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"UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS"
(2009) (Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
*Minor Extreme Extreme *Heavy Extreme
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Moderate Minor Extreme None None
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy None Heavy Moderate Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Horror: A young werewolf rallies his kind against their oppressors, a cruel vampire king and his followers who've persecuted them for decades.
PLOT:
Several decades after their dual creation, the aristocratic vampires, led by Viktor (BILL NIGHY), rule over their pure animal adversaries, the werewolves. Yet, through some scientific experimentation, Viktor has created a Lycan hybrid werewolf, Lucian (MICHAEL SHEEN), and has enslaved him, along with various humans, in his heavily armed castle. Yet, the pure werewolves are stepping up their attacks on the vampires, worrying council member Coloman (DAVID ASHTON), despite vampire sentries known as "death dealers" killing as many of the beasts as possible.

Viktor isn't concerned, despite his young adult daughter Sonja (RHONA MITRA), who's also on the vampire council, recklessly doing her own riding and killing of the beasts. And unbeknownst to him, Sonja is having a secret but torrid affair with Lucian, who's usually in human form and enslaved as one of the castle's blacksmiths. Yet, Tannis (STEVEN MACKINTOSH), a conniving vampire official, is aware of their tryst, and plans to use that knowledge to his advantage.

Even so, and due to bad treatment by Viktor and various vampire guards toward him and humans such as the hulking Raze (KEVIN GREVIOUX), Lucian becomes increasingly fed up by that. All of which sets the stage for a rebellion and the rise of the Lycans against their vampire oppressors.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of the first two films in the series, they probably will.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For bloody violence and some sexuality.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • MICHAEL SHEEN plays a hybrid super-werewolf created, raised and ultimately enslaved by Viktor as a castle blacksmith. He eventually has enough with such enslavement and mistreatment of his kind and the humans and thus rebels, planning and executing his escape and that of others. Yet, he must contend with Sonja, his secret and forbidden lover, being stuck in the castle and thus sets out to rescue her.
  • BILL NIGHY plays the stern leader of the vampires who's concerned but not nervous about the increase in werewolf attacks, mainly because he controls (and enslaves, just as he does various humans) Lycans like Lucian who he's created as hybrid super-werewolves. When he learns of his rebellious daughter Sonja having an affair with Lucian, he must make some hard choices as both a leader and father. In general, he's the film's main villain.
  • RHONA MITRA plays his adult daughter, determined not to be bound by his or the council's rules, thus eventually drawing the ire of both. She's also having a secret and forbidden affair with Lucian, resulting in her being pregnant by him.
  • STEVEN MACKINTOSH plays a vampire official who knows of Lucian and Sonja's secret affair and uses that as blackmail to try to get what he wants in terms of a power grab.
  • KEVIN GREVIOUX plays a hulking human slave who joins forces with Lucian to battle the vampires.
  • DAVID ASHTON plays a vampire council member who's concerned about the growing incursion of werewolf attacks and questions Viktor's rule, especially in regard to Sonja's absences from council meetings.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    The following is a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated horror film. There's no profanity and only a handful of colorful phrases. A sexual encounter is seen in an artsy fashion, with no explicit nudity or sounds, but movement and sensuality are present (and there's a brief flashback to a different view of this or another sexual encounter). The side of a man's bare butt is seen on several occasions in a nonsexual context, while some cleavage and a male infant's genitals are also seen.

    Violence consists of vampires and werewolves fighting, attacking and wounding/killing each other and humans, sometimes with very bloody/gory results. Other hitting and striking of others also occurs, some of which (including whippings) that also have very bloody results. Those scenes, various visuals, and moments of potential peril might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to some viewers.

    Potentially imitative behavior is present, as are bad attitudes and tense family material. Some drinking is briefly present, but it might consist of blood rather than alcohol.

    If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

    For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from various instances of lightning, as well as the flicker of flames in several scenes.

