could have been a little better with a better storyline. Kate Beckinsale looked good and she stays in shape which was a plus in this movie. If you have seen the series you don't wanna miss this one. Mankind discover the… More
  Vengeance Returns Not bad! It was decently good although could have been a little better with a better storyline. Kate Beckinsale looked good and she stays in shape which was a plus in this movie. If you have seen the series you don't wanna miss this one. Mankind discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan species and they begin a war to annihilate the races. When Selene meets with Michael in the harbor, they are hit by a grenade and Selene passes out. Twelve years later, Selene awakes from a cryogenic sleep in the Antigen laboratory and meets the Vampire Thomas. She learns that she had been the subject of the scientist Dr. Jacob Lane and the Vampire and Lycan species have been practically eradicated from Earth. But Selene is still connected to Michael and has visions that she believes that belongs to Michael's sight. However she has a surprise and finds that she has a powerful daughter named Eve that has been raised in the laboratory. Now Selene and Thomas have to protect Eve against the Lycans that intend to use her to inoculate their species against silver.

• Film C

  
  Of course i believe directers and film producers just make movies for the hell of it just to make money, however i wish they'd stopped milking some of my favourite movies in order to do so, i mean the first two underworlds brilliant the third one: although not necessary still… More
  Of course i believe directers and film producers just make movies for the hell of it just to make money, however i wish they'd stopped milking some of my favourite movies in order to do so, i mean the first two underworlds brilliant the third one: although not necessary still good and i enjoyed it however this one is just lacking the excitement and joy of making the first two, they had no way of really making a fourth one without coming up with some pointless story which made it even more ludacris: well they succeed at that and by the looks of it we could have a 5th one on its way! Kate Beckinsale is on top form and im sure i speak for everyone when i say we enjoy watching her on screen however this movie shouldnt have been made they should have quit whilst they were ahead!

• Phil H

  
  Following on from 'Evolution' we see both the lycan and vampire species in threat from humans after being hunted down to the brink of extinction. You know what to expect here and boy do you get it in spades, slow motion high flying kills, double gun totting shooting,… More
  Following on from 'Evolution' we see both the lycan and vampire species in threat from humans after being hunted down to the brink of extinction. You know what to expect here and boy do you get it in spades, slow motion high flying kills, double gun totting shooting, swishing blades, spurting blood and endless dumbass man fodder to thicken the brew. In short its exactly like the newer 'Resident Evil' films and you half expect Jovovich to pop up and take over. The super lycan serum which results in an uber lycan is pretty much the pinnacle of crapola in this franchise now, a total 'Resi Evil' idea type rip off and it lowers the overall class of the whole series. The plot is isn't tooooo bad, they manage to carry it on quite well and do a good job with keeping 'Corvin' around despite Speedman not being involved, but the rest of the cast is pretty awful really. Charles Dance seems to be there only to provide a new 'Viktor' type character and he clearly has difficulty speaking with his fangs in haha he even tries some of Nighy's head movements, the rest of the supporting cast all come across as B-movie fare frankly, even previous vampire actor Rea can't help the cause. The whole film feels very basic really with some terrible cgi effects (worse than the previous films), the lycans look like shaven rats, transformations are pretty dreadful looking, the 'vision' perspective looks crap and the young 'Eve' looks like something outta 'Mortal Kombat', everything looks plastic and fake. End of the day it does what it says on the tin and we all know what this film is about so I can't moan too much but I just get the feeling they could of left it as it was. They really have gone way over the top with all this slo-mo action and the fact that 'Selene' can kill endless lycans yet no one else can just loses any real acceptance of the universes reality anymore, yes its over the top fantasy but there is still a limit. The thing is I can see this franchise really being milked completely into the depths of the 'straight to DVD' abyss which is a shame as it is/was decent but this kind of W.S. Anderson film making is becoming infuriating.

• EightThirty .

