I watched Underworld: Rise of the Lycans on Netflix – and I regret everything

EntertainmentStreamingI watched Underworld: Rise of the Lycans on Netflix – and I regret everythingNew to Netflix, this vampire vs werewolves movie got me wishing for deathWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

New to Netflix, this vampire vs werewolves movie got me wishing for death

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing, Netflix)

Underworld Netflix movie

(Image credit: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing, Netflix)

And, after re-watching Underworld on Friday night just gone and enjoying it thoroughly, I thought I would check out what other movies in the series had been added to theNetflixlibrary, as I’d not watched them all.

One of which was Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, which is also now newly available to stream on Netflix in the UK. I hadn’t seen this movie, having checked out of the series after the disappointing second film, Underworld: Evolution.

Surely Underworld: Rise of the Lycans couldn’t disappoint with these two top actors reprising their roles?

(Image credit: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing, Netflix)

Underworld movie on Netflix

(Image credit: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing, Netflix)

I was wrong, very wrong

Firstly, without spoiling the plot of the original Underworld movie, Rise of the Lycans acts essentially as the retelling (and padding out) of the prologue to it. It’s set centuries before the original Underworld and,literally, sets up that film.

It takes the fragments of backstory you get in the original Underworld, which hasalreadytold us how the Vampire vs Lycan fisticuffs began in the distant past, and then retells it in a barely feature length 90-minute runtime.

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The thing is, though, this movie literally does just retell that story, so actually 90 minutes ends up somehow feeling too long. Seriously, I got to the end of the movie and felt they could’ve easily cut 20 minutes from the runtime.

Sheen, who weirdly here slots into the action movie hero role, which seems completely at odds with hisentirecatalogue of performances to date, tries his hardest to imbue the film with some sort of soul, and Nighy is suitably menacing again as big baddie Viktor, but they can only polish a dull rock so much.

Throw in other issues such as the fact there are few decent supporting performances (at least they brought back Kevin Grevioux as Raze), sets that are overused (this movie was made for just $35 million, and it shows), some really ropey CG and messy, badly choreographed action, and you’re left with a movie riddled with problems.

(Image credit: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing, Netflix)

Netflix movie Underworld Rise of the Lycans

(Image credit: Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Releasing, Netflix)

Kill it with fire

What really needs to happen here is that someone needs to make like a 45-minute ‘prologue’ cut of Rise of the Lycans, which could be then watchedbeforethe original Underworld. This would mean you could watch both in just over two and half hours.

Because, as issue-laden as this movie is, it does plug holes in the fragments of backstory we get in the original Underworld, so it would make sense to watch it as a proper prologue to the first Underworld. I mean, this movie actually ends using the opening footage from the original movie, so it really is seamless in that sense.

But, seriously, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to drag myself through Rise of the Lycans in its theatrical cut ever again. This is one Underworld movie that really does need to stay dead.

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