HallowScream - Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009) - FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY

         Hey guys, Chuck here, and we're back with more HallowScream, and another chapter in the Underworld series. Also, today marks the four year anniversary of Chuck's Movie Breakdown. I'm amazed that I've been able to share my love of movies, streaming television, and video games with you guys for the past four years.

         Released in 2009, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a prequel film set two decades after William Corvinus' savage rampage across Europe. The movie sees the birth of a child, Lucian, who is the first child born of the werewolves to be able to transform between human and wolf forms. Calling this new form of werewolf a Lycan, vampire leader Viktor takes Lucian into his care, making him the first of what he hopes to be an army of Lycan servants loyal to the vampires, and able to protect their fortress during the day. 

        It's also here where we meet Sonja, the daughter of Viktor. Lucian and Sonja have grown up together, and inevitably fall in love, despite Viktor being against the notion of the two of them as a couple. Also, it's around this time we see the official meeting between Lucian and Raze, who joins Lucian as a loyal ally. This leads to Lucian leading a revolution of the Lycans to stand and no longer be slaves to the vampires, eventually joining their more animalistic counterparts that have been ravaging the countryside. 

        Sonja, as it turns out, just so happens to be pregnant with Lucian's child, which would be the first Vampire-Lycan hybrid born into the world. However, Viktor fears such a creature, and has Sonja and Lucian captured, chaining Lucian to the floor as he watches his beloved Sonja burn alive in the sunlight, killing her and her unborn child at the same time, and officially sparking the war between vampires and Lycans. 

       Okay, so the only thing that Rise of the Lycans does is it fills in some of the backstory between Lucian and Viktor, showcases the full story between Lucian and Sonja, shows how Lucian and Raze first met, and shows Tanis at a time when he was still at Viktor's side. And seeing all of Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Kevin Grievoux, and Steven Mackintosh all reprise their roles from the first two Underworld movies was pretty cool. Also, the one major newcomer in the movie is Rhona Mitral as Sonja, who definitely gives a decent performance and really brings the "Romeo and Juliet" love story between Sonja and Lucian to life in ways that was only ever described to the audience during the first Underworld.

       However, Rise of the Lycans isn't one of the stronger entries in the Underworld series, as we know of one key character that is supposed to die in the movie, and the others are supposed to die much later in the timeline of the series. However, I do give credit to director Patrick Tatopoulos for his work on not only directing the movie, but the incredible creature effects that are the bread and butter of the Underworld series. So, I'm giving Underworld: Rise of the Lycans a rating of 3.95/5. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and be sure to join me in my review of 30 Days of Night as HallowScream continues. 

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