The Film
With so many vampire movies, TV series and books someone should put a stake in it already. And the first series that should be cast into the sunlight has to be Underworld. After a promising first film, lackluster sequel and needless prequel, the story - which could've been complete as a trilogy - continues with Underworld: Awakening. Kate Beckinsale manages to squeeze into the latex and leather outfit for another outing, and what could've been a fresh kickstart, instead is undead on arrival.
The plot - if you can call it that - involves vampires and werewolves being exposed, humanity hunting them down, and Selene (Beckinsale), a prisoner in a secret government lab, making the requisite escape and exacting her vengeance. For some reason we're forced to root for the undead hero through about 90 minutes of car chases, shootouts, melees and endless excuses to throw stuff toward the viewer - this being a 3D cinematic release after all. Yet none of this is the least bit interesting. Ironically, while this is the supposed "Awakening" it couldn't be anymore dull.
The Picture
A 3D film gone flat sums up the visuals pretty well, and while visually crisp, the flat color palette is as pale as a vampire's skintone. Worse, the film is jammed with computer-enhanced action, and unlike past films in the series takes the CGI up a notch. This would be good to fine on the big screen in 3D, but in the living room in 2D the 2.40:1 1080p presentation strips away much of the magic and reveals it for what it is. The effects don't look so special, and CGI is clearly CGI. But worst of all, Beckinsale doesn't exactly look like an "ageless" vampire, as much as an actress 10 years older than when she first stepped into the role - made all the more worse, by the flashbacks using footage at the beginning of the film.
The Sound
Although the plot is fairly dull for an action film, the intense audio would make it hard to fall asleep. The Blu-ray features both 7.1 channel and 5.1-channel DTS-HD Master Audio mixes, and these bring the overly choreographed action sequences to life. There are a few moments of tension, heightened by subtle audio queues emanating from all channels. This is canceled out as the dialogue comes through the center reasonably clear, but lacking any particular punch or immediacy. The actors were clearly "phoning it in" and unfortunately it shows in an otherwise impressive soundscape.
The Extras
If as much effort was put into making a good film as was put forth for packing this Blu-ray with extras, the producers would have been staring down an Oscar nomination. Among the bonus material is filmmaker commentary, a blooper reel, "Heavy Prey" music video by Lacey Strum, and five behind-the-scenes featurettes. The latter will certainly appeal to hard-core fans of the series, and does show that at least the filmmakers believed in what they were making. Also exclusive to the Blu-ray is a picture-in-picture experience, which attempts to tie the "rich" history of the four films together.
Final Thoughts
The worst part of Underworld: Awakening is that it essentially sets us up for yet another film. And while it might be interesting to see a middle aged Beckinsale squeeze into the Selene role and costume again, we really think it is time to put this one to bed - with a stake - and hopefully have it dead and buried.
Product Details
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