  
  17/02/2012 (ONLINE)

• Mike S

  
  Selene is back and this time she's a mommy (or I think the proper term is vampire MILF). Now, while there wasn't really a need for this addition to the franchise, it does supply a sufficient amount of action and is reasonably entertaining overall. Rapid in pace and… More
  Selene is back and this time she's a mommy (or I think the proper term is vampire MILF). Now, while there wasn't really a need for this addition to the franchise, it does supply a sufficient amount of action and is reasonably entertaining overall. Rapid in pace and competently directed, it threw boredom out the door and refused to let it back in. It's also astonishing how well Kate Beckinsale has kept her gorgeously sexy figure, looking as smoking hot as she did in the original. Where the movie is lacking though (hence the mediocre rating) is in the writing department. Bland dialogue and a substance-devoid plot, leaves the brain suffering and begging for a scrap of intelligence. But it's unfortunately the same throughout its entire course. A far-from-fresh installment, though an enjoyable diversion if all you want is some mindless fun.

• Justin Y

  
  It takes a combo behind the camera in Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, but <i>Underworld: Awakening</i> is high-octane vampire action.<p>The story, while connected to its predecessors, also feels a bit separated from them as well. It doesn't even reach 90 minutes… More
  It takes a combo behind the camera in Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, but <i>Underworld: Awakening</i> is high-octane vampire action.<p>The story, while connected to its predecessors, also feels a bit separated from them as well. It doesn't even reach 90 minutes and there really isn't all that much to it. There are a lack of details behind a few of the plot pieces, which helps this picture zoom by in a heart beat.</p><p>Now wherever this picture lacks, it makes up for in action. The highly stylized action is eye catching, explosive, and plentiful. It is also brutally violent with some passable CG effects. By the time the end credits roll around, <i>Underworld: Awakening</i> feels more like an action adventure than anything else.</p><p>It's hard to complain when Kate Beckinsale is a vampire warrior strutting around in a slick black outfit for much of the film and she gets the job done. The rest of the supporting cast is passable, although the characters themselves aren't that great.</p><p><i>Underworld: Awakening</i> delivers heavily on the action and enough everywhere else.</p>

• Thomas A

  
  Underworld 3 is entertaining and any fans of the series will enjoy it. The problem is that if you are a fan of the series, you will notice it doesn't hold up to the first 2. The plot goes into the future with humans finding and exterminating the vampires and werewolves, which is… More
  Underworld 3 is entertaining and any fans of the series will enjoy it. The problem is that if you are a fan of the series, you will notice it doesn't hold up to the first 2. The plot goes into the future with humans finding and exterminating the vampires and werewolves, which is pretty much the only logical way to follow underworld evolution which wrapped up nicely. Overall it just feels like they had less of a budget and it shows. It was nice to reference Micheal and include the character but they didn't bring back Scott Speedman which is disappointing. There are really only 3 main settings for the whole film so it just feels like an excuse for action. On the bright side the action is great, nice and bloody. It doesn't go for the pg-13 like a lot of studios. So long story short its way better then rise of the lycans, Underworld is about guns, and the action is great, the main flaws are that it feel cheap, had it had a bigger budget and time it would have much better.

• A.D. V

  
  I'm not a huge fan of the series but I really enjoyed this entry. Mindless, non-stop action, super violent and makes good use of 3D. Well worth the matinee price I paid.

• Matt G

  
  Selene: For 12 years I was held captive by the humans. The world I once knew has changed. Vampires and Lycans are now the hunted. Unnecessary is the term I would use to describe the latest entry in the highly successful Underworld franchise. Prior to viewing Underworld Awakening, I… More
  Selene: For 12 years I was held captive by the humans. The world I once knew has changed. Vampires and Lycans are now the hunted. Unnecessary is the term I would use to describe the latest entry in the highly successful Underworld franchise. Prior to viewing Underworld Awakening, I had not seen any of the previous films, so I went into this fairly fresh. To my surprise, it turns out that you must be a devoted fan to fully enjoy this franchise. The action sequences are undeniably well-handled, and 3D is put to fine use. What we have here is an emotionless Kate Beckinsale reminding audiences that Kristen Stewart is not the only glum face around, an abysmal plotline wrapped around an unimpressive script, which all sounds pretty normal for a film with a January release. Read the whole review at creedsdelight.com

• Jason R

  
  Not great, but certainly not awful. A lot of action, very little story -- but honestly, isn't that what I wanted when I bought my ticket? Fun stuff.

