Underworld Awakening - Blu-Ray

Film: After a six-year hiatus, Kate Beckinsale returned to the big screen in her role as vampire fighter Selene. After relinquishing the helm to Rhona Mitra in the third installment of the Underworld series, she once again slipped into the skin-tight latex suit for Underworld Awakening to once again take a strong hand in the eternal battle between vampires and lycans.

Fifteen years Selene has spent in captivity. Having spent that time in a freezing deep sleep, it has only been moments since she was separated from her beloved Michael. But now that she has finally managed to escape her prison, she finds that the world around her has changed. Humans now know of the existence of the vampires and Lycans and see them as a plague that must be eradicated. The feuding clans, if they could escape the humans' attempts to eradicate them, have retreated underground in small groups. But this is far from the end of the danger. For Selene was unwittingly involved in allowing the humans to work on breeding a new species. And the first test subject was able to escape together with Selene. Who or what this being is, however, the vampire warrior does not yet suspect.

Underworld Awakening is again a big step in the right direction after the rather weak prequel Uprising of the Lycans. Swedish directors Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, who made their U.S. debut with the thriller Shelter, haven't created a particularly intelligent or even original piece of horror cinema, to be sure. For that, the characters are simply too one-dimensional, the dialogues bloodless and the dramaturgy absolutely predictable. But the staging is so tight and the action so entertainingly staged that the justified criticisms fade into the background there.

Kate Beckinsale still cuts a damn fine figure as a vampire warrior in her third attempt. Whether with knives, pistols or her fan teeth, Selene always deals out powerfully in the fight against her opponents - and Beckinsale brings this not only very handsome, but also absolutely convincing across. The rest of the cast, however, is already forgotten while watching, even if there are some character actors like Charles Dance or Stephen Rea among them. Underworld Awakening is purely a vehicle for Beckinsale and that's absolutely fine thanks to her convincing performance.

If you liked parts 1 and 2, you will definitely be able to enjoy this fourth film as well. So if you don't expect more than to be well entertained with some hefty effects, lots of CGI blood, an attractive leading lady and some cool lines, you can safely go for another visit to the Underworld universe. But if you expect something like a meaningful plot and not so bloodless characters, you should give this movie a wide berth. Because Underworld Awakening is just pure fun cinema, horror action without sense and reason, and maybe just because of that enormously entertaining. So for Selene fans definitely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Although the picture is mostly relatively dark and the colors are reduced to undercooled blue tones, the picture has a very high detail sharpness and decent contrasts. The sound delights with an abundance of lush sound effects that give the surround channels plenty to work with, and together with the music and dialogue, create a coherently mixed soundscape. Very good!

Extras: In contrast to the DVD, which only has an audio commentary to offer, the Blu-ray has far more bonus material on offer. During the commentary, producers Richard Wright and Gary Lucchesi, directors Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, along with visual effects supervisor James McQuaide, talk about the reboot of the franchise, shooting in 3D, and other aspects of the filming. Overall, a fairly informative commentary that viewers interested in the technical aspects of the film can definitely get behind.

The Journey to the Underworld: Picture-in-Picture pop-up track, which can be switched on to the main film, provides some information about the vampires, Lycans and the connections between the individual films in the series - which is extremely promotional in nature at times. More interesting are the five short documentaries, which in a little over an hour take a look at Selena and her transformation within the films, the characters that are reintroduced in this film, the new Lycan design, the action sequences, and the sets, décor, and look of the film. These documentaries are a bit above the level of typical promotional features and actually have some interesting information to offer.

There is at least one genuinely funny scene in the spoilers, but overall this featurette, along with the Lacey Sturm feat. Geno Lenardo music video, are among the weaker extras on the disc. Rounding out the bonus offerings are three animated shorts from the Underworld: Endless War series. Good.

Conclusion: Underworld Awakening is neither particularly original, nor extremely ambitious - but entertaining Kate Beckinsale's return as vampire warrior Selene certainly is. The Blu-ray of the fourth installment in the Underworld franchise is technically well-executed and also offers a whole host of extras. In addition to the 2D Blu-Ray, a 3D version has also been released. For fans of the series absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp