This is topic Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 01-30-2009, 11:02 PM:
 
CINEMA: Cinemarkury 20 at Jordan Creek, West Des Moines, IA
AUDITORIUM: 18
PRESENTATION: 35mm/Dolby Digital/THX
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: Slightly shaky picture (a non-issue from where we sat)
RATING: Two stars (out of four)

WARNING: I trust Spoilers with my life, and as long as I'm in command, so will you.

(Not THE) Jenn and her friend Renee asked me along for this one. We sat in the back row of the impish-sized auditorium. Amazingly, we were center height to the screen from here. And WOW does this row have leg room. The row ahead is so far forward, I couldn't come close to reaching if I wanted to kick the back of a chair.

THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT THAT GOES IN TO PROMOTING THX HERE: The guy taking tickets has a button that says "Yes, we're THX". Or something like that. No THX trailer. No Front Row Joe trailer either. Fucking Cinemark.

THE PLOT: Werewolf booty. Wackiness ensues.

Really...How many times can they do the "forbidden love that leads to death and war" thing over again. It's just so BORING. Especially when it's done half ass on the cheap. Like here, for example. So what if they filmed everything through a blue filter. That doesn't make it better.
 

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Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 01-31-2009, 09:08 AM:
 
I saw this like a week and a half ago and was so unispired by it that I didn't even want to post a review. It has a few moments but other then that, its just a mess. The FXs are horrible 99% of the time. Bill Nighy's eyes were so freaking creepy I couldn't focus on any of the scenes he was in. Not that I had to any way. Only saving grace for this movie was Rhona Mitra.

2/5
 

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Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 01-31-2009, 07:16 PM:
 
Usually by the time a franchise gets to movie#3 the original premise is creaking under the excess weight of forced plot contrivances, successive budget cuts and second rate performances but Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans holds up remarkably well. Of course, the previous two entrants in this series were not cinematic masterpieces but they were entertaining quasi-horror romps into fetishist vampirism and sweaty lycanthropy and this third instalment is on par with those.

Gone is PVC vampire lovely, Kate Beckinsale, and stepping up to the plate to fulfill luscious-lips and shapely-butt duties is the equally beguiling Rhona Mitra. Mitra was born for this role and carries her charge as the new silver screen vampire queen with consummate allure and ease.

With his new found acting credibility courtesy of The Queen and Frost/Nixon, Michael Sheen almost appears to be slumming it here but his trademark grimace works equally well whether it be for Tony Blair or Lucien and along with intensity stalwart, Bill Nighy, rounds out a cast which services this entertaining fluff piece well.

Despite the occasional descent into melodrama, Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans fundamentally delivers on that which it's predecessors excelled: eye candy for the boys and grrrrl-power for the girls and enough action to tie the two together for an hour and a half.

7.5 out of 10.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 01-31-2009, 07:42 PM:
 
Are the Cinemarkurys actually still THX certified? When Cinemark took over, they immediately dropped the THX logo etc. from the newspaper listings in Portland.
 

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Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 01-31-2009, 08:13 PM:
 
We're a Cinemark, have been for as long as people can remember, and we are NOT THX certified, but rumor is THX is supposed to be re-certifying our 4 big houses as well as going around to other sites.
 

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Posted by Tyler Potts (Member # 4952) on 01-31-2009, 09:11 PM:
 
I told the ushers to look for the 'scrumpin on top of a mountain' scene. The under 17 one found it first.

I saw the first & second, don't own either, thought they were both at least worth seeing once or twice... but I really missed the gunplay in this one. Yeah, its medieval and there were giant crossbows, but it just didn't do it for me. I feel like they've made the vamps total badasses in all the flicks and really had a chance to show off some werewolf stuff in this one... but when they did it was so dark I couldn't even see what was going on. Oh well.
 

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Posted by Stu Jamieson (Member # 4626) on 02-01-2009, 04:16 AM:
 
Anyone else get a giggle out of Lucien and Sonja doing it doggy-style? (Maybe I'm just immature.)
 

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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 02-01-2009, 11:41 AM:
 

quote: David Stambaugh

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Are the Cinemarkurys actually still THX certified? When Cinemark took over, they immediately dropped the THX logo etc. from the newspaper listings in Portland.

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