By Kevin P. Sullivan
Kate Beckinsale in "Underworld: Awakening"
Photo: Columbia Pictures
After taking a movie off, Kate Beckinsale slips back into her impractically tight leather unitard to battle werewolves — excuse me, Lycans — once again in "Underworld: Awakening."
The film didn't screen in advance for critics, but some reports from midnight showings have trickled in, and the consensus is pretty bad. Some critics dismissed the film entirely, while others complained it's just more of the same from the series.
Here is our roundup of reviews for "Underworld: Awakening":
The Story
"This film begins with vampiress Selene waking up after being in a cryogenically frozen state for 12 years, a convincing plot element since the 38-year-old actress doesn't seem to have aged a day. Apparently we humans have gotten hip to the preponderance of Lycans — werewolves, to the uninitiated — and bloodsuckers in our midst and have made determined efforts to eradicate them." — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter</b>
Kate Beckinsale
"Kate Beckinsale is still in her prime as a gorgeous action starlet, and there was a lot of room for her character to experience some real development across the course of the story. Unfortunately, Selene reacts to her new circumstances with such unflinching stoicism that it's hard to become invested in anything that's happening. In one scene, Eve actually confronts Selene about how 'cold' she is, offering Beckinsale an opportunity to display some true emotion — which she does in such monotone, deadpan delivery that it is hilariously ironic (and not in a good way)." — Kofi Outlaw, Screen Rant
The Outfit
"Oh, and Beckinsale's outfit. A word, please, on the outfit. Ever since the very first poster for the very first movie, which had her leathered figure looming atop a grim futuristic cityscape, these films have known which side their bread has been buttered on: They're selling Selene's suggestive, fanboy-friendly poses as much as they're selling action or plot or anything else." — Bilge Ebiri, New York
The Look
"The Swedish director duo of Måns Mårling and Björn Stein, who go by their surnames only and previously helmed the Julianne Moore thriller Shelter, attack the project in patented Euroflash style: shades of silver swathing the actors, cunning integration of live-action and CGI stunt work and nearly everyone but Beckinsale prone to pouting. To give viewers some bang for the four-buck 3-D surcharge, Mårling and Stein toss virtual glass and spurting blood the audience's way every few minutes." — Richard Corliss, Time
The Final Word
"Crude, cheap and pointless, this surely drives a stake through the heart of the 'Underworld' franchise." — Nigel Floyd, Time Out London
Check out everything we've got on "Underworld: Awakening."
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