The honor of the first movie of 2012 seen by me in the theaters goes to Underworld: Awakening, the fourth in the epic vampires vs lycans series. And it's awesome. After the previous entry, which was actually a prequel, and no Kate, things get back on track immediately with this new film. Humans finally realize that vampires and werewolves exist and go to extreme measure to eradicate them. Issuing martial law and killing all those who are either vampire or lycan and or infected. Selene (a welcome return by Kate Beckinsale), the vampire death dealer, who used to hunt down lycans in the previous films, is now hunted by humans herself. Along with her hybrid lover Michael, who is part vampire/part lycan. After an exciting fight sequence between Selene and some soldiers, she is captured and Michael is believed to be dead.
Selene wakes up to a strange new world
Flash forward 12 years and this research company called Antigen, who seeks a cure for the infection spread by lycans and vampires, has held Selene in frozen captivity. Once she escapes, in a wicked scene where, armed only with a scalpel takes out half a dozen heavily armed guards. She is the only vampire of her kind, able to walk in daylight and far stronger than any other vampire still left in the world. She immediately begins her search for Michael but ends up a with a surprise...she has a 12 year old daughter named Eve, who also escaped from the same place. Eve is like Michael was..a hybrid.
India Eisley as Eve
Once Selene meets Eve with the help of a vampire named David, the remaining lycans resurface, needing Eve's blood to become immune to silver.
Selene meets David
This all leads to some intense action sequences which shows Selene hasn't lost her edge, not one bit. If anything, she is more lethal than ever. Taking out soldiers, lycans in brutal and quick succession. She doesn't hold back and once her daughter Eve is kidnapped by the lycans to dissect and harvest her body parts and blood..it is on! Mama doesn't like that at all. As she enters Antigen to get her daughter back, lycans be damned. She does have her hands full with one super lycan, who is a beast. More than twice the size of a normal lycan and with uncharted healing abilities. Their battle is one bad ass scene. Eve also has a wicked fight of her own, against the doctor who is doing the experiments on her, who happens to be a lycan himself. He is played by Stephen Rea.
Selene thinks..oh it's so on!
Underworld: Awakening is one awesome movie with really cool fight scenes, a booming music score and the great presence of Kate Beckinsale. Without her, this movie would not work at all. She is perfect as Selene and shows that she can still handle all her own fight scenes and still can squeeze into that unbelievably tight leather outfit without breaking a sweat. I personally think this is the best one yet of the Underworld films and the ending leaves the door open for at least one more. Here's hoping that Kate will return for that one too.
B+
A lycan on the prowl
