UNDERWORLD
Kate ’ s back as Selene in Underworld Blood Wars !
Like Resident Evil , the Underworld film started out in the early part of 2000 and featured a strong female lead . Rather then zombies , we see vampires and werewolves featured , with Kate Beckinsale as Selene , a Death Dealer who kills Lycans ( werewolves ) who she believes killed her family .
The first film , Underworld , directed by Len Wiseman and written by Danny McBride sees Selene hunting Lycans . With a budget of just $ 22 million the film went on to gross $ 95 million , although critics generally were negative . The rich visuals and gothic stylings , however , stood out and were praised .
The film delves deeply into vampire and werewolf lore and as critic Andrew O ’ Hehir conceded that despite the movie ’ s flaws , the complex vampire-werewolf mythology back-story “ has been meticulously worked out .”
There ’ s a lot of gothic architecture , lots of leather wearing and drama by the vampires with gory fight scenes . Beckinsale is spot on as Selene and moves with grace and determination according to her character .
In 2006 Underworld : Evolution was released and again featured Beckinsale as Selene . The plot is detailed and complex , take a look here :
https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Underworld :_ Evolution
With a budget of $ 45 million it went to to make $ 111.3 million but again was not well received by critics . Fans loved it and this led to Underworld : Rise of the Lycans in 2009 - a prequel to the original and did not feature Beckinsale as the story was not based on her character but was narrated by her . Instead we see Rhona Mitra as Sonja , Viktor ’ s daughter who falls in love with Lucian , the first werewolf capable of taking human form .
With a budget of $ 35 million , it went on to make $ 91 million at the box office .
In 2012 Beckinsale reprised her role as Selene in Underworld : Awakening . Filmed in 3D , IMAX 3D and 2D . The story is set six months after Evolution and in this film the general public and government are now aware of the existence of werewolves and vampires . The government commences a program to harness the powers of both and Selene is then imprisoned in cryogenic suspension . Twelve years later , she manages to escape , fighting her way through tunnels infested with Lycans .
The film had a budget of $ 70 million and made $ 160 million at the box office . It ’ s a fast paced action film , again with lot ’ s of leather costumes and blood and gore .
The success of the series sees the next title about to be released : Underworld Blood Wars . Again with Kate Beckinsale as Selene . The film is due for release in January 2017 .
There ’ s a bunch of clips here : instagram . com / underworldmovie / and look out for ticket giveaways in this issue of Live Magazine .