Underworld [WS] [Special Edition]

Director: Len Wiseman Len Wiseman

Overview

"The werewolf vs. vampire actionfest Underworld roars to DVD in a packed release from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment that's sure to please any fan of the gothic, bullet-ridden tale. This Widescreen Special Edition comes with a superb 2.35:1 picture, maintaining the deep blacks and blue hues that worked so well in theaters (a full-screen edition is also available). Sound options are solely relegated to a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, whose layers of atmosphere, music, and sound effects create a fine mix for this extremely loud film. Additionally, two commentary tracks are supplied, the first with director Len Wiseman and writers Danny McBride and Kevin Grevioux, and the second featuring creature designer Patrick Tatopoulos, executive producer/visual effects supervisor James McQuaide, and sound designer Claude Letessier. Both commentaries provide an insane amount of behind-the-scenes information, though each one is about as self-gratifying and pompous as you can get -- especially for a film that is such widely considered as un-groundbreaking as Underworld (though extra points do go to Grevioux for showcasing more of his unearthly deep vocal range for the audience). Filled to the brim with special features, the Featurettes section takes up the most space, as cast and crew alike spew gluttonous amounts of adoration for the film's ""originality"" and vision through each given clip. This area alone holds almost 45 minutes of footage split between various sections and beginning with the overall making-of documentary (directed by Danny McBride himself), as well as featurettes dedicated to ""Creature Effects,"" ""Stunts,"" along with ""Sights and Sounds."" The second page of Special Features provides a music video by Finch, storyboard comparisons, two separate TV spots, and a trailers section featuring the original theatrical trailer along with some other bonus horror previews. While the disc is quite stacked in its coverage of the film, the end result tends to leave the viewer rather cold, depending on his or her reaction to the film. If you loved it as much as the filmmakers obviously do, there's no way you could come out happier -- for everyone else, it might seem like a bit of overkill. Gripes aside, though, the disc has a stellar presentation, with flashy animated menus and a fantastic audio/visual transfer that will make your home theater system work for its money."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/06/2004
UPC:	0043396031524
Original Release:	2003
Rating:	R
Source:	SONY PICTURES
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00
Sales rank:	42,656

Special Features

Director and writer commentary; Technical commentary; Creature effects featurette; Music video by Finch "Worms of the Earth"; Making of Underworld; Sights + Sounds featurette; Stunts featurette; Storyboard comparison; Bonus trailers; TV spots

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kate Beckinsale	Selene
Scott Speedman	Michael Corvin
Michael Sheen	Lucian
Shane Brolly	Kraven
Bill Nighy	Viktor
Erwin Leder	Singe
Sophia Myles	Erika
Robbie Gee	Kahn
Wentworth Miller	Dr. Adam Lockwood
Kevin Grevioux	Raze
Zita Gorog	Amelia
Dennis Kozeluh	Dignitary
Scott McElroy	Soren
Todd Schneider	Trix,Actor
Sandor Bolla	Rigel,Actor
Hank Amos	Nathaniel
Zsuzsa Barsi	Gunshot Girl
Rich Cetrone	Pierce,Pierce
Mike Mukatis	Taylor
Sandor Boros	Candidate No. 1
Janos Olah	Candidate No. 2
Andreas Patton	Death Dealer Captain
Danny McBride	Mason
Jazmin Damak	Mason
Atilla Pinke	Wolfgang
Judit Kuchta	Zsuzsa
Vanessa Nagy	Timea
Ildiko Kovacs	Michael's Old Girlfriend
Brian Steele	Werewolf Performer
Kurt Carley	Werewolf Performer
Zita Görög	Amelia
Robby Gee	Kahn
Paul Haslinger	Composer

Technical Credits

Len Wiseman

Danny McBride

Len Wiseman	Director,Screenwriter
James McQuaide	Executive Producer,Special Effects
Terry A. McKay	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Henry Winterson	Executive Producer
Skip Williamson	Executive Producer
Robert Bernacchi	Executive Producer
Danny McBride	Screenwriter
Patrick Tatopoulos	Special Effects
Nick Allder	Special Effects
Deborah Aquila	Casting
Heta Mantscheff	Casting
Peter Soos	Casting
Celestia Fox	Casting
Mary Tricia Wood	Casting,Casting
Brad Martin	Stunts
Gary Lucchesi	Producer
Tom Rosenberg	Producer
Richard Wright	Producer
Henry Winterstern	Executive Producer
Claude Letessier	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Pitting werewolves and vampires against each other is something that every movie monster-lover can appreciate any day of the week. In Len Wiseman's stylish, but flawed directorial debut Underworld, this concept is explored and fleshed out with epic intentions, but not so epic results. First off, anyone expecting monumental battle scenes between the two creatures better stop where they are, because there will only be a full plate of disappointment here. Moments of bloody hand-to-hand monster brawling are fleeting, with all of the action relegated to quickly cut, lame John Woo-style gunfights. It's a problem that lies at the heart of the film -- instead of embracing the horror elements of these two iconic creatures, the filmmakers opt to sweep it under the rug and dress the modestly-budgeted 23-million dollar flick up as an action-fest whose explosive elements and style are as derivative as they come. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the money went straight into the gothic production design, while other sections were greatly hindered by the budget restraints -- namely, the creature effects. Created and crafted by Patrick Tatopoulos (the same hack behind 1998's Godzilla redesign), the werewolves (aka: lycans) are a lame bore, with huge muscular necks and little hyena heads with no fur to be seen, the design is awkward and unapologetically ugly, save for the few imaginative transformation scenes. Surprisingly, the film shines in the one place no one would expect -- the script. With the endless amounts of vampire lore floating around, Underworld's inventive approach is refreshing and far more interesting than the bullet-ridden shoot-'em-up scenes -- though the style of the flashbacks leaves much to be desired. In contrast, the acting is strictly a mixed bag, with lithe star Kate Beckinsale and clan heads Lucian (Michael Sheen) and Viktor (Bill Nighy) bringing class and freshness to the piece, while others like Shane Brolly as Kraven stink up the screen with their semi-Euro trash accents and laughable diction. There is a well-developed base here that will serve the sequel Underworld: Evolution well -- but as it is, this one will forever fail to live up to the concept it built for itself. Too bad too, because the world needs more werewolf vs. vampire films!