    For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, various bits of camera movement (as well as lots of quickly edited camera shots) occur at various points in the film.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Some vampires hold drinks of some sort, but we don't know the content (it's possible it's blood).
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • A slave who's been whipped may have some blood on his face.
  • Some vampires hold drinks of some sort, but we don't know the content (it's possible it's blood).
  • Werewolves attacking some traveling humans, with Sonja decapitating one werewolf and slicing others (possibly cutting off one's arm as well), while Raze punches and hits others and Lucian arrives and slices some. During this, Sonja cuts one in half, but ends up falling down into a werewolf tunnel. A werewolf races at her, but Lucian jumps down onto the ground above the tunnel and drives his sword through that, impaling the beast right before it attacks her. There's more fighting, followed by Lucian turning into a Lycan werewolf and scaring the regular ones away. But vampire soldiers fire two crossbow arrows into Lucian in that state, with Sonja pulling out those bloody arrows, while soldiers set the bodies of dead werewolves on fire (briefly seen).
  • As punishment, a shirtless Lucian is lashed many times with a whip featuring several metal tips at the end. That causes him pain and has very bloody results on his back (seen several times).
  • Viktor grabs a human by the throat, lifts him off the floor by that, and then throws him hard into a pillar or stone wall, cracking the latter. We then see that dead human with blood on his head, a pool of that on the floor, and then a smeared trail of blood on the same when he's dragged off.
  • We hear slaves screaming and then see why as they're led into a room with chained werewolves that bite them on the necks, infecting them (with bloody results).
  • On several walls in the castle, we see stacks of human skulls and other bones.
  • As a werewolf, Lucian attacks and kills a mean guard, with very bloody results on that man, as well as Lucian's face and chest, both in werewolf and then human form. We later see that dead and bloody guard again.
  • Slaves/prisoners attack vampire guards while attempting to escape. Huge crossbow arrows then blast through the walls, striking some of the escapees in various parts of their bodies, including one through the side of his head. Confronted by two armed guards, Lucian rushes toward them and blasts them out through a door at the edge of the castle, sending all of them plummeting many stories and the vampires burning up from sun exposure.
  • Viktor's mouth is bloody after biting Sonja on the neck.
  • Viktor has two small streams of blood down his face while drinking blood from a goblet.
  • Lucian slices and kills a guard, with some blood splattering out. He then hits and stabs more while rescuing Sonja, with additional bloody results.
  • Lucian and Sonja battle various vampire guards with knives and spears (and a spear or two seems to be used), killing and/or wounding some, and otherwise hitting others, with varying degrees of bloody results.
  • A guard repeatedly whips Lucian who's chained to the floor, and we see very bloody results on his back through his torn shirt.
  • A major vampire character is burned and killed by sunlight, leaving a charred corpse.
  • Castle guards fire huge crossbow arrows at rapidly approaching werewolves and Lycans, striking some of them. Others scale the walls and attack the vampire guards, biting and striking many, with varying degrees of bloody results on them as well as some views of blood splattering onto walls. When Lucian jams a sword through Viktor's mouth and out of the back of his head, that also has bloody results.
  • Lucian is bloody after being shot with arrows and then returned to human form. Raze later pulls out some of the bloody arrowheads from Lucian's torso.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • We learn that Viktor genetically created the Lycan breed and now enslaves the likes of Lucian as well as various humans (most if not all of which wear spiked collars to prevent their escape).
  • A mean vampire guard repeatedly whips a slave until Lucian grabs the guard's arm and stops him, thus drawing his ire.
  • Tannis essentially blackmails Sonja over knowledge of her affair with Lucian.
  • After cursing her mother for ever having given birth to Sonja, Viktor then votes along with other council members to condemn her to death.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material.
  • The sight and/or notion of vampires and werewolves, with the latter in monstrous mode, might have the same effect.
