When it’s over, having been an Underworld fan for years, I was truly disappointed with this fourth instalment. The film finds Selene (Kate Beckinsale) being awaken from cryostasis 12 years after the events of Underworld: Evolution to find herself alone and without her lover, Michael. She learns that humans are raging war on Vampires and Lycans and finds herself up against a new breed of Lycan hybrids made possible by her offspring. I felt the story had potential, but was mishandled by the writers. Also, I found some of the supporting cast interesting, but without solid backstories, they were easily forgettable. It was unfortunate that Actor Scott Speedman skipped on reprising his role as Michael, the Lycan hybrid, since he had terrific chemistry with Beckinsale and the two made a solid pair. However, his face was digitally imposed on a stand-in leaving way for a possible comeback in future instalments, which, if the production quality of future Underworlds mirror this one, then I foresee the death of this franchise. With the film running at 88 minutes, it’s no wonder why the film felt so loosely packaged. Children films may get away with an 88 minute storyline, but a good film usually runs at least 100 minutes and up. The first three films in the Underworld series were well tied together, each complimenting and adding to the other, while the fourth felt alienated and undeveloped. I think it's important for the audience to understand through visuals (after all, film is a visual medium) what happened during the years Selene was in cryostasis, and to show this, the writers could have written in flashbacks that would have described the war and the creation of Selene’s offspring.My rating: 2 out of 5
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