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List Price: $28.96 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 170340
Released: March 28, 2006 |
| Our Price: $15.99 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
In the Underworld Vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves) a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. Noone knows the origin of their bitter blood feud but the balance of power between them turns even bloodier when a beautiful young Vampire warrior and a newly-turned Lycan with a mysterious past fall in love. Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman star in this modern-day action-packed tale of ruthless intrigue and forbidden passion all set against the dazzling backdrop of a timeless Gothic metropolis.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE UPC: 043396146495 Manufacturer No: 14649
Description of Underworld (2003, Special Edition, Widescreen) DVD / Underworld UMD:
Blade meets The Crow and The Matrix in Underworld, a hybrid thriller that rewrites the rulebook on werewolves and vampires. It's a "cuisinart" movie (blend a lot of familiar ideas and hope something interesting happens) in which immortal vampire "death dealers" wage an ancient war against "Lycans" (werewolves), who've got centuries of revenge--and some rather ambitious genetic experiments--on their lycanthropic agenda. Given his preoccupation with gloomy architecture (mostly filmed in Budapest, Hungary), frenetic mayhem and gothic costuming, it's no surprise that first-time director Len Wiseman gained experience in TV commercials and the art departments of Godzilla, Men in Black, and Independence Day. His work is all surface, no substance, filled with derivative, grand-scale action as conflicted vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale, who later became engaged to Wiseman) struggles to rescue an ill-fated human (Scott Speedman) from Lycan transformation. It's great looking all the way, and a guaranteed treat for horror buffs, who will eagerly dissect its many strengths and weaknesses. --Jeff Shannon
Underworld (2003, Special Edition, Widescreen) DVD / Underworld UMD Reviews:
Underworld: The saga begins 
2009-11-16 - 5 of 5 stars for the vampire and werewolf movie Underworld. I've seen this movie several times and continue to be amazed and the plot and visual look of the movie. Wow. I keep finding new subtle things in the movie overlooked in my first viewing. This movie is the starter for a 3 movie collection. Telling some of the history and moving forward with this story. Underworld and Underworld Evolution move the story further in time while the third movie tells the history of how we got here.
The story is about two races of beings, the upper class Vampires and the worker class Werewolves. In the old times, the races lived together in harmony, now they are at war. This story focuses on "a human" who we later learn has characteristics of both races and his blood is valuable to both races. Of course, our lead character (Kate Beckinsale) needs the help of a sleeping vampire lord. A very impressive movie with stunning visual look. Once you finish Underworld, keep on going with Evolution and Rise of the Lycans. Highly recommended and added to my list of favorite movies.
AN ENTHRALLING VAMPIRE EPIC 9 OUT OF 10
2009-11-02 - When the people of today rave about cinematic failures like Twilight, you can't help but wonder, "What the hell is wrong with you people?" Why aren't you people watching 'real' vampire films that are actually entertaining, like the Underworld trilogy? You mean to tell me you'd trade awesome characters who are armed to teeth for emo pansies like the Twilight characters? Shame, shame. There were some people (Including moronic critics) who said that the Underworld series is boring, and yet they raved about Twilight. Here's my opinion for why I think the Underworld series is infinitely superior to Twilight in every way.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Centuries ago, a conflict began between aristocratic vampires called Death Dealers and Lycans (Werewolves who can become human again) which still continues into modern societies. We are then introduced to the sexy Death Dealer, Selene who centuries ago was turned into a vampire by the leader of the vampires; Viktor, who raised her like his daughter. And then after an intense gun battle scene, we are introduced to Michael Corvin, who is being hunted by the Lycans over the fact his bloodline goes back to the Corvinus (The father of both vampire and Lycan bloodlines) line, which means he is the only person in existence who can be both a vampire and a Lycan. So when Selene investigates why the Lycans are after Michael, both are pulled into a dangerous adventure full of hidden secrets, forbidden love, and a lot of intense, bloody action scenes. The plot for the most part is good, but it doesn't seem to go as far as it could have.
MUSIC: The music in this film is great, and never fails to set the mood and entertain. I have no gripes with this area.
ACTION: This film is loaded with many gun and sword fights, which come with many explosions and lots of blood and gore. Any action fan should have no problem enjoying this film because it rocks. You won't find this action in a pansy, emo, sappy, teen drama vampire tale like Twilight! A true splendor of awesome bloody violence.
ACTING: Some people said the acting and dialogue in this film is bad. What bad acting and dialogue? These actors are great, unlike the 1-dimensional, cardboard actors of Twilight. Kate Beckinsale is a great actress and pulls of her role as a vampire action heroine very well. I have no gripes with the other actors either, as they perform their roles superbly as well.
OVERALL: Forget cinematic monstrosities like Twilight which are an insult to vampire films, and watch Underworld instead! This is an awesome action epic that both girls and guys alike can get into. If you're an action fan or a fan of 'real' vampire films and you're tired of the stupid Twilight craze, pick this one (Along with the other two) up as well.
THE GOOD: Lots of bloody mayhem, great acting, great music, and a fairly good plot.
THE BAD: Plot doesn't go as far as it could have.
One of my favorites 
2009-10-17 - This is one of my favorites and best vampire movies. There are a few flaws to the movie but can be over looked. In one's opinion vampires are stronger or just as strong as Lykens. Some of the elder vampires seems frail in this movie. But that can be over looked with cool scenes and a great story line.
Great Reference Movie for showing off BD & Sound
2009-10-05 - Hello
I've watched all three movies in SD and HD on the Dish. We have the newest title on BD and after reading the reviews of both BD and DVD version I decided to grab this in Blu-Ray. The reviews I've read both pro and casual pretty much sum up my thoughts, this is a very good transfer in both image and sound. Let me break it down into two groups....
Image and visual - With the "Underworld" series don't expect a dazzeling colorful display. Instead it's a world of darks and grey with a touch of gothic appeal. While for some that may not be such a good thing it does show a great deal of contrast involving blacks against skin tones. And this is where this movie shines above all others. It has a great blend with surprising detail in this contrast especially with Kate Beckinsale dressed in black leather, with pitch black hair and a pale skin face. But it's all thruout the movie from the buildings, stone, chains, the rainy weather; the whole Underworld experience really shows up well with it's black & grey theme.
Sound - I was really surprised how well the DD 5.1 track did on this. Most will say, "oh well it's a gun battle here and there and what do you expect". Well that's just it, there's allot more. It's basically everywhere from the rain falling, to metal locks turning, splashes of water while running thru it, chains clanging and so on. One particular scene involved one Vampire with two whips lashing out at a Werewolf coming at him. It was if the whips were snapping back & forth side-to-side. And yes there are gun battles and plenty of them. The low end gets about an average workout but this is not Saving Private Ryan. It would've been extra icing if there was a DTS track.
Overall I would grade this close to "Reference Quality" for showing off BD and Sound. The high level of contrast with blacks and skin detail makes this a BD Standout. Sound wise a excellent choice for those who enjoy action and want it loud. Highly Recommended
Fantastic Start to a Fantastic Series
2009-09-24 - The Underworld Series is on my list of favorite films. The acting is superb, along with the screenwriting, special fx and music. If you like films like "The Matrix" "Van Helsing" and "X-Men" you're going to love this film. The character interaction between Michael and Selene is simply beautiful, (and very well conceived.) If ever there were a time to like a film about vampires and werewolves, it's now. Buy all three of these films now!!
