Underworld: Awakening

When the battle between the vampires and the lycans is exposed to the humans, a war breaks out with the goal of purging the opponent clans. Kate Beckinsale returns as Selene the automatic pistol wielding death dealer in Underworld: Awakening. The fourth film in the series combines the elements of a crime procedural with the mythology that fans of the series are used to. But unfortunately the addition of new villains doesn’t escape the stereotypes of vampire movies. That is to say non-Twilight vampire movies.

The hype for Awakening has seemingly been bigger than the previous films. This fits because its appeal is more widespread than the niche the others fall into. There are the gory fights between creatures, but it’s more on par with popular comic book films. Beckinsale, who gives a stronger performance than anyone would expect from an actress in the fourth film of a sci-fi franchise, does strut toward the camera an awful lot. The first 10 times it looks pretty intense. After that, it gets a bit excessive.

The supporting cast is not as successful as the lead. None of the characters are thoroughly developed. Then when the young vampire, Eve (India Eisley) gets angry, we get the worst visuals of the film. I don’t know if it is make-up or CGI, but she looks pretty ridiculous. When judging by the action, which is obviously the focus of the film, this is a successful effort. But it still keeps the elements that are aimed toward a predominately male sci-fi/ fantasy demographic. This ranges from Beckinsale’s body suit to the plethora of guns that are used. How lucky for the audience that once Selene escapes her captors she is able to find her complete uniform instantly. It would have been rough if she had to wear something different.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.