Underworld: Awakening Review

Sorry I completely disappeared on those reading this. I got whammed thrice: finals, graduation, and then my summer plans falling through. So now I’m desperately hunting for $1060 dollars to pay my rent for July and August instead of going home like I planned. I managed to graduate cum laude though, there’s something. Figured I’ll come back today with a review, then spend the next two days getting you all caught up on what’s on the bookshelf.

So, I am a BIG fan of the Underworld series. Have been since the original movie. They aren’t senseless violence movies. There is always plenty of action, no doubt, but also a complex plot and real emotions that just grabs at the writer in me and makes me smile like a dork despite all the blood and guts.

So, I was uber ready for the new movie, though sadly finances and timing made it so I couldn’t see it in theater. Thanks to graduation presents, I finally got my hands on it now. I was all excited…and then so disappointed. The actions still there–in fact I wouldn’t hesitate to say it has been cranked up to eleven. There were some levels of emotion that still got to me. I wanted to hug Selene and Eve a bunch of times. There were some AWESOME moments. Selene claiming the Death Dealer coat, OMG! AMAZING! I was squealing like a fan girl. And the big plot twist towards the end was semi-unexpected.

But the rest of the plot? Meh. Straight forward, no real twists and turns like I was used to from the franchise. In fact, I got BORED part of the way through it. I shouldn’t get bored! This is the same franchise that had me going, “Oh hell, there’s forty-five minutes left in this movie! What happens next?” when I thought we were at the end of Rise of the Lycans. But it was too heavily packed with the action and without the necessary plot to keep it going, so the pacing was just all sorts of off. Also, more illogical gun show-off scenes. Come on, folks. Mythbusters has already called you on that in the first movie, do we really have to try it again?

So basically, at this point, I’m willing to point at Executive Meddling for this film’s somewhat meh-ness. Hopefully the fact it didn’t do as well as the other three is a hint to them to leave the writers alone, because I want the next installment. I wouldn’t whine about more David either (I liked David, also had another fangirl moment when she…well, spoiler).