In the first act alone Blood Wars drops a more diverse cast and flexible subplots than other Underworld titles. The clashing politic is handled mostly well and it's always a boon to have more persistently Gothic characters. However, the production feels fragmented, often speeds up in certain area in expense of these colorful personalities while also hashing out the same outdated slow motion barrage from last decade.
Unlike previous installments which utilized one simple plot line, Blood Wars tries to introduce several ideals with the Lycan and vampires, even discord among each group while Selene is once again caught in the cross fire. The setup offers more in term of content and the characters, while they may be a tad overzealous, work well in intended effect.
There's unfortunately not much range on the characters themselves. Kate Beckinsale is her usual brooding self, down to the monologue delivery, although the jumpsuit look agelessly suits her. Theo James as David serves as the male protagonist, he's sadly still walking in Michael's shadow who died a few episodes ago.
Lara Pulver plays as Semira, a rather Eva Green or Lena Headey type of evil queen. She and Charles Dance, the elder vampire, gives off Game of Thrones aura at least for at a portion of the movie. With more cast, some motivations are unfortunately vague, Tobias Menzies as Marius has the potential to rise above the horde but ultimately he doesn't feel intimidating or intelligent enough for an arch-nemesis.
The action follows almost the exact formula Underworld used, much like the on-screen vampire counterpart who stays unchanged. Expect plenty of slow motion or jarring shots, although there are a few scenes that look crisp though they only occur briefly. It would have benefited a lot from better choreography since there's a limit on how captivating someone turns into a CGI werewolf can be.
There are admittedly deeper aspects at play here, Blood Wars attempts to further the lore and introduce more eccentric characters. Yet with the power of choppy editing these people are given strange motives while unceremoniously thrown in and out from one scene to another. In the end of the night, it's still not that bad of return for Selene and her pack.
Unlike previous installments which utilized one simple plot line, Blood Wars tries to introduce several ideals with the Lycan and vampires, even discord among each group while Selene is once again caught in the cross fire. The setup offers more in term of content and the characters, while they may be a tad overzealous, work well in intended effect.
There's unfortunately not much range on the characters themselves. Kate Beckinsale is her usual brooding self, down to the monologue delivery, although the jumpsuit look agelessly suits her. Theo James as David serves as the male protagonist, he's sadly still walking in Michael's shadow who died a few episodes ago.
Lara Pulver plays as Semira, a rather Eva Green or Lena Headey type of evil queen. She and Charles Dance, the elder vampire, gives off Game of Thrones aura at least for at a portion of the movie. With more cast, some motivations are unfortunately vague, Tobias Menzies as Marius has the potential to rise above the horde but ultimately he doesn't feel intimidating or intelligent enough for an arch-nemesis.
The action follows almost the exact formula Underworld used, much like the on-screen vampire counterpart who stays unchanged. Expect plenty of slow motion or jarring shots, although there are a few scenes that look crisp though they only occur briefly. It would have benefited a lot from better choreography since there's a limit on how captivating someone turns into a CGI werewolf can be.
There are admittedly deeper aspects at play here, Blood Wars attempts to further the lore and introduce more eccentric characters. Yet with the power of choppy editing these people are given strange motives while unceremoniously thrown in and out from one scene to another. In the end of the night, it's still not that bad of return for Selene and her pack.