  • Viktor nearly has Tannis executed for treason, but Tannis comes up with fabricated proof that gets him off the hook.
  • In human form, Lucian enters a huge cave filled with werewolves, and one of them comes up directly behind him.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Swords/Spears/Knives/Crossbow arrows: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others. See "Violence" for details.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Have you lost your mind?" and "I don't bite...much."
  • The fighting and various stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate.
  • We see miscellaneous bare midriffs.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • Sonja suddenly grabs Tannis and holds her dagger to his throat.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous, heavily dramatic and action-oriented music plays in the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • None.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see a male infant's penis.
  • At various points in the film, there are views of Lucian shirtless.
  • Lucian sneaks out of his cell and meets Sonja, his lover. The two passionately kiss and we then see partial images of them having sex, standing, front to front and his front to her back. There are views of bare skin and hands going over that, but no explicit nudity, and no sounds. But there is movement, followed by an overhead view of her on top, with him leaning back over the edge of a precipice at which they're positioned. We then see them post-sex, apparently nude, but her arm covers her chest, and their lower bodies are not seen. They start kissing again, but the scene ends there.
  • We briefly see the side of Lucian's bare butt while nude after turning back into human form.
  • We see miscellaneous cleavage, and then miscellaneous bare midriffs.
  • We see Lucian shirtless and he and Sonja briefly but passionately kiss when they're reunited for just a few moments.
  • We see a flash image of Sonja having sex with Lucian, seated upright (no explicit nudity or sounds).
  • Sonja announces she's pregnant by Lucian, thus drawing additional ire from her father.
  • We see the side of Lucian's bare butt after he's transformed back into human form.
  • SMOKING
  • None.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Viktor isn't happy with Sonja his daughter for her reckless behavior as well as missing council meetings.
  • Viktor bites Sonja on the neck, backhands her, and pins her by the neck to her bed, all while mad about her betrayal.
  • Viktor hits Sonja and the two then have a swordfight, with close calls, as well as her kicking him back before having her sword on him (while guards aim crossbows at Lucian). Viktor then turns the tables, disarms his daughter and holds a knife on her.
  • Sonja announces she's pregnant by Lucian, thus drawing additional ire from her father.
  • After cursing her mother for ever having given birth to Sonja, Viktor then votes along with other council members to condemn her to death.
  • Despite being one who also condemned her, a father is emotionally torn apart (in private) by his daughter's death.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Viktor stating that without loyalty, they're no better than the beasts at their door.
  • The legends of werewolves and vampires.
  • Viktor choosing to side against his own daughter.
  • VIOLENCE
  • In a flashback, Viktor fires several crossbow arrows into a werewolf, killing it.
  • We see a flashback to young Lucian battling three men, with various blows delivered and blocked, while he catches a crossbow arrow fired at him by Viktor (as part of a test).
  • A werewolf attacks and kills several men, mostly unseen.
  • Werewolves chase after a rider on horseback at night (who turns out to be Sonja) through the woods. As she nears the home castle, she strikes one with her sword, and then fires something resembling two throwing stars that impale another. From the castle, both huge and regular-sized crossbow arrows are fired at the werewolves as Sonja races to get inside the castle, but miss. That prompts Lucian to grab a crossbow and shoot the pursuing werewolves dead.
  • A mean vampire guard repeatedly whips a slave until Lucian grabs the guard's arm and stops him, thus drawing his ire.
  • Some slaves are pushed along and shoved by guards.
  • As humans travel (a family in a carriage, slaves on foot) toward the castle, there are sounds of werewolves approaching. Hearing that, Lucian pushes one guard off his ride back at the castle and then heads off to help. The werewolves then attack, with Sonja decapitating one and slicing others (possibly cutting off one's arm as well), while Raze punches and hits others and Lucian arrives and slices some. During this, Sonja cuts one in half, but ends up falling down into a werewolf tunnel. A werewolf races at her, but Lucian jumps down onto the ground above the tunnel and drives his sword through that, impaling the beast right before it attacks her. There's more fighting, followed by Lucian turning into a Lycan werewolf and scaring the regular ones away. But vampire soldiers fire two crossbow arrows into Lucian in that state, with Sonja pulling out those bloody arrows, while soldiers set the bodies of dead werewolves on fire (briefly seen).
