Starring Rhona Mitra, Billy Nighy, Michael Sheen, Kevin Grevioux
Directed by Patrick Tatopoulos
Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
The Underworld franchise is unique in the fact that with every entry it seems to get better and better. In this day and age of everything being done and done to death, that is truly an anomaly.
This third chapter of the series is a prequel that spends its time showing us every possible variation of the color blue imaginable, oh and how the war between vampire and werewolf all got started. Even if you’re not paying attention or couldn’t care less about the film’s rich mythos, at its heart Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is still very much just one hell of a monster mash that’s enjoyable no matter what you’re looking for from it.
For an in-depth look at the film itself allow me to refer you to Nomad’s Underworld: Rise of the Lycans review. He pretty much nailed it and honestly I really don’t have anything else to add. Instead let’s focus on the subject of the day — the DVD and the Blu-ray.
It’s pretty safe to say that you already know that the Blu-ray looks and sounds better than its DVD cousin. Make no mistake though — the picture quality on the DVD is nothing to scoff at as it is in its own right pretty bitchin’. But this flick in 1080p? Holy shit!
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack more than makes up for these couple of shortcomings as it is a complete knock-out. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is sure to give your home theatre system one hell of a medieval work-out. Especially during the battle sequences that are rife with weapons clanging, werewolves growling, and flesh tearing. Really good stuff.
For the most part the DVD and the Blu-ray have a similar set of special features except for a few high-def exclusives. We’ll get to them in a bit, for now let’s look at the meat of the product.
Besides being BD Live enabled, one of the coolest new features found here is something called Cinechat. What this basically does is enable the viewer to chat via instant message with other viewers on a global stage. Pretty nifty! Next up is the Lycanthropes Around the World Interactive Map which basically lets you navigate a virtual map to find out about actual werewolf stories from around the globe. Sadly it’s not as exciting as it sounds. Finally there’s the gem of the whole bunch — the Behind the Castle Walls: picture-in-picture feature. If you’re going to watch one extra on Blu-ray let it be this one. Throughout key moments of the film a pop-up window will appear with tidbits from the cast and crew. This was — believe it or not — the highlight of the entire package. It’s nothing short of a must-watch!
It should also be noted that you can get Underworld: Rise of the Lycans either on its own or in a special three film box set that packs in the first two films of the series along with this one. Good stuff!
If they do make a fourth Underworld flick, I gotta say I’d totally be there. The series has remained a fun, violent, monster-laden ride and it only shows signs of getting better. Bring it on before Beckinsale can no longer fit into those delicious leather pants!
Special Features
3 1/2 out of 5
Special Features:
4 1/2 out of 5
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