UNDERWORLD and UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION was the end of the story (where the beginning of UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION served as a
mini-prequel). Now UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS serves as the prequel to UNDERWORLD. Witness the start
of the war between Viktor and Lucian. Lucian was a Lycan slave to Viktor and other vampires. Lucian and Sonja
(Rhona Mitra), Viktor's daughter, fell in love with each other. Viktor is all for strict rules and punishes
without mercy when someone breaks his rules. Lucian makes a key to take off his slave collar and removes it when he
has to go out and save Sonja from the more wild Lycans (who will never be able to turn back into human). Viktor sees
it as a chance to punish Lucian.
Viktor's arrogance and strict rules (and the enslavement of the less wild Lycans) caused the war. Marcus
turned the right person to bring down his wild Lycan brother William, but Marcus didn't count on how merciless and stupid
Viktor could be. Viktor is the big cause of why the lycans rose. Viktor could have stopped it by not enslaving
the Lycans bred from Lucian (or kill Lucian as a baby), but clear thinking has never been Viktor's strength. Viktor
tends to rule with brute force and violence- an oppressive hand so to speak. All the events of the UNDERWORLD films
are brought out of Viktor's mistakes.
Shifting back to UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS, the prequel somewhat tells the story of the war's start somewhat successfully.
If only they could have expanded the story a little bit by a few minutes and added just a little more character development
for the start of the film, the film could have been as good as the first UNDERWORLD. I do wish Rhona Mitra had more
time in the film even though the focus is on Lucian and Viktor (and not as much on Sonja). However when things do get
moving, the prequel rushes forward with a momentum that can't be stopped. This film does leave room open for the
film about Lucian's fall and Viktor's revenge. UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS does help fill in the backstory
only glimpsed at before or heard about.
this movie review is (c)1-23-2009 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to
lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com
