UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS

Medieval era. The Vampires, governed by the council presided over by Viktor, use the Lycans as slaves. The young Lucian, the first among the Lycans to have the ability to decide when to take human form and when to take beast form, is Viktor's favorite, who uses him to create other Lycans like him to use. But Lucian is dissatisfied with the conditions in which his fellow Lycans are kept, as well as secretly in love with Sonja, Viktor's beautiful daughter, reasons that push him to start the slave revolt, uniting the Lycans and declaring war on the Vampires. "Underworld – Rise of the Lycans" is the third chapter of the saga that tells of the century-long struggle between vampires and werewolves, a saga that began in 2003 with "Underworld" and continued in 2006 with "Underworld: Evolution". With this third act, we are in the presence of a prequel that takes us back to the origins of the two monstrous immortal races and the feud that will afflict them in the centuries to come. Creating an interesting product was not an easy task given that such events have already been told, and well, through flashbacks in the previous chapters, in short, the path for this prequel had already been traced, one could not stray too much. The fear, therefore, of a superfluous operation was around the corner but it is from a possible handicap that the merit of a film capable, despite an obvious absence of a story to discover and/or a final twist, of turning out to be more than satisfactory in the end. "Rise of the Lycans", in fact, first of all succeeds in properly completing the serial journey and, as per tradition of the franchise, in being fun, gripping and engaging enough even though the viewer already knows what events to expect - and that is certainly no small feat. A result achieved thanks to interesting deepening of the story, in particular of Lucian, the future leader of the Lycans. It is from his point of view that we will experience the events, a point of view capable of completing the reversal of the viewer's vision regarding the two races started in the first chapter and gradually continued throughout the saga during which the Lycans, initially presented as ignoble fierce and bad beasts in the presence of the noble and refined Vampires, reach with this third chapter full empathy with the viewer. A story capable of maintaining interest thanks to several points, without having to resort to any expedient but using arguments certainly overused in the course of history, both literary and cinematic, but in the end always effective: from the impossible love story – typically Shakespearean subtext with two lovers belonging to two opposing houses, in this case even to two opposing races – to the struggle between social classes with, specifically, the rebellion of the slaves against their masters – sociological subtext, already highlighted in the previous chapters, which here certainly reaches its apex. Vicissitudes made engaging by a spectacular staging, in line with the rest of the saga, in which more reflective moments will be intelligently alternated with all-out action sequences, hectic combat optimally choreographed and an unexpectedly copious dose of gore. Several sequences will be memorable, from Lucian's first transformation in defense of his beloved Sonja, to the final attack of the Lycans on the castle with the consequent merciless battle, just to name a few. The standout of the film is certainly Michael Sheen ("Timeline"; "Frost/Nixon") who gives depth to his Lucian, the undisputed protagonist of the story. A character animated by feelings much nobler than those of the aristocratic Vampires, feelings that will lead him to become the charismatic pack leader – it is indeed the case to say! – of the rebel Lycans. Bill Nighy ("Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3") holds his own in the role of the eternal antagonist, the cunning and despicable Viktor, lord of the Vampires. Rhona Mitra ("Doomsday") does well, although she seems less expressive than usual. The actress loses the inevitable - and probably unnecessary, not for the outcome but for the difference between the characters only apparently similar - comparison between heroines with the great absent Kate Beckinsale. Sonja is not defeated certainly from an aesthetic point of view – whose preference we leave to your personal taste – but from that of the character, which however, as we said, is also the fruit of a different characterization, less in-depth than that of the latex heroine Selene, endowed with a more marked, stronger, more mature personality. At the helm is the directorial debut in a feature film of Patrick Tatopoulos, a long career in the world of special effects, who replaces one of the creators of the entire "Underworld" universe, Len Wiseman, who however appears as co-producer as well as co-author of the subject. Despite not replicating Wiseman's levels, who is really good at maneuvering with action sequences – as demonstrated by the recent "Die Hard: Live Free or Die Hard", Tatopoulos handles himself more than well; some moments may perhaps seem a bit too hectic but overall his is certainly a good debut that does not prejudice the positive final result, to which, indeed, he gives a proud contribution. A key role for the good success of the film is played by the photography, the locations/sets and the costumes/props. The photography and lighting appear spot on, with those gray/blue colors, in conveying the idea of a perfect moonlight that will envelop the entire unfolding of the story; locations and sets are really suggestive, from the interiors of the huge castle and its underground world to the unsettling woods home of the free Lycans. Completing the picture is a series of costumes and props with a typically medieval appearance. Impeccable packaging for a dark and gloomy atmosphere, as usual, decidedly fascinating. Makeup and special effects are of good level, an intelligent mix of traditional effects and computer graphics is chosen. Good is the morphing of the Lycans, never so numerous, which seems to have improved even compared to previous films. Gore, as mentioned, is one of the pleasant surprises with quite high doses, there will be no shortage of disembowelments, decapitations and various mutilations to the joy of all the hemoglobin fans. In conclusion, we reiterate, "Underworld - Rise of the Lycans" is undoubtedly a good prequel, capable of deepening and framing under a different light a story that is already known and of being, at the same time, fun and engaging. A chapter that fits perfectly within the saga, properly completing the picture of the events narrated therein.