Underworld: Blood Wars; Needed so much more

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Trent Garrett, Lara Pulver

Rated: 4/10

Fifth in the series of wars between blood drinking vampires and ready to kill lycans (werewolves), this one has the maximum weak links.

The premise is wafer thin. Lycans on the hunt of a hybrid pure blood who has the deadly combo of lycan-vampire blood running in her blue veins, daughter of the legendary vampire warrior mother Selene (Kate Beckinsale) who has been the central character of all the Underworlds thus far.

Now this daughter is a shadowy figure who visits the screen only in the recesses of her mother’s mind, so barely makes an impact or a statement even though she is the reason why the fight is on.

Then there is this inevitable war between the vampires and the lycans that had to be there to make any kind of Underworld story. However, this must-war, if you can call it so, comes in fits and starts and is poorly executed, falling as it does into a messy blood and gore situation where there are scenes like a lycan being cut into half from head to toe by a gifted sword! The fight sequences are insipid despite being excessively play-to-gallery violent.

The sub-plot of an inside power-struggle and betrayal also comes as a needless afterthought, introduced perhaps to give the readers a break from the war monotony.

Other than that, there is so much sheer predictability that you wonder if vampires have really lost it despite drinking all that blood from Belgian crystal wine glasses. The film battles the pitfall of not really going anywhere despite being in the midst of unrelenting action. The last one had some romance, what with Selene falling for a lycan who sires her child. This one does not even have that.

Maybe, a go for Underworld buffs but then maybe not for them either. Sorry, but a let-down full of ennui and familiarity. 

Source: Sunday Pioneer, December 04, 2016