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UNDERWORLD (2003) |
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MORGAN'S RATING |
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| Underworld reimagines Vampires as a secretive clan of modern, aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. The balance of power is upset when a beautiful young Vampire and a nascent Lycan -- deadly rivals for centuries -- fall in love. Len Wiseman directs this past-paced modern-day tale of deadly action, ruthless intrigue and forbidden love, all set against the backdrop of an ancient fued between the two tribes in a timeless, Gothic metropolis. |
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| Kate Beckinsale (Selene), Scott Speedman (Michael Corvin), Shane Brolly (Kraven), Michael Sheen (Lucian), Bill Nighy (Viktor), Erwin Leder (Singe), Sophia Myles (Erika), Richard Cetrone (Pierce), Robby Gee (Kahn), Zita Gorog (Amelia), Kevin Grevioux (Raze), Ildiko Kovacs (Michael's Girlfriend), Danny McBride (Mason), Scott McElroy (Soren), Wentworth Miller (Dr. Adam), Mike Mukatis (Taylor), Todd Schneider (Trix), Brian Steele, Kurt Carley (Werewolves), Mylo Carbia (Vampire), Sandor Bolla (Rigel), Hank Amos (Nathaniel), Zsuzsa Barsi (Gunshot Girl), Richard Centrone (Pierce), Mike Mukatis (Taylor), Sandor Boros, Janos Olah (Candidates), Andreas Patton (Death Dealer Captain), Danny McBride, Jazmin Danmak (Masons), Atilla Pinke (Wolfgang), Judit Kuchta (Zsuzsa), Vanessa Nagy (Timea), Ildiko Kovacs (Michael's Old Girlfriend). |
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AN IMMORTAL BATTLE FOR SUPREMACY. |
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PRODUCTION INFORMATION |
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DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman.
WRITERS: Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman and Danny McBride.
PRODUCERS: Gary Lucchesi, Tom Rosenberg and Richard S. Wright.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Robert Bernacchi, James McQuaide and Skip Williamson.
LINE PRODUCER: Kornel Sipos.
ORIGINAL MUSIC: Paul Haslinger.
DISTRIBUTOR: Screen Gems Inc. |
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FACTS |
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QUOTES |
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RELEASE DATE: September 19th, 2003 (USA)
DVD RELEASE DATE: January 6th, 2004 (USA)
BOX OFFICE OPENING: $21.7 million (USA)
BOX OFFICE RESULT: $51.7 million (USA)
BUDGET: $23 million (USA)
SHOOTING DATES: September 2002 -- November 2002
- The movie was initially pitched as "Romeo and Juliet for vampires and werewolves".
- The actors only had two weeks of wirework and prop training for the movie.
- Director Len Wiseman opted to shoot many of the action and effects sequences live, without computer imagery. In one scene a werewolf seems to run more than 50mph behind a speeding car. The scene was shot using an elaborate rig towed behind the vehicle, with actor Michael Sheen doing the running.
- White Wolf, Inc. and author Nancy A. Collins filed suit against Sony Pictures, Screen Gems, and Lakeshore Entertainment on September 4, 2003 for copyright infringement little more than week before it's theatrical release, alleging 17 counts of copyright infringement, and claiming over seventy points of unique similarity between White Wolf's roleplaying games, "Vampire: The Masquerade", "Werewolf: The Apocalypse", and their creation, "The World of Darkness", in which the games are set. Nancy A. Collins is the author of a short story, "The Love of Monsters", published in 1994 by White Wolf Inc and set in the World of Darkness, which she claims the entire plot of this film is based upon. |
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Selene: I am a Death Dealer, sworn to destroy those known as the Lychans. Our war has waged for centuries, unseen by human eyes. But all that is about to change. |
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Selene: Vampires are allergic to silver. We have to get the bullets out quickly, or they end up dying on us during questioning.
Michael: What do you do with them afterward?
Selene: We put the bullets back in. |
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Viktor: I loved my daughter. |
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Selene: Why are you helping me?
Erika: I'm not. I'm helping myself. |
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CRITICAL COMMENTS |
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"Attention: Goth-club owners: Here's a movie you can throw up on your video screens for a guarenteed two hours of cheap atmospherics." -- Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly |
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"Pure hooey, but it certainly has a sense of humor (at least it seems like humor)." -- John Anderson, Newsday |
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"Underworld captured my attention sporadically, but not consistently." -- James Berardinelli, Reelviews |
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"The movie is stylish and cruel, and mightily entertaining for certain covens out there." -- Jami Bernard, New York Daily News |
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"A well-conceived, powerful movie, over the top for all the right reasons." -- Michael Booth, Denver Post |
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"Dramatically undernourished and occasionally ridiculous." -- Denver Rocky Mountain News |
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