A trip down to the Underworld 2021 - #3 of 5
---

Prequel time...with no Kate Beckinsale, nor Len Wiseman. This doesn't really matter that much, as we get Rhona Mitra as the heroine, and Michael Sheen is back playing Lucian.

The directors' chair, that Wiseman vacated, was taken over by a production designer named Patrick Tatopoulos. How wise that was is another story, but since he worked on both Underworld and Evolution, the change is not noticeable at all...visually.

Rise of the Lycans does a good job in telling the story of how the Lycans rose up to their masters, and if you have a well-developed imagination, you can draw certain parallels to RL history. It is, however, a bit long drawn. The bits between the action might even be called a bit boring.

The visuals are again rather appealing, and the action as visceral as the first two installments. The acting, on the other hand, seems a bit forced. Maybe a bit lacking in direction?

Anyway...Rise of the Lycans is a decent enough movie and does a good enough job fleshing out the mythology of the Underworld universe. Although it's certainly not my favorite in the series, it kept me mostly entertained throughout its 90 minutes of running time.