  • Viktor backhands and then slaps Lucian.
  • As punishment, a shirtless Lucian is lashed many times with a whip featuring several metal tips at the end. That causes him pain and has very bloody results on his back (seen several times), while one slave who makes a move to help is hit by a guard.
  • Viktor grabs a human by the throat, lifts him off the floor by that, and then throws him hard into a pillar or stone wall, cracking the latter. We then see that dead human with blood on his head, a pool of that on the floor, and then a smeared trail of blood on the same when he's dragged off.
  • Two slaves fight in their cell over food. Lucian then grabs one by the throat through the bars separating their cells, stopping the fight.
  • Sonja suddenly grabs Tannis and holds her dagger to his throat.
  • We hear slaves screaming and then see why as they're led into a room with chained werewolves that bite them on the necks, infecting them (with bloody results).
  • As a werewolf, Lucian attacks and kills a mean guard, with very bloody results on that man, as well as Lucian's face and chest, both in werewolf and then human form. We later see that dead and bloody guard again.
  • Slaves/prisoners attack vampire guards while attempting to escape. Huge crossbow arrows then blast through the walls, striking some of the escapees in various parts of their bodies, including one through the side of his head. Others barely miss the escapees, and a volley of those huge arrows end up separating the group. Confronted by two armed guards, Lucian rushes toward them and blasts them out through a door at the edge of the castle, sending all of them plummeting many stories and the vampires burning up from sun exposure. Lucian and other Lycans land safely on the ground far below.
  • Viktor bites Sonja on the neck, backhands her, and pins her by the neck to her bed, all while mad about her betrayal.
  • We see flash images of Sonja in the past fighting with various people.
  • Lucian pins one of his own kind back against a tree while mad at him.
  • Lucian slices and kills a guard, with some blood splattering out. We then hear the sound of a second killing. He then hits and stabs more while rescuing Sonja, but as the two try to flee in tunnels, they encounter what are presumably kegs of gunpowder or something similar that are dropped down through grates and then ignited by torches, resulting in explosions.
  • Lucian and Sonja battle various vampire guards with knives and spears (and a spear or two seems to be used), killing and/or wounding some, and otherwise hitting others, with varying degrees of bloody results.
  • Viktor hits Sonja and the two then have a swordfight, with close calls, as well as her kicking him back before having her sword on him (while guards aim crossbows at Lucian). Viktor then turns the tables, disarms his daughter and holds a knife on her, while Lucian is hit and then taken off, with two crossbow arrows fired into his back (with the arrows broken off, leaving the heads inside him).
  • A guard repeatedly whips Lucian who's chained to the floor, and we see very bloody results on his back through his torn shirt.
  • A major vampire character is burned and killed by sunlight, leaving a charred corpse.
  • As a werewolf, Lucian knocks Viktor aside, jumps and blasts through a window, but is then shot various times with crossbows where the arrows are attached to chains, thus capturing him again.
  • Castle guards fire huge crossbow arrows at rapidly approaching werewolves and Lycans, striking some of them. Others scale the walls and attack the vampire guards, biting and striking many, with varying degrees of bloody results. The battle is large and intense, with Lucian killing various vampires as he goes after Viktor. The two of them battle with swords and knock each other around, with Lucian bashing Viktor to the floor, and Viktor hitting Lucian on the head with something to knock him off. The two end up battling on hanging chains, with some sunshine briefly burning Viktor before Lucian drives a sword through his mouth and out the back of his head (seemingly killing him, but he's later seen alive -- to return again in the first two films that preceded this one).



  • Reviewed January 23, 2009 / Posted January 23, 2009

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