• Crash E

  
  great improvement in the story, it's not only about the stunning return for Selene and the incredible Underworld 3D experience , it laso about finding out Selene and Michael hybrid daughter, and how the humans involved in the war between vampires and werewolves... waiting for the… More
  great improvement in the story, it's not only about the stunning return for Selene and the incredible Underworld 3D experience , it laso about finding out Selene and Michael hybrid daughter, and how the humans involved in the war between vampires and werewolves... waiting for the next one hoping to see Michael in it

• Bradley W

  
  Underworld Awakening is another just installment in the series and it progresses the story of Selene, the Death Dealer in a war with a race of werewolfs called Lycans, and although its a major improvement over Evolution, I still liked Rise of the Lycans the best and this was very… More
  Underworld Awakening is another just installment in the series and it progresses the story of Selene, the Death Dealer in a war with a race of werewolfs called Lycans, and although its a major improvement over Evolution, I still liked Rise of the Lycans the best and this was very disappointing. I liked the idea of bringing humans into their war so that was one postive thing about the film, but I just felt the whole time that it was just another excuse to add to a series that just needs to be concluded already. Even I will admit I enjoy the action in these films, but its not an excuse for its boring an not needed complicated story that just adds on to the ridiculous storyline in this series. The last installment Rise of the Lycans is currently the only installment that I enjoyed because they paid attention to backround and finally gave a full explanation of the history of the characters (with the exception of Selene and Michael), but this is based after Evolution which was so boring that I forgot most of he story for and so this movie brought back some memories so I still was able understand the story and remember the characters, and they give an entirely new cast in this film (besides Kate Beckinsale). I don't consider myself a fan of the series so you may enjoy this more than I, but I still found it boring even with some fun action scenes. The story again follows Selene (Kate Beckinsale) who is now in a war with both Lycans and humans. When she is captured by humans and held in a cryogenic chamber for 12 years, she discovers a group of doctors are going to a mysterious hybrid child named Eve (India Eisley) to find a antidote for this disease of vampires and Lycans. But this may be just a cover for something much bigger when Selene discovers that these doctors may not be human at all, and may be using this antidote for something much bigger. The story starts off showing us a slideshow of the past films and what happened in the events of Underworld and Evolution. This was smart movie to give the audience of a reminder of what happened before this one, but it does not save the film from being overly complicated once again. You must have followed this series very close to understand a lot of this mubo jumbo that they talk about, and its hard to remeber all the mutations and why they need this young girl in the first place. But this is me complaining about a series I have not particuarly enjoyed so do not take my word on it. As for the characters, what can I say about characters who spend over half the movie fighting. Selene is still the creepy but sexy vampire who is just here to be hot and kick ass, and everyone else is just here to add some story and nobody really cares about them. Overall this story did not interest me, but if you have enjoyed the Underworld movies so far then you should not take my word for it. The cast was pathetic if youy ask me, you can never get the full feel of someones performance in an action movie, and the Underworld films have proved that to me over and over. Kate Beckinsale is an attractive actress, and that is why they picked her for these movies, but with all honesty, one of the reasons I liked Rise of the Lycans was because she was not in it, she may be good looking but nothing has proved to me in her career that she is a great actress and this series just keeps lowering the bar. Micheal Ealy was not bad but he really did nothing to make me remember him. India Eisley was a good addition I think, mosly because of her character but her innocence I think maked her likable instead of some of the jerks in this film. Well nobody saw this film for a cast but I at least want to see a little effort people. Underworld Awakening has some great action, I have gotten used to the gore and cheesy violence this film brings and that is the main reason I watched the film. But other than that this film has nothing much to offer the audience much like the past installments. I am not a fan of the Underworld series unless somehow when they make a fifth film that can change the stuff I dislike about the other films. If they can make it have a interesting story that focuses more on that, a cast that is actually memorable, and keep the same gory action that I enjoy then maybe it will be saved, but I do not see that happening any time soon. If you enjoyed the other Underworlds then i encourage you to go eat your heat out, as for people like me, I say steer clear of this film.

• Dann M

  
  Underworld: Awakening tries to take the series in a new direction, but goes about it in the worse possible way. Without Danny McBride the writing turns to shit, as exemplified by this catastrophe. Awakening resets the story by jumping 12 years into the future and goes… More
  Underworld: Awakening tries to take the series in a new direction, but goes about it in the worse possible way. Without Danny McBride the writing turns to shit, as exemplified by this catastrophe. Awakening resets the story by jumping 12 years into the future and goes post-apocalyptic; setting itself after a number of Vampire & Lycan purges that has nearly eradicated both species. The storytelling here is just awful, with numerous plot holes and no character development. And Kate Beckinsale is way off her game, delivering a dull and lifeless performance. Underworld: Awakening is a terrible film that fails on every level.

• Bryan D

  
  I forgot. Is this Underworld 12? 13? I can't remember. If you've seen one Underworld film, you've seen them all. Don't get me wrong, watching Kate Beckinsale running around in tight leather is fun and all...but it's getting a bit tiresome and I think I… More
  I forgot. Is this Underworld 12? 13? I can't remember. If you've seen one Underworld film, you've seen them all. Don't get me wrong, watching Kate Beckinsale running around in tight leather is fun and all...but it's getting a bit tiresome and I think I just want more out of my movies. The plot for this film: the same as the other Underworld movies. Kate is a hot Vampire with knives and guns. She hunts Werewolves (Likens). But some of them are not as bad as they seem. Oh, there are some good humans thrown in the mix too, but the reality is most of the humans are bad. Someone in the movie always flip flops sides to give the illusion of plot and story. The humans and Vampires and Likens all fight. Kate wears black leather. The end.

• Jeff B

  
  Awakening tired material best left in its already comatose state, Underworld 4 is definitely the resident evil at the box office this week. This reviewer can remember where and with whom he's seen every movie...except Underworld. Perhaps, it's because the female led… More
  Awakening tired material best left in its already comatose state, Underworld 4 is definitely the resident evil at the box office this week. This reviewer can remember where and with whom he's seen every movie...except Underworld. Perhaps, it's because the female led horror-cum-chop socky flick proved to be such a true confection-glossily packaged but utterly forgettable mind snack food. Well, moviegoers COULD have blissfully forgotten it if the producers would stop churning out mind-rotting follow-ups. Moviegoers have seen the style and structure of this monstrously bad sequel so many times that even it's redundancy is redundant. Just as the Twilight Saga makes audiences increasingly despise teen romance AND horror with each succeeding chapter, this franchise now does the same for action and horror. In this PG-13-rated fantasy thriller, vampire warrioress Selene (Beckinsale) escapes from a cryogenic prison into a world where humans are hunting bloodsuckers and werewolves to extinction. Ironically, a trailer for the latest Resident Evil flick preceded this future-dwelling dominatrix-clad lesson in camp-ire (think: Vamperella). These franchises share the same DNA. Unlike Evil, Underworld isn't based on a video game but it does have the same gnat's attention span CG-generated execution. Moviegoers can easily trade Milla Jovovich for Beckinsale and zombies for Lycans (read: poorly animated werewolves) and save the $9 ticket expense. Granted, the leather-clad Beckinsale does a fine job of selling through blood gushing while generating some blood rushing too, but - thanks to the 11th Hour set-up for another obligatory sequel - it's doubtless she'll ever graduate to Aviator or Serendipity-grade material again. Bottom line: Bloody well wrong.

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