Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Rated: 6.2/10 ⭐️

I wanted to see where the vampire-werewolf beef started. I like this; it’s a gritty origin story giving the werewolves tragic depth.

What Worked:
• Sheen goes all in as Lucian with a raw energy I totally dug.
• Nighy is delightfully arrogant as Viktor, a villain you love to hate.
• Seeing the actual origin of the war gave the franchise emotional weight.

The Friction:
• Not having Beckinsale front and center felt weird to me.
• The heavy blue-gray filter washed out visuals and muddied the fights.
• The romance between Lucian and Sonja felt kinda rushed.

Verdict:
I like this. Watch for a gritty backstory. Skip if blue-tinted visuals annoy you.

6.9/7

I really liked seeing the story behind how the war between vampires and lycans started and overall just liked seeing some more of the backstory.

The first movies are of course the best but I think this one was also a really good prequel and now I only have 2 more movies left to watch and then I’m finally finished with the whole